Stars Game Day: Dallas Closes Its Homestand Against Columbus on Halloween Night
The Stars (7-5-1) finish a six-game homestand at American Airlines Center at 7 p.m. Saturday against the Blue Jackets (5-6-0) - with the league's second-best penalty kill, a captain who has 35 career points against Columbus, and help possibly returning to the lineup.
DALLAS - The Dallas Stars close a six-game homestand on Halloween night, hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets at American Airlines Center at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday in the first of two meetings between the teams this season. Dallas enters at 7-5-1 with 15 points, fourth in the Central Division; Columbus is 5-6-0 with 10 points, seventh in the Metropolitan. The teams meet again on Thursday, November 5, in Columbus.
The matchup's clearest edge is special teams. Dallas's penalty kill is at 93.5 percent - 43-for-46 - against a Columbus power play converting at 13.3 percent, while the Stars' own power play is at 20.0 percent against a Blue Jackets kill at 74.3 percent, according to the Stars' game day guide. Dallas is 43-27-8 all-time against Columbus and 22-14-2 on home ice, and its leaders have history in this matchup: captain Jamie Benn has 35 points in 44 career games against the Blue Jackets, and Tyler Seguin enters on a two-game point streak against them. Columbus counters with Kent Johnson, who brings a three-game point streak - three goals and three assists - and a team-high seven goals into the night.
Dallas is 3-2-0 through the first five games of the homestand and comes in off Thursday's 5-2 loss to Montreal, a game in which defenseman Miro Heiskanen played 29 minutes, 47 seconds. The lineup may get help: Radek Faksa is close, free-agent signing David Perron is almost ready to make his Stars debut, and Esa Lindell practiced Friday. Head coach Glen Gulutzan said he expected to see one, if not two, of the three on Saturday. The Sports Desk files the result within 45 minutes of the final buzzer.
