A heavyweight bout.
Just the facts
When: Tonight, 8 PM
Where: American Airlines Center – Dallas, TX
How to follow: NESN, 98.5 The Sports Hub
Opposing perspective: Defending Big D
Know your enemy
- 7-2-1, 15PTS, first in the Pacific Division
- Roope Hintz: 5G-6A-11PTS; Joe Pavelski: 4G-6A-10PTS; Jamie Benn: 3G-6A-9PTS
- Jake Oettinger: 5-1-1, 1.97 GAA, .938 save percentage
Game notes
- Fresh off of their first regulation loss of the season, the Bruins head to Dallas for arguably their toughest test of the young campaign: a match-up with the Pacific-leading Stars.
- Dallas has just one more loss than the B’s on the year, with three L’s (two regulation, one OTL) to the Bruins’ two. The Stars had won three-straight games prior to Saturday’s road loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
- What’s gone right for the Stars so far? Vintage performances from veterans Joe Pavelski and Jamie Benn, plus elite goaltending from Jake Oettinger.
- Former Bruin Craig Smith has 1G-1A-2PTS totals in ten games for the Stars.
- After giving up two power play goals in Detroit on Saturday night, the Bruins’ penalty kill slipped two second-best in the NHL. First place? That belongs to the Stars, who have killed 94.4% of their penalties on the season.
- Both of these teams are stingy defensively as well, in large part due to stellar goaltending. The Bruins remain first in the league in GA/G (1.91), while Dallas is fifth in that same stat (2.5).
- The Bruins remain shorthanded, and while they responded well to their other defeat (the blown game against Anaheim), this is a bit of a taller task. It will be interesting to see if Jim Montgomery toys with his pairings, lines, or lineup in general after a lackluster (or “sloppy” may be more appropriate) outing in Detroit.
See ya tonight!