Prepare yourselves for a titanic encounter in the NHL, as the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues square off for the fourth time this season. The Blues have won two out of the first three meetings with Dallas and will definitely be looking continue that dominance. The Stars, meanwhile, won the previous one and will be aiming to stretch their current winning streak to five games. Who will prevail in this one?
[sc:NHL250 ]Read on below for a comprehensive breakdown of this Central Division clash. And while you’re at it, check out our preview of the Philadelphia Flyers vs. New Jersey Devils.
[sc:NHL250 ]Thanks to Mattias Janmark’s goal with only 3:49 remaining in the overtime period, the Dallas Stars managed to slip past the Predators on Monday night, 3-2. That win allowed the Stars to extend their unbeaten run to four games and also strengthen their hold of the No. 1 spot in the Central Division. Now, they’ll try to continue their winning ways when they tangle up with another division rival in the form of the St. Louis Blues.
Expect the Stars’ powerful one-two punch in Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin to go all out in this one. Both are currently having a phenomenal season, combining for a total of 127 points (59 goals and 68 assists) thus far.
Benn, in particular, should be able to have a really good game later as he’s fared well against the Blues with 10 goals and 11 assists throughout 25 career games. He also scored a goal and delivered an assist during their last meeting with St. Louis on December 27. Dallas won that game commandingly, 3-0.
Meanwhile, Kari Lehtonen, who holds a 16-5-0 record with a 2.80 GAA across 26 games, seems to be in line to mind the net for the Stars later. He picked up his lone shutout of the season with 22 saves in their most recent meeting with the Blues.
Dallas is 5-5 SU and 8-2 OU in its previous 10 road games.
Elliot proved to be a vital factor in the Blues’ game against Tampa Bay on Sunday with another solid performance in relief for the injured Jake Allen. He negated 37-of-38 shot attempts to help his team capture the thrilling 2-1 triumph. The 30-year-old goalkeeper has been playing very well in his past four contests, garnering a 3-0-1 record and stopping 136 out of 142 shots in that stretch.
With the way Elliot’s playing lately, the Blues will hope that he can keep his form up opposite the Dallas Stars, who are averaging 3.2 goals per game this season. Across 10 career games (nine starts) in this matchup, he is 5-4-0 along with a 2.97 GAA and .904 SV%.
As for the offense, expect the Blues to ultimately put their trust on Vladimir Tarasenko to lead their attack. He carries team-bests of 27 goals and 49 points this season. Moreover, Tarasenko has had his share of good moments against Dallas with 11 points (seven goals and four assists) through 12 career games.
St. Louis is 5-5 SU and 4-4-2 OU in its last 10 home games.
