Pittsburgh Penguins Preview: at Dallas Stars
The Pittsburgh Penguins (36-21-5) have an interesting game tonight against the Dallas Stars (33-26-4), the team’s 2011 Trade Deadline partner.
The Penguins enter the game rolling at 4-1 in their last five games and 6-3-1 in their last 10, including back-to-back home wins this past weekend. The Stars have won each of their last four games, though, and currently hold the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
The Penguins won the two teams’ first meeting this season 3-1, the game winner scored by none other than former Star James Neal.
WHO TO WATCH:
Penguins: Evgeni Malkin. Do I really need to say anything about this guy? He leads the NHL with 78 points though he’s played seven less games than any player in the top ten aside from Claude Giroux. He’s on pace for a 104-point year despite having missed the season’s opening eight games.
Geno has five goals in his last three games and 20 in his last 20, plus a five-game point streak where he’s recorded nine points.
Stars: Jamie Benn. Benn is set to return to the Dallas lineup tonight after missing the last six games with a leg laceration, and, boy, will the Stars be happy.
With 49 points in 52 games at just 22 years old, Benn is on his way to becoming one of the best wingers in the game. Whether he’ll need some time to get his legs back after sitting out I’m not sure, but if he’s ready to go, he’s extremely entertaining to watch.
TEAM STATS:
The Penguins enter tonight’s game in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 77 points, two points ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers and three in front of the New Jersey Devils, both of which also sit behind the Ottawa Senators.
The Penguins score more goals per game (3.08 to 2.56) and allow less (2.58 to 2.67) than the Stars and also have the decided edge on special teams. Pittsburgh’s penalty kill currently ranks second in the NHL at 88.5% and their power play 5th at 20.9%, while the Stars rank 17th and 26th, respectively.
Marc-Andre Fleury should start for Pittsburgh while Kari Lehtonen should get the nod for the Stars, though neither of those have been confirmed yet.
UPDATE 12:33 PM: Lines from today’s line rushes:
Chris Kunitz - Malkin – Neal
Steve Sullivan - Jordan Staal – Pascal Dupuis
Matt Cooke – Joe Vitale – Richard Park
Eric Tangradi - Craig Adams - Arron Asham
Injured Penguins Sidney Crosby and Tyler Kennedy both practiced with the team today, but both remain on injured reserve.
Tonight’s game will start at 7:30 PM and will be televised on NBC Sports.
Updates will come as practice lines and goaltenders leak.
Let’s Go Pens
Follow Troy on Twitter @TroyPfaff for more Pittsburgh Penguins news
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