Dallas Stars (35–27–5) vs Chicago Blackhawks (28–30–9)
7:00pm CST
American Airlines Center
TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN
PROJECTED STARTERS
Chicago – Corey Crawford (8–15–2, SV%: .897, GAA: 3.40)
Dallas – Ben Bishop (22–14–2, SV%: .930, GAA: 2.13)
TEAM STATISTICS
Power Play
Chicago (21.3%, 11th)
Dallas (19.5%, 16th)
Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.1%, 31st)
Dallas (82.2%, 6th)
Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.3, 11th; 35.0, 30th)
Dallas (29.9, 24th; 31.7, 19th)
Shooting %
Chicago (10.3%, 8th)
Dallas (8.5%, 27th)
Faceoff %
Chicago (49.5%, 20th)
Dallas (51.7%, 5th)
Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs
Dallas 6’2” 208lbs
PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS
Chicago Blackhawks
Brandon Saad–Jonathan Toews–John Hayden
Dominik Kahun–Artem Anisimov–Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Brendan Perlini
Chris Kunitz–David Kampf–Marcus Kruger
Slater Koekkoek–Erik Gustafsson
Dallas Stars
Roope Hintz–Tyler Seguin–Alexander Radulov
Jamie Benn–Jason Dickinson–Blake Comeau
Mattias Janmark–Jason Spezza–Brett Ritchie
Andrew Cogliano–Joel L’Esperance–Valeri Nichushkin
Analysis
It’s tryout time for the Chicago Blackhawks. After last game’s line shake-up, it’s clear the Blackhawks are giving bigger roles to players such as John Hayden and Brendan Perlini as the season comes to an end. The playoffs for the Blackhawks are next to impossible, even after Thursday’s win against the Sabres. Now is the time to give a chance to some of the players who may be question marks heading into next season.
If it’s any indicator of what to expect, Brendan Perlini has been strong since re-entering the lineup on the west coast trip. He scored a goal on Thursday night and had two goals against the Kings a week ago. Perlini could be a bargain re-signing for the Blackhawks which could pay big dividends next season for their forward depth.
The Stars will come out strong on Saturday night against the Blackhawks. Their season is very much on the line, despite sitting comfortably in the first wild card spot. Dallas has only one point of cushion between them and the Minnesota Wild, but two games in hand, making Saturday night’s contest against the Blackhawks all that more important.
Besides for the Wild, the Stars have to be concerned about the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche down the stretch. Both teams are less than five points back of the Stars, so the Stars cannot afford to let either one of those teams catch them. Colorado’s chances may have been impaired due to the injury to captain Gabriel Landeskog, who will be sidelined for four-to-six weeks.
A quietly pleasant surprise for the Stars has been the play of goaltender Ben Bishop. His 2.13 GAA is second in the league among qualifying goaltenders, as well as his .930 save percentage. He is tied for third in shutouts with 5 and has been the backbone of this playoff-bound Dallas team. In order for the Blackhawks to play spoiler, they’ll have to crack Bishop’s code and get pucks in the net.