The Dallas Stars clash with a surging Atlantic Division opponent on home ice for the second straight game when they face the Boston Bruins for the first time this season on Tuesday night.
Boston has won six straight and eight of its last 10 games (8-1-1) following Saturday’s 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Meanwhile, Dallas looks to curb a 2-6-4 stretch — including a current three-game losing streak — after falling 4-1 Sunday to the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have taken points in 13 straight contests.
Boosted by a 14-1-2 run in November and December, the Stars entered Monday in a second-place tie in the Central and holding the fifth-best record in the entire NHL despite their recent struggles.
“I think (Sunday’s game was) just the story of (the Lightning being) 12-0-1 and they just stayed with their game more than we did,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “Did I ever think that we were a .750 team for the whole season? No, I did not. … We are certainly regressing to the mean, but we’re better than what we’re playing right now. We need to get back to that.”
Dallas has been quiet offensively of late, scoring just once in each of its three recent losses. Oskar Back netted the lone goal against the Lightning — a game in which the Stars were limited to just two shots on goal in the third period and 20 in total.
Leading scorers Jason Robertson (27 goals) and Wyatt Johnston (25 goals) have both gone three straight games without lighting the lamp. Mikko Rantanen (63 points) is goalless in three of the last four.
“I think we can all just dig in a little more and buy in,” said Stars forward Justin Hryckowian, who played collegiately at Boston’s Northeastern University. “Obviously, we’re not happy with the results, but everyone’s trying and we’ve got such a tight-knit group. We’re gonna get out of this. We’ve just got to start stacking days … and it’s going to start going our way soon.”
Another blueliner could be close to returning from a lengthy injury as Lian Bichsel (lower-body) practiced on Monday for the first time since departing a Nov. 30 game against the Ottawa Senators and requiring surgery.
After completing a five-game homestand sweep last Thursday against the Seattle Kraken, the Bruins look to do the same on a brief two-game road trip that began in Chicago. The recent run has Boston holding an Eastern Conference wild-card playoff spot.
Saturday’s game saw the Blackhawks take an early 2-0 lead, but Mason Lohrei scored two goals during the Bruins’ run of five unanswered to finish the game. As he often has of late, Boston coach Marco Sturm felt good about his team coming out of the hole.
“The frustrating part was because we played so well (to start). And all of a sudden, we were down 2-0,” Sturm said.
It was Lohrei’s first career multi-goal performance. Fellow defenseman Charlie McAvoy also scored and four players, including leading point producer David Pastrnak (59), had two assists.
Two of the soon-to-be U.S. Olympian McAvoy’s three goals this season have come in the past five games.
“I’ve been trying to jump in the play more recently, responsibly, trying to be a threat, trying to be part of it,” McAvoy said. “I think it’s been effective. It’s been going well. … That started rolling the snowball down the hill.”
The Boston defense also got a boost from Hampus Lindholm, who missed the previous six games with an injury. On Sunday, Billy Sweezey was recalled from AHL affiliate Providence on an emergency basis, with Henri Jokiharju moving off the active roster (family matter).
Viktor Arvidsson, who scored the eventual game-winner against Chicago, has four goals and four assists during a seven-game point streak.
