Dallas Stars @ Atlanta Thrashers


The Dallas Stars will try and end their dismal 3-game losing streak against a team whom they've never lost to. Since the Atlanta Thrashers came into existence a few years ago, they have never beaten the Stars, losing by a combined score of 18-8. This game is another one on the must-win category; Dallas can jump back into second place with a win tonight.

The Stars may get back one of the key players that have been out with an injury. Rob DiMaio is now listed as a game-time decision by the Dallas Morning News, but still week-to-week by Dallas Stars.com. More and more evidence is suggesting that Marty Turco as well as Bill Guerin will not be playing until the playoffs. No offense to Ron Tugnutt, but this practically guarantees that the Stars won't be winning the President's Trophy this season.

The Thrashers are coming into their game against the Stars with their heads held high. They've won 2 straight games and 3 of their last 4 against the Devils, the Sabres, and the Blue Jackets. All-star MVP Dany Heatley has been adding his points to the mix, scoring the game-winner on a breakaway with under 15 seconds remaining.

The Dallas Special Teams haven't been playing par recently, giving up 2 goals against the Canucks and are not scoring with a consistency. The Thrashers on the other hand have been improving, though they are still ranked 15th and 20 on the PP and PK, respectively. They have been shooting to score on the PP and could do some damage against the Stars.

Even considering the fact that the Stars are on a 3-game losing for the first time this calendar year, I think that the record between these two teams gives the Stars a huge advantage. If the Stars come into this game thinking easy win however, they will be sorely mistaken and lose mightily.

Prediction: Dallas 2, Atlanta 2




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Dallas Stars vs. Vancouver Canucks


The Dallas Stars come home for a 1-game stand against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night. The Stars are trying to regain their lead in the Western Conference over the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings beat the league-leading Ottawa Senators last night, coming within 2 points with a game in hand.

The Stars should be gaining their division title in the next game or two. The Magic# was lowered to 4 with an Anaheim tie on Sunday. Winning the division guarantees one of the top 3 positions in the playoffs.

Vancouver hasn't done well against the Stars this year, losing by a total score of 8-1 in 2 games. Both of those games however, had the injured Marty Turco in between the pipes. If previous games are any indication, Dallas shouldn't need his help. Dan Cloutier's GAA for those two games is 4.82.

Lyle Odelein is out for the Stars with a foot injury that he sustained against Minnesota. He's scheduled to be out for 7-10 more days. Rob DiMaio and Marty Turco are coming closer to returning to the lineup, both are rumored to be returning by the middle of next week.

The injury list for the Canucks got two players longer after their game against Toronto on Saturday. Brady May was knocked unconscious by Mats Sundin and taken off the ice on a stretcher. It was later ruled as a concussion and will be out for at least a few games. The other injury coming after the Toronto game was to Mats Lindgren; he injured his back. Goaltender Dan Cloutier is out with a knee injury, possibly to the advantage of the Canucks.

For one of the few times this season, the Stars have met a team that takes the Special Teams advantage. The 'Nucks are ranked 4th and 5th on the PP and PK, respectively, while the Stars sit and wallow at 10th on both accounts.

With the Detroit win on Sunday night and the Stars losing the West lead for the first time in months, this game is most certainly a must-win for Dallas. Not only would this game give them a 1 point lead, they would be 4 points ahead and no game in hand to the Canucks. The Wings would still have their 73rd game ahead of them and have the chance to take the lead.

Even though history tells us that the Stars should win this game, I think that the way the Stars have been playing some poor hockey lately and shouldn't be beating this team. That has never stopped them before, though.

Prediction: Dallas 3, Vancouver 0



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A rocky first start for Corey Hirsch ends in a 4-3 Edmonton win
The Stars backed into the playoffs on Saturday night, losing to the rival Edmonton Oilers, but gaining a spot in the playoffs thanks to a Nashville loss. The other two division leaders, Detroit and Vancouver, earned a place in the post-season also.

The game started off well for the Stars and Corey Hirsch, who was making his first start as a Dallas Star. Jason Arnott scored at 5:21 of the first period to give Dallas the lead going into the second period. The Stars had no easy task in trying to hold off the Oilers. They fired 9 shots in the first period and got a couple of chances on the PP.

The second period was an all out war between two teams that always have an exciting matchup. It started early when Radek Dvorak tied the game at 1 with his 7th goal of the season, just 1:37 into the second. The Dallas PP was put to work by Cory Cross after he was given an interference penalty. Stu Barnes scored his first goal as a Dallas Star less than 1 minute in, giving the Stars their second lead of the game, 2-1. Brad Isbister made sure that score didn't stand still very long, scoring just 27 seconds later, tying the game at 2. It was his 11th goal of the year.

The period was far from over, though. The rest of the second was marred with penalties, with 3 handed to the Stars at the 13:35 mark of the period. Aaron Downey was given a roughing minor, while Steve Ott was given a minor for charging, and one for roughing. The Downey minor was offset by a roughing minor given to Steve Staios, his second of the game. That penalty kept Dallas from going two men down, but they still had a 4 minute PK to ward off. They were able to keep the game 2-2, and went on to the third period against the Oilers, tied at 2 apiece.

Midway through the final period of play, Shawn Horcoff started a flurry of goals, leading up to the game-winner. Horcoff bagged his 11th of year at 10:41 of the period, followed by Jason Arnott's game-tying-goal at 11:01. The third goal in under a minute was scored by Edmonton's Ethan Moreau, his 11th of the year, at 11:24 of the third. It ended the high-scoring affair between the number 1 and number 8 teams in the Western Conference.

The Stars come home for a 1-game stand against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night. Then, Dallas heads out to Atlanta, Georgia to take on the Thrashers. The homestand following that will welcome 2 playoff teams to the AAC for a pair of games at the end of this week.



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Stars get mauled by the Wild 4-2
Following the shocking news from the NHL that Scott Young would be suspended for 2 games, the Stars went to the Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis, MN to take on the Wild.

Things got off to a dreadful start for Dallas, and never got better. Ron Tugnutt faced only 10 shots in the first, a relatively modest number, but only stopped 6 of them. Not all of the Dallas woes can be placed on the back of the starting goalie. The Stars defense played horrible, basically not showing up for the game.

The 4 goals that found their way past Tugnutt in the first went to, in order, Darby Hendrickson, Filip Kuba, Andrew Brunette, and Antti Laaksonen. Another attest to the even offensive output from the Wild is in the fact that 11 players contributed the 11 points.

The Dallas PK didn't play its best hockey either, giving up 1 goal on 2 Minnesota opportunities in the first. The Brunette goal was that Wild PPG. On the second Dallas PP of the game, a 4-minute double minor, Kuba scored his 7th goal of the season, short-handed.

After a first period that saw 19 shots and 7 penalties, including a fight between Aaron Downey and Brad Brown, the second period was quite clean. The only Dallas penalty was taken by newcomer Stu Barnes, his second in two games, for tripping. A few cracks on the PP for Dallas resulted in a few of their 11 second period shots, but nothing major against a hot Manny Fernandez.

The third period got off to the right start for Dallas as Jere Lehtinen scored his 29th goal of the season, extending his career best. A few minutes later Jason Arnott got closer to scoring 20 goals with his 19th of the season at 6:57 of the third. Assisting on the play was the called up David Oliver getting his 1st point of the season. Oliver will get a chance to score again, because he will be playing on Saturday night against Edmonton, with Scott Young still suspended.

The Stars will come back and get a night's rest in Dallas before heading back on the road to Edmonton to play the Oilers. This could be a little playoff preview as these two teams are currently in position to play each other in the first round.

The Stars will be watching the Vancouver Canucks as they take on St. Louis, and Ottawa as they take on the NY Rangers. The Sens could take a huge 3 point lead with even games played with a win, and the Nucks come within 1 point if they win. The third team that is on the list to watch is the Detroit Red Wings who have are idle.



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Dallas Stars @ Minnesota Wild


The Dallas Stars go after a playoff birth tonight against the Minnesota Wild. The Stars have won 4 of their last 5 games, all games against non-playoff caliber teams. A real test stands before the Stars though, as they face playoff teams in 5 of their next 7 games. During that stretch Dallas will have 2 games against 2nd place Vancouver, chances to extend their lead and clinch the #1 spot in the West.

The Wild have been playing respectable hockey as they trudge along to their first ever playoff birth. They've won 5 of their last 8 games and are struggling against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, the Edmonton Oilers, and the Nashville Predators for one of the last three playoff spots. The road to one of those 3 spots will be fairly easy for Minnesota. They play only 7 of 14 games against playoff opponents, one of which is against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Lots of questions loom about the Stars choice for a goaltender in tonight's game. With Ron Tugnutt on a 2 game shutout streak, many people believe that Dave Tippet will go ahead and start Ron for the second straight night. I personally think that Hirsch will get the start because of that fact, though if Tippet was using his noggin, he would have started Hirsch against Columbus and not Minnesota.

The Wild have two good choices in Manny Fernandez and Dwayne Roloson, who got a contract extension by the way, both of whom can come in on any given night and play well for the team. Roloson has become more of the starter as the season wears on, and is expected to get the start tonight. He's got a 1.98 GAA to go with a .927 Sv%. He's got a record of 18-14-7 and 3 shutouts.

The Dallas Power Play will be hard pressed to get a goal in tonight's game. For the first time in a few games, the Stars are taking on a team that has a better PK unit than their own, currently ranked 5th. The Wild are 4th in the league with an 86.8% success rate. The PP for the Wild is another story, ranked 27th in the league and not going anywhere soon.

With the Stars about to wrap up their playoff spot and division title, they now can focus their attention on the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators. Ottawa does not play tonight and will get their next game against the NY Rangers. The Nucks have also played the same number of games as the Stars and do not play until tomorrow night against the St. Louis Blues.

Prediction: Dallas 2, Minnesota 2



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Dallas holds on for 2-0 win as Ron Tugnutt collects his 2nd straight shutout
The Dallas Stars played dominating hockey against one of the worst teams in the NHL, the Columbus Blue Jackets. It was Ron Tugnutt's second straight shutout and it extends his hot streak to 3 games. He's allowed just 2 goals in them.

Dallas welcomed two new players to the lineup in Stu Barnes and Lyle Odelein. Barnes and Odelein both were playing on the number 1 spot for their position, as Barnes was paired with Mike Modano and Scott Young, and Odelein was paired with Derian Hatcher.

The first two chances of the game were for the Blue Jackets when Tyler Wright and David Vyborny had shots against Ron Tugnutt. The game through the first 6 or 7 minutes was fast paced and continued to try goalies Tugnutt and Marc Denis. The KLM line of Kapanen, Lehtinen, and Morrow was up to their old tricks by putting the pressure on Columbus every time they stepped onto the ice.

Scoring started for the Stars when Ulf Dahlen, Jason Arnott, and Claude Lemieux were on the ice a few shifts into the game. These three were paired together due to the absence of Pierre Turgeon from tonight's game. He was out with a bruised leg and is not with the Stars on this three-game swing to the North. Arnott received the puck from a departing Sergei Zubov and made his was across the ice as he went into the Blue Jackets zone. He flipped the puck at Denis after Dahlen and Lemieux were at the net. The rebound went right to the stick of Ulfie and he pushed it past Denis for a 1-0 Dallas lead.

The only penalty of the cleanly played first period came against the Stars when newcomer Stu Barnes dragged down Rick Nash after he slipped behind the net. The red hot Dallas PK stopped Columbus in their tracks and kept the Dallas lead at 1. After the penalty to Barnes was completed, the line of Dahlen, Arnott and Lemieux continued to play well together. They kept solid pressure against the Jackets, and rarely were caught behind a Columbus rush.

The Stars allowed a few chances late in the first, including a shot from Tyler Wright after Ron Tugnutt basically passed the puck to Ray Whitney. The shot went just wide as Tugger slid over to the right post. Rick Nash also got a chance after a Dallas turnover.

The Stars got their first PP chance when Mike Modano made a great play at center ice to draw a penalty against Lasse Pirjeta. Before the whistle was blown though, Modano made a pass to Stu Barnes who ripped a shot that was stopped by Denis.

On the Power Play, Philippe Boucher shone as he fired two rockets that you could feel hit the pads of Marc Denis. He would rattle off another 2 shots before the night was done, making for a rough night for Denis. After the PP was over, the KLM line held the pressure before leaving the ice. Immediately after their departure, Andrew Cassels and David Vyborny moved the puck down the ice and got a good shot against Tugger. He made one of his 25 saves on the night.

The second Dallas goal was created by Kirk Muller and Steve Ott. Muller moved across the blueline and drew both Grand-Pierre and Scoville towards him as Ott moved to the right side. Muller made a clean pass through the traffic to Ott, and he moved past the three towards Denis. Ott faked Denis down to the ice and slipped the puck under his outstretched arm and into the net for a 2-0 Dallas lead.

Both sides had some PP chances, with Columbus getting the best one of them all. The Jackets were taken off the PK when Derian Hatcher and Scott Young were given penalties, as well as Tyler Wright. Young's penalty was a match for attempt to injure, but neither the Dallas cameras nor the Columbus crew got the penalty on camera. Just seconds later, Sergei Zubov was given an interference penalty and Dallas was down 4 men to 3. When Klesla came back on, Columbus had a 5 on 3. Through it all, the Stars stood tall and held Columbus in their zone for most of the PP.

After the remainder of the penalty was over in the third, Dallas went into a turtle shell defense, trying to hold on to their 2-0 lead. Even on the PP after a penalty to LaChance, the Stars didn't apply much pressure. Because of this non-game, Ron Tugnutt had to face a few shots to earn his shutout. All told, he took on 13 shots in the third, many of which should have been a goal.

My 3 Stars:
Ron Tugnutt - stopped 25 of 25 shots for his second straight shutout
David Vyborny - played a solid game for the depressing Blue Jackets while firing 2 shots. He was involved in lots of Columbus rushes and so gets the #2 honor.
Philippe Boucher - fired 4 shots in the game, with lots of pressure on the Dallas Power Play

Dallas goes to Minnesota for a game tomorrow night against the Wild before heading to Edmonton to get a taste of the Oilers before meeting them in the playoffs. Pierre Turgeon may be able to join the team in Edmonton, this Saturday night.

With the start of Tugnutt tonight, one can only believe that Corey Hirsch will get his first career NHL start tomorrow against the Wild. We'll see if Dave Tippet decides to push his luck further and start the assumingly tired Ron Tugnutt.



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Hirsch recalled from Utah in place of Jason Bacashiua
The following is taken from Dallas Stars.com
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Stars recall Corey Hirsch from Utah

Jason Bacashiua Returned to Grizzlies

March 10, 2003 - Dallas Stars General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today that the club has recalled goaltender Corey Hirsch from the Utah Grizzlies, Dallas' primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League. In addition, the Stars have assigned goaltender Jason Bacashiua to the Grizzlies.

Hirsch, 30, was assigned to Utah on March 3. He appeared in three games for the Grizzlies over the past week, going 1-2-0 with a 3.20 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage. Hirsch was originally recalled from Utah on February 13, but has not appeared in a game for Dallas. He has appeared in 29 games for Utah this season, posting a 12-13-2 record with a 2.77 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.

Bacashiua, 20, was recalled from Utah on March 3, but did not appear in a game for the Stars. He was Dallas' first round selection (26th overall) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. Bacashiua has appeared in 31 games for the Utah Grizzlies this season, compiling a 14-15-1 record with a 3.25 goals-against-average and a .907 save percentage with two shutouts.
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It is believed that Hirsch will get his first NHL start tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Columbus. That game starts at 6:00PM CST on FSSW.

Stars get draft pick for Anthony Aquino
The Stars get a draft pick in next year's Entry Draft for unsigned draft pick Anthony Aquino.

The following is taken from Atlanta Thrashers.com
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Thrashers Acquire Forward Anthony Aquino From Dallas

ATLANTA (March 11, 2003) -- The Atlanta Thrashers have acquired the rights to unsigned draft pick Anthony Aquino from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and future considerations, according to Vice President and General Manager Don Waddell.

Following the trade, Atlanta signed Aquino and assigned him to Chicago of the American Hockey League.

Dallas selected Aquino, 20, in the third round, 92nd overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. The 5-10, 180-pound right wing joined Oshawa (OHL) on Sept. 25, after leaving Merrimack College and played 14 games with the Generals before being ruled ineligible by the Ontario Hockey League on Nov. 5. He notched 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) and six penalty minutes in 14 games with the Generals.

A native of Toronto, Ontario, Aquino played three seasons for Merrimack College (Hockey East) from 1999-2001, notching 115 points (56 goals, 59 assists) and 54 penalty minutes in 110 games. He was named a Hockey East Second Team All-Star in 2001, and earned a spot on the 2000 Hockey East All-Rookie Team. He led Merrimack with 15 goals and notched 29 points as a freshman in 1999-2000, and was the team's top scorer with 42 points (17 goals, 25 assists) in 2000-01 and 44 points (24 goals, 20 assists) in 2001-02.

The Thrashers originally acquired the sixth-round pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft that is part of this trade from Dallas for defenseman Stephane Robidas on Oct. 4, 2002. Atlanta had claimed Robidas in the 2002 NHL Waiver Draft from Montreal earlier that same day.

Dallas Stars @ Columbus Blue Jackets
The Dallas Stars will go into the Nationwide Arena on Tuesday night with two new players in the lineup. Lyle Odelein and Stu Barnes were traded for from Chicago and Buffalo on the eve of the trade deadline. Sami Helenius and a future draft pick were given to Blackhawks for Odelein, and college prospect Mike Ryan, as well as a second round pick in the 2003 Entry Draft was given to the Sabres for Barnes.

Barnes is somewhat familiar to Stars fans. He's played for the Sabres since the trade deadline of the 1998-99 season, the year Dallas played Buffalo in the Stanley Cup Finals. He's a good quality playoff man who can bring leadership to the team in the absence of Bill Guerin.

Speaking of Guerin, he held his first press conference since his thigh injury, yesterday. He spoke about his injury and the fears he had about having to have his leg amputated due to the injury. Fortunately, his injury is not that bad. The general tone during the press conference was that he won't be back before the playoffs, but if everything goes well and there are no complications, he could be back for the first round of the playoffs. Obviously, this is very optimistic, and Guerin himself said he doesn't really think he'll be back for the first round. Billy will continue with his current conditioning as the April 1 reevaluation date approaches. We'll check in with him then.

The other Dallas trade made yesterday brings Lyle Odelein to Dallas in place of Sami Helenius. This trade seems really weird to me and it doesn't really bring the Stars something they need this time, a clutch player. However, maybe the Dallas front office knows something about this kid that the rest of us don't. I think one of the factors that led to this deal, was that Odelein won a Stanley Cup back in 1993 with the Montreal Canadiens. Even if it was just the one year, that experience is something. Personally, I'm going to take a wait and see stand on this trade and on the Barnes deal, I think that the Stars got the better deal with him and they'll be thanking themselves for it come the playoffs.

Well, all this time I've been talking about the new acquisitions and nearly forgot all about the team that the Stars are going to face tonight in Columbus, Ohio. The Columbus Blue Jackets are a bottom of the barrel team, no doubt about it. They're ranked 15th in the Western Conference and 28th in the NHL. Even as bad as the Stars have been playing lately, the Blue Jackets are doing even worse. With a 2-6-1-1 record in their last 10 games, the only team playing worse in the Western Conference right now is the Chicago Blackhawks.

Ron Tugnutt is no stranger to the Jackets this year. Of the three games already played between the two teams, Tugnutt has been in the game for 2 of them. He played in the 4-2 loss back in November, and again when Dallas won 3-2 in overtime later that month. Overall, not the best record. He faced a total of 47 shots in those two games, giving him a Sv% of .872.

Marc Denis has not played well all season for the Jackets. In his last start for Columbus, he played 17 minutes and gave up 3 goals to the Carolina Hurricanes. After he was pulled, Columbus came back to tie the game at 5 before backup goaltender Jean-Francois Labbe gave up a goal with under 3 minutes remaining in the game.

The Dallas Penalty Killing units held their ground in Sunday's sloppy game which saw the San Jose Sharks get 7 PP's. The Stars didn't allow a goal on any of them. They'll be facing a surprising PP team in the Blue Jackets. They're ranked 11th in the league, just behind the Stars, with a 17.4% success rate. The Dallas PP has fallen back down the ladder a little bit. They're back down to 10th with a 17.9% success rate. The Blue Jackets PK is ranked 11th.

Playoff Watch

Last week, I predicted that the Stars would have a chance at wrapping up their playoff spot tonight, against the Blue Jackets. Well it certainly didn't turn out that way. After getting manhandled by the Nashville Predators, the Stars went on to beat the San Jose Sharks. What that prediction was banking on was a Nashville loss to Minnesota, and then a loss to us. Parts of that came true as Nashville tied Minnesota, but after the Dallas win, they lost to Montreal. If they lose tomorrow night to Pittsburgh, and the Stars win tonight, Dallas earns their playoff spot. Here are the Magic#'s:
To earn a playoff spot = 4
To win the Pacific Division = 9
To win the Western Conference = 23
To win the President's Trophy and clinch home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs = 27

Prediction: Dallas 3, Columbus 1




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Stars pull trigger on second deal of the day
The Stars acquired Stu Barnes from the Buffalo Sabres for college player Mike Ryan and a second round pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

The following is taken from Buffalo Sabres.com

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Sabres Acquire Mike Ryan and Second Round Selection from Dallas in Exchange for Stu Barnes

Buffalo, NY (March 10, 2003) -- Buffalo Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier announced today that the team has acquired center Mike Ryan and Dallas' second round selection in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Stu Barnes.

"Stu has been a tremendous leader for our organization," said Buffalo Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier. "He is a tremendous individual and has been a great asset to the organization and the community. We wish him the best in Dallas."

In 310 games as a Sabre, Barnes has totaled 67 goals and 105 assists for 172 points. Additionally, he has been one of the Sabres top point producers in the playoffs over the last three Buffalo
postseasons. Acquired on March 11, 1999, Stu played a major role in Buffalo's run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1999. He finished the 1999 playoffs tied for first on the team with seven goals and tied for first overall in the playoffs with four power play scores. In 39 career playoff games with the Sabres, he is tied for eighth in career playoff goals (14) and tied for third with eight postseason power play tallies. Stu was named the 11th captain in Buffalo Sabres history and has received the Punch Imlach Award the past two seasons for dedication and leadership to the organization.

Ryan (6'1'', 180 lbs.) was the Stars first choice (32nd overall) in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. As a senior at Northeastern University, Ryan led his team in scoring with 18 goals, 14 assists, and 32 points in 34 games. Eight of his goals had come on the power-play.