The Dallas Stars will look to extend their winning streak to four games when they play host to the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday night.
Dallas defeated Ottawa 4-2 on Thursday night to improve to 6-2-1 in their past nine games.
Roope Hintz scored twice, Matt Duchene had a goal and an assist, and captain Jamie Benn also scored for the Stars, who have won four of five games (4-0-1).
Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson each had two assists, and Jake Oettinger made 11 saves in the win over Ottawa.
During a five-game point streak, Johnston has eight points (three goals, five assists), while Robertson has seven points (two goals, five assists) over the past three contests.
Duchene leads the Stars with 35 points in 37 games this season, while Hintz paces Dallas with 18 goals in 36 appearances.
“Since we’ve switched the lines up, it feels like we’re a little more dangerous, getting more done, more jump in our game,” Duchene said. “You’ve got to make adjustments when guys get hurt and the guys have been doing a really good job. It feels more fun out there right now, more is happening.”
Oettinger is 18-9-1 in 28 starts this season, with a 2.37 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.
Saturday is the third of four meetings between the Central Division rivals. The Stars have won both previous meetings, both in Salt Lake City, 2-1 on Dec. 2 and 3-2 on Dec. 23.
Benn scored two goals and Sam Steel notched two assists in the two previous meetings against Utah. Goaltender Casey DeSmith made both starts against Utah, posting a .952 save percentage and a 1.51 GAA.
On the other side, Nick Schmaltz has a goal and assist in Utah’s two losses to the Stars this season.
Utah concludes a four-game road trip on Saturday, looking to make it back-to-back wins following a 5-3 victory in Calgary on Thursday.
Lawson Crouse scored twice, Clayton Keller added a goal and an assist and Logan Cooley also scored as Utah erased a 3-2 deficit and snapped a five-game losing streak (0-4-1).
Prior to the skid, Utah had won four games in a row.
Crouse, who snapped a 14-game goalless drought, said of the team’s third-period comeback, “That’s part of our identity. All season we’ve done a good job of not quitting. (Thursday is) another example of that. We have a lot of character in our locker room. No quit and go right until the end of the game, and (Thursday) that paid off for us.”
Cooley has logged points in 12 straight road games dating back to Nov. 23. The Utah forward has 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) during the streak.
Utah goaltender Karel Vejmelka — 9-10-2 in 23 games this season with a 2.43 GAA and a .915 save percentage — has lost both of his starts against the Stars this season. He produced a .900 save percentage and a 2.60 GAA in those contests.
Keller leads Utah with 25 assists and 39 points in 37 games this season. The forward has one goal and two helpers over his last two games.
Dylan Guenther has a team-leading 16 goals. He has notched assists in back-to-back games after going four straight without managing a point.
Utah and Dallas conclude their four-game season series on April 12 in Dallas.
–Field Level Media
