The Stars will turn to Oettinger between the pipes for the 33rd time this season when they host the Blues on Friday night. Oettinger secured the victory in his last outing, making 16 saves on 18 shots in a 6-2 win over the Bruins on Tuesday. Dallas' franchise netminder now owns an 18-10-4 record on the year to go along with a .902 SV% and 2.67 GAA. Oettinger and the Stars enter action on Friday at -170 on the money line.
Rantanen was a late omission from the Stars' lineup on Tuesday because of an illness, and remained sidelined on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 29-year-old Ranatnen has 63 points (19G / 44A) in 48 games this season.
Rantanen was a late omission from the Stars' lineup on Tuesday because of an illness, and he will remain sidelined on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 29-year-old Ranatnen has 63 points (19G / 44A) in 48 games this season. The team is hopeful he can return to the lineup tomorrow against the St. Louis Blues.
DeSmith played well in his most recent game, saving 22 of 24 shots (.917 SV%), but suffered a 3-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Despite a 1-2-1 record, DeSmith has remained consistent while his team has struggled, posting a 2.34 GAA and .907 SV% over the past two weeks. The Stars enter Thursday's contest as -112 road favorites against a Columbus Blue Jackets team whose four-game winning streak was snapped on Tuesday in a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators.
DeSmith played well in his most recent game, saving 22 of 24 shots (.917 SV%), but suffered a 3-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Despite a 1-2-1 record, DeSmith has remained consistent while his team has struggled, posting a 2.34 GAA and .907 SV% over the past two weeks. The Stars enter Thursday's contest as -112 road favorites against a Columbus Blue Jackets team whose four-game winning streak was snapped on Tuesday in a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators.
Capobianco will be the odd-man out on Tuesday as Alex Petrovic draws back into the lineup. Capobianco has two goals and three assists in 25 games this season.
Rantanen was unfortunately a surprise scratch on Tuesday, with the Stars not announcing his absence prior to the start of warmups. Dallas and fantasy owners will hope Rantanen feels better in time for the Stars' game in Columbus on Thursday. Nathan Bastian will draw into the lineup in his place.
Kiviranta has battled several injuries this season, most recently one that has kept him out of the lineup for over three weeks, but he could draw back in on Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks. The 29-year-old Finnish forward is averaging 9:29 time-on-ice and has four points (1G / 3A) in 21 games this season.
Oettinger has strung together a few solid performances, posting a 2.04 GAA and .922 SV% in his last three games (1-2-0), but remains below .500 in that stretch, a regularity for a Stars team that has struggled in recent weeks. The 27-year-old Oettinger has a 2.94 GAA and .890 SV% in his last 11 games since mid-December (3-6-2). The Stars hope to end their downward spiral, entering Tuesday's contest as -136 home favorites against a Boston Bruins team on a six-game winning streak.
The Stars have followed up an outstanding 18-3-2 run by being one of the worst teams in the NHL, losing nine of their last 11 games (2-5-4). That said, Oettinger has played well in his last two outings (1-1-0), saving 49 of 52 combined shots (.942 SV%). The Stars will need Oettinger at his best, as they enter Sunday’s game as +105 home underdogs against a Tampa Bay Lightning team on an 11-0-1 stretch.
Jonas Johansson was absent from practice on Thursday, which was initially classified as "body maintenance," but may actually be something that could keep him out of the lineup, as indicated by the recalling of Brandon Halverson from the Syracuse Crunch (AHL). The 29-year-old Halverson has a 2.42 GAA and .899 SV% in 20 games (12-6-2) with Syracuse this season.
Heiskanen was a late scratch in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, tending to a personal matter, and remained out of the lineup on Thursday against the Utah Mammoth. The 26-year-old Finnish defenseman is having an excellent season for Dallas, scoring 36 points (7G / 29A) through 46 games.
Heiskanen was a late scratch in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, tending to a personal matter, and will remain out of the lineup on Thursday against the Utah Mammoth. The 26-year-old Finnish defenseman is having an excellent season for Dallas, scoring 36 points (7G / 29A) through 46 games. As long as Heiskanen remains out of the lineup, expect an increase in deployment for Thomas Harley, who has been quarterbacking the team's top powerplay unit.
Oettinger was terrific in his most recent outing, saving 24 of 25 shots (.960 SV%), which the Stars hope is the beginning of an upward trend for their goalie, who posted an ugly 3.32 GAA and .879 SV% in his previous eight games (2-4-2). The 27-year-old Oettinger has a 2.70 GAA and .902 SV% in 29 games this season (17-8-4). The Stars enter the action on Thursday as slight -100 road underdogs against a Utah Mammoth team coming off an impressive 6-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, improving to 4-0-1 in their last five games.
Heiskanen was a surprise scratch on Tuesday, as the Stars did not announce his absence prior to warmups. Ilya Lyubushkin will draw into the lineup in his place.
