The Dallas Stars opened a four-game road series with a victory. Now the Red-hot Stars will look for another one when they visit the Calgary Flames on Saturday.
With a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, Dallas has won six of seven overall and is 5-0-2 in its last seven road meetings.
No matter where you look, the Stars are getting contributions all over the roster, but their biggest names have been tearing up the league as of late.
Forward Jason Robertson scored nine times during a five-game goal streak and added three assists along the way. This frenzy follows a slump in which he scored just one goal in 14 outings.
“He’s been super confident, great with the puck, and it’s great to see him continue this great streak and continue to do his thing,” said forward Colin Blackwell. “He has a gift that a lot of people don’t have.”
Mikko Rantanen is also on a five-game point streak, during which he has scored two goals and provided five assists.
It helps that guard Jake Oettinger is also rolling. He was at his best in the final two periods against Vancouver, stopping the final 25 shots he faced as his team found the third period goals to pull away.
“I wasn’t happy with the goals scored,” Oettinger said. “I just tried to persevere. I thought we should have been up 2-0 after the first one, so it was time to buckle down.”
The Flames sit last in the league standings but return home after a 6-2 road win over the Buffalo Sabers on Wednesday that ended a two-game losing streak.
Calgary, the league’s second-lowest scoring club, broke things open with four third-period goals to reach a season high for goals in a game.
“It was a pretty complete game from us from start to finish,” coach Ryan Huska said. “And it was nice to see the guys score a few goals, even a few lucky goals. We haven’t seen many of those this year.”
Despite the team’s setbacks since the start of the season, the Flames are starting to find their feet. Forward Matt Coronato has scored in three straight games and defenseman Rasmus Andersson has found the scoresheet in three straight games (two goals, four assists).
Oddly enough, this match is the only home fixture for a long time. After playing their back-to-back games in Chicago and Buffalo before this matchup, the Flames will then travel to Vancouver to kick off a five-game road series that includes matchups with both Florida-based teams, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Nashville Predators.
“A lot of traveling,” said forward John Beecher, who was claimed off waivers from the Boston Bruins on the most recent trip. “I will soon have to get used to West Coast travel and longer flights.”
Calgary received some bad news Friday when it was announced that rookie forward Sam Honzek would be out for up to six months after requiring surgery due to an undisclosed upper-body injury. Honzek, the first round pick in the 2023 draft, had two goals and four points in 18 games. Honzek was a strong candidate to make the Slovak Olympic team.
The Stars have won the last three meetings between the clubs.
–Field level media
