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The Sports Network
While the Columbus Blue Jackets are playing for pride, the
Dallas Stars have stumbled as of late in their chase of a postseason spot.
(Sports Network) - While the Columbus Blue Jackets are playing for pride, the
Dallas Stars have stumbled as of late in their chase of a postseason spot.
The Stars hope to break out of their scoring slump and get back on the winning
track this evening against the hosting Blue Jackets.
Dallas currently sits 12th overall in the Western Conference with 56 points,
two back of Phoenix and Minnesota for the eighth spot. The Coyotes leapt past
the Stars in the standings by notching a 4-1 victory over them on Tuesday.
Michael Ryder had the lone goal for Dallas, which was unable to carry momentum
from a 2-1 shootout victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday and lost for
the seventh time in 10 games. The Stars have been held to a pair of goals or
less in all but one of those contests.
Kari Lehtonen was tagged for all four goals on 24 shots in defeat, ending his
personal three-game win streak in which he had allowed just three goals.
"Awful, atrocious," Stars defenseman Sheldon Souray said of his team's
performance. "We've gotten by on a really good goaltender in the last three or
four games and it's not good enough. We can talk about it and try to figure it
out and point fingers, but really as a whole we've really been letting each
other down these last three or four games, especially with how important this
stretch of games is and what it means."
The Blue Jackets did prevent the Stars from falling further behind in their
playoff chase after notching a 3-1 win over the Wild. It marked only the
second time this season that Columbus has won two games in a row, having first
done so back on Nov. 19-21.
Columbus hasn't won three straight since Feb. 18-25 of last year.
"Obviously we'd like to have more [winning streaks], but I think lately that
our game has kind of been coming around. Guys are battling hard and we're
getting rewarded," said Blue Jackets forward Jeff Carter.
Carter missed 10 straight games with a separated shoulder, but returned to
action last Friday and scored a goal in a 3-2 overtime win at Anaheim. He then
made it two straight contests with a goal on Tuesday, while David Savard
scored the first of his career and added an assist.
Antoine Vermette lit the lamp as well and Curtis Sanford made 28 saves for a
Blue Jackets club that sits last in the NHL with 36 points and had lost six
straight prior to consecutive wins.
"I thought we played a heck of a first period, probably one of our best," Blue
Jackets interim head coach Todd Richards said. "They came out and were better
in the second, but we were really happy with the way we finished the game."
Forward Vinny Prospal added an assist, his team-leading 24th of the season,
and has points in three straight after going nine in a row without one. The
36-year-old is second on the team with 33 points and signed a one-year
extension with the Jackets on Wednesday.
The Blue Jackets had lost four of five, including the first two of four
encounters this year, versus the Stars before picking up a 4-1 road win on
Dec. 29. Rick Nash scored a pair of goals for Columbus.
Dallas has won two straight and six of its past nine at Columbus.
The Sports Network