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Pregame Notes (49): Stars Look to Stay in Second in Competitive Central

taylor newby
·2 min read

Fresh off a 4-3 win against Vegas Friday night, Dallas heads to St. Louis to play the second half of a back-to-back having overtaken the Minnesota Wild for second place in the Central Division.

The Central has been the most competitive division all season, with Winnipeg leading the way for most of the season as not just the best team in the division, but the best in the league. Minnesota has been hot despite dealing with numerous injuries, and Colorado is ever-dangerous right on the heels of the Stars.

Having reached second place for the first time since October, Dallas has achieved something pretty remarkable despite their own highs and lows including injuries, a slowdown in scoring and question marks on the back end. Jake Oettinger has been instrumental in that success, backstopping the Stars to the second most goalie wins in the league behind Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck.

After a strong but nervy 4-3 win over Vegas, Dallas can't rest on their achievements, as the St. Louis Blues pose a difficult threat as a division rival intent on keeping their foot in the door of sneaking into the playoff picture. After a slow start, the Blues sacked head coach Drew Bannister and hired recently terminated Bruins coach Jim Montgomery to return to St. Louis where he was both a player and an assistant previously.

The Blues lost 4-2 to Vegas on Thursday before the Golden Knights headed to Dallas and will look for a big bounce-back performance in front of a rowdy Saturday night crowd.

Meanwhile, Dallas is on the first half of their back-to-back with the Blues, heading to St. Louis for a Saturday night showdown. Casey DeSmith gets the start for Dallas after Oettinger earned the win Friday.

Things to watch for:

  • Brendan Smith (Forward Version) was surprisingly good on the fourth line against Vegas. He got in on the forecheck, created a turnover and drew a penalty that led to the Stars first goal of the game. Smith has been in and out of the lineup as a depth defenseman, but with Colin Blackwell and Oskar Back, provides the fourth line with very good defense.

  • The beat goes on for Jason Robertson, who tops the NHL in points since Christmas. A ho-hum night of two goals keeps giving Stars fans hope that he is finally regaining the skill that made him so great in his hundred point season.

  • DeSmith lost to the Avalanche in his last appearance, but has otherwise been a stellar option in place of Oettinger. DeSmith's last two losses have been followed up with a win for the backup.

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