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**StarDust Bum** · 11-06-2011, 01:26 PM

Preview: Canucks (5-7) at Blackhawks (5-2)

Date: November 06, 2011 7:00 PM EDT

Facing one of their biggest conference rivals might be what the Vancouver Canucks need to break out of their funk.

The Canucks look to avoid a third straight loss when they visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night in a rematch of another thrilling playoff series between the Western Conference powers.

Vancouver (6-7-1) opened a six-game trip with a 5-1 win at Calgary on Tuesday for its second straight victory, but dropped the next two contests. If there is something positive to take from those losses, the Canucks were more competitive during a 3-2 loss at St. Louis on Friday than they were while falling 5-1 at Minnesota a night earlier.

"If we fight as hard as we did (Friday) and have that desperation level, we'll be fine," goaltender Roberto Luongo told the Canucks' official website.

Facing the Central Division-leading Blackhawks (8-2-3) could provide a spark the reigning West champions need.

After being knocked out in the conference semifinals by Chicago in 2009 and 2010, Vancouver finally got the best of the Blackhawks by beating them in seven games in the first round last season. The Canucks blew a 3-0 lead in that series, but Luongo made 31 saves and Alex Burrows scored the winner 5:22 into overtime to give them a 2-1 victory in Game 7.

Though Vancouver won the last two meetings to split the regular-season series with the Blackhawks in 2010-11, Chicago outscored the Canucks 11-5 while winning Games 4 and 6 at the United Center.

Burrows had three goals with five assists during the regular season and playoffs against the Blackhawks in 2010-11, but is day-to-day after he left Friday's contest because of back spasms. Burrows scored his fifth of the season prior to leaving the game.

Daniel and Henrik Sedin have combined for nine goals and 20 assists, but the twins have been held to one assist over the last two games. They combined for five goals and eight assists at Chicago overall in 2010-11.

Just 4-4-1 with a 3.19 goals-against average this season, Luongo has allowed seven goals on 41 shots while losing his last two games at Chicago - both in the playoffs. However, he made 32 saves during Vancouver's 3-0 victory in the teams' last regular season meeting at the United Center on Dec. 3.

A visit from the Canucks also might provide a boost for the Blackhawks, who had a three-game winning streak snapped Friday when they lost 5-4 in overtime at Tampa Bay.

Patrick Sharp scored twice, Marian Hossa had a goal with an assist and Patrick Kane added three assists as Chicago blew a two-goal lead to lose for just the third time in regulation or overtime.

"I think we're playing some good hockey, doing some good things," captain Jonathan Toews told the Blackhawks' official website. "We have to keep applying that pressure. There's a lot of little things we can do better."

Kane has two goals and five assists in the last three games. He totaled four assists in three postseason home games against the Canucks in April.

Hossa has two goals with four assists in his last three games overall.

After he was given Friday night off, Corey Crawford is expected to be back in net trying to improve on his 6-2-2 record and 2.33 GAA. Crawford is 4-4-0 with a 2.06 GAA during the regular season and playoffs against the Canucks.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-06-2011, 01:27 PM

Preview: Stars (6-3) at Hurricanes (5-5)

Date: November 06, 2011 1:30 PM EDT

It's safe to say things are going the Dallas Stars' way.

Coming off a wild victory, the first-place Stars look to extend their best start in five years as they begin a four-game road trip against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.

After Dallas missed the playoffs the last three years, most wouldn't have expected to find the team atop the Pacific Division a month into the season.

The Stars (9-3-0), though, have gotten timely goals and mostly solid goaltending to post their best start since opening 11-2-0 in 2006-07.

Trailing 2-0 after the first period Friday, Dallas scored four times in the second and erased two one-goal leads in the third to force overtime against Colorado. Loui Eriksson's pass deflected off an Avalanche defenseman and into the net to give the Stars a 7-6 win.

"This is not how we drew up how we'd play today," Eriksson told the team's official website. "There were a lot of goals out there today. We stuck with it and won the game. We got the two points. That's what it's all about there."

It was the latest in a run of good breaks for the Stars. In their previous game - last Saturday's 3-1 win over New Jersey - Vernon Fiddler scored the go-ahead goal in the third on a shot that banked off the skate of a Devils defenseman. Four days earlier, Dallas scored with 61 seconds left in regulation and won an eight-round shootout to beat Phoenix.

"It's always nice to win and have that confidence," said Eriksson, who leads the team with eight goals. "We have a tough challenge in this four-game road trip here. I think everyone is looking forward to that. It will be hard to go in and win those games, too."

Dallas, which won three of four on its road trip last month, will visit Washington, Pittsburgh and Detroit after facing Carolina.

Kari Lehtonen has won all three of his road starts, allowing five goals. He improved to 9-1-0 overall despite stopping just 34 of 40 shots Friday. After surrendering 11 goals during his first seven games, Lehtonen has allowed 11 over his most recent three.

"You look at the great goalies, they all have an off night, but it's like once every eight games," coach Glen Gulutzan said. "I'll take that any day of the week, and I think Kari is trending towards being one of those elite goalies."

Lehtonen hasn't fared very well in Carolina, where he went 1-5-1 with a 3.56 goals-against average before making 27 saves in a 4-1 win Nov. 29 last season.

Dallas has taken four of five overall from the Hurricanes (5-5-3), limiting them to a combined four goals in the four wins.

Carolina has lost five of seven following a 5-1 defeat to Southeast Division-leading Washington on Friday. The Hurricanes led after Anthony Stewart's early goal but gave up five over the final two periods.

"I don't have an explanation for it, but we did not have the fire in order to win that game," coach Paul Maurice said. "And that's the bottom line. Whether it's your passing, your hitting, whatever it is."

Cam Ward made 27 saves, surrendering a season worst-tying five goals. He had gone 3-0-1 with a 1.47 GAA and a shutout over his previous four home games.

Ward is 2-1-0 at home against Dallas despite a 3.67 GAA.

Stars left wing Jamie Benn has 12 points over his last eight games after notching a career-high four Friday.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-06-2011, 01:28 PM

Preview: Lightning (5-5) at Panthers (5-4)

Date: November 06, 2011 5:00 PM EDT

The Tampa Bay Lightning aren't off to the start they envisioned after last season's success, in large part due to their struggles on the road.

A short trip across the state hasn't yielded great results in recent years, either.

The Florida Panthers look for their third win over Tampa Bay in the young season when they host the Lightning on Sunday.

Tampa Bay (6-5-2) has won five of its last seven games, though both losses came away from home. The Lightning are 1-4-2 on the road following their opening-night victory at Carolina, including a 3-2 shootout loss to Florida on Oct. 15.

The Panthers are 16-3-3 at home in this Southeast Division rivalry since the start of the 2005-06 season. They've won five of the last seven meetings at the BankAtlantic Center, with the last three going past regulation.

The Lightning went to overtime again Friday, beating Chicago 5-4. Vincent Lecavalier scored the winner off a feed from Martin St. Louis, and Steven Stamkos recorded his fourth career hat trick with a trio of second-period goals.

Marc-Andre Bergeron, who had two goals and three assists in a home-and-home sweep of Florida last month, also assisted on Lecavalier's goal.

"Once we get settled in, we're a tough team to play against," said Stamkos, whose nine goals this season have come in the last 10 games.

St. Louis finished with three assists to give him at least one in six of his last seven games. He has nine points in that span after going scoreless in the last meeting with Florida, a 7-4 home loss Oct. 17.

"We keep pushing and got back our game a little bit and get rewarded," St. Louis said. "There's no such thing as a bad win in this league."

Any sort of win was tough to come by early on for coach Guy Boucher's team, which lost in seven games to Boston in last season's Eastern Conference finals.

"Our team has character, resilience and we continue to persist," Boucher told the team's official website. "We know we have that. We will never quit in any game and we need to remind ourselves of that. We built this attitude from last year and I'm real proud of this team."

Florida (6-4-2) finished at the bottom of the East last season but is off to a solid start, picking up at least a point in five of its last six games.

The Panthers, though, have lost back-to-back shootouts after a 3-2 defeat to Chicago on Thursday. However, they fought back from a 2-0 deficit for the second straight game, with Stephen Weiss and Ed Jovanovski each scoring in regulation.

"Any time you spot a very good team two goals it's tough to climb back into it," Jovanovski said. "We found a way, and forced overtime. It was a good point for us."

Jovanovski had two assists in Florida's most recent win over Tampa while Weiss and Kris Versteeg each had two goals and two assists, helping the Panthers go to 5-1-1 in the last seven meetings.

Dwayne Roloson allowed a career high-tying seven goals in that defeat and continues to struggle, giving up four in back-to-back games to raise his goals-against average to 3.71. The 42-year-old veteran is 2-3-1 with a 3.94 GAA in his last six starts versus Florida.

Jose Theodore has won nine straight starts against Tampa Bay, posting a 2.10 GAA, after stopping 63 of 69 shots in winning both meetings this season.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-06-2011, 01:29 PM

Preview: Jets (4-6) at Rangers (4-3)

Date: November 06, 2011 7:00 PM EDT

The New York Rangers hope to end a successful homestand by beating a franchise they've lost five straight to at Madison Square Garden.

The Winnipeg Jets are struggling to stay healthy as they continue their longest road trip of the season.

The Rangers will try to win their fourth straight overall Sunday night when they host the Jets, who hope to have leading scorer Nik Antropov back in the lineup.

This is the second meeting between these teams after New York (6-3-3) won 2-1 at Winnipeg on Oct. 24. However, the Rangers are 0-3-2 in their last five home games against the Jets franchise, giving up 19 goals in those contests to the then-Atlanta Thrashers.

Ending that losing streak would cap an excellent first homestand for the Rangers, who are 3-1-1 on home ice after opening the season with seven straight road games while renovations for MSG were completed.

New York won its third straight with a 5-3 victory over Montreal on Saturday. Twelve Rangers recorded at least one point, and the goals were scored by five different players.

The Rangers scored three times in a first period during which they outshot the Canadiens 16-3. They prevailed despite a woeful 1-for-9 performance on the power play, dropping them to 7 for 53 (13.2 percent) for the season with the man advantage.

"This group has been taught that if you just take care of a couple of details at the right time - like a blocked shot or getting the puck out of the zone - you'll get through it," said center Brad Richards, who scored his fourth goal Saturday. "We've found ways to do that this year, and it's equaled wins."

While the Rangers will be playing on back-to-back nights, so will Winnipeg (5-6-2), which may have additional reason for fatigue as it enters the sixth contest of a seven-game road trip with a depleted lineup.

After their first back-to-back wins of the season, the Jets suffered a 3-2 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. They had 23 shots on goal - their second-fewest of the season - and trailed 2-0 before goals by Mark Flood and Jim Slater tied the game in the third period.

However, Ondrej Pavelec gave up the game-winning tally to New Jersey's Adam Henrique 1:28 into the extra session.

"It's tough to lose in overtime, but we can take some good out of it, like battling back after being down 2-0," said Flood, whose goal was his first in eight NHL games over two seasons. "There are some positives.'

It didn't help that the Jets were without Antropov, who injured his hand against the New York Islanders on Thursday. It's uncertain if the team leader with 11 points will play Sunday.

Winnipeg placed defenseman Tobias Enstrom, who has six points, on injured reserve with an upper-body injury prior to Saturday's loss, while defensemen Mark Stuart and Ron Hainsey are out with upper-body injuries and Randy Jones is nursing an ailing foot.

**StarDust Bum** · 11-06-2011, 01:30 PM

Preview: Flames (5-6) at Avalanche (3-5)

Date: November 06, 2011 8:00 PM EDT

The Calgary Flames have been inconsistent on the road but far from it when visiting Colorado of late.

The Flames conclude a three-game road trip seeking a seventh consecutive victory over the stumbling Avalanche on Sunday night.

After opening its trek with a 4-1 victory over Detroit on Thursday, Calgary (5-6-1) surrendered a season-high 44 shots during Friday's 2-1 loss to Buffalo.

The Flames have alternated wins and losses away from home this season, going 2-3-0, but they've won five straight road games over Colorado by a 20-7 score. Before this run, Calgary had never won more than two straight in Denver.

Another factor in the Flames' favor is that the Avalanche (7-5-1) own the league's worst home record at 1-4-0, getting held to six goals.

Calgary has allowed only one goal in its opponents' 17 power-play opportunities through five road games but has been outshot by 47.

Backup Henrik Karlsson made a career-high 42 saves Friday, but Calgary went 0 for 3 on the power play and couldn't overcome some careless play.

"The mistakes we made, like the turnovers in our zone when we have pucks on our stick - we're sloppy in that area. (Thursday night) we weren't but 24 hours later, we are," coach Brent Sutter said. "That's the part that obviously we need to continue to work on and continue to improve and continue to get these guys in sync.

"Whenever we do it right, we have success - and I know I say it all the time but it's facts. There's something mentally that we gotta get through as a group that they gotta push through and we gotta continue to work with them on it."

The Flames have certainly been doing something right against Colorado (7-5-1) recently. Calgary has outscored the Avalanche 27-10 during its six-game win streak in the series.

The only meeting this season saw Miikka Kiprusoff make 34 saves in a 4-2 home victory Oct. 26. He's won his last seven starts against the Avalanche, including four in Colorado with a 1.29 goals-against average.

The Avs won six of their first eight games but have since gone 1-3-1 following a frustrating 7-6 overtime defeat at Dallas on Friday. They took a 2-0 lead into the second period and blew two one-goal leads in the third before a deflected pass off defenseman Erik Johnson slipped past goaltender Semyon Varlamov in overtime.

"It's disappointing to give that game up," said center Matt Duchene, who recorded his first NHL hat trick and had a career-high four points.

"Offensively, there's a lot of good things to take away from that game. Even when we got down we stayed with it. It's a weird game to comment on, its very unorthodox for an Avalanche team to be in a game like that."

Duchene and center Ryan O'Reilly are tied for the team lead with 10 points, but neither has scored a goal in 13 career games versus Calgary.

Varlamov, whose seven goals allowed Friday matched a career worst, has started all five of Colorado's home games, posting a 2.43 GAA. While Varlamov has never started against the Flames, Jean-Sebastien Giguere is 0-2-1 with a 2.95 GAA in his last three matchups with them after making 34 saves in the Oct. 26 loss.

The Avalanche will look to slow down Flames captain Jarome Iginla, who has five goals and two assists over a five-game point streak in the series. Iginla's 33 goals versus Colorado are his most against any team.

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