Music: {allcanada} CANADIENS (17-9-2) AT STARS (9-12-5)

Friday, December 5, 2014

{allcanada} CANADIENS (17-9-2) AT STARS (9-12-5)

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Saturday, December 6, 2014

7:00 PM ET

CANADIENS (17-9-2) AT STARS (9-12-5)

TV: TVA, CITY, FS-SW

Season series: The Montreal Canadiens swept two games against the Dallas Stars last season, 2-1 and 6-4. Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty and defenseman P.K. Subban each had four points, and goalie Carey Price won each game with a combined .915 save percentage.

Canadiens team scope: Montreal has lost five of six after a 4-3 loss at the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday; the Canadiens have fallen from first place in the Eastern Conference into a tie for third. Goalie Dustin Tokarski could play after Price made 32 saves; Tokarski hasn't won since Nov. 16 at the Detroit Red Wings. Forward Dale Weise played most of the game Friday on the top line with Brendan Gallagher and Pacioretty, getting a season-high 17:39 of ice time, more than seven minutes more than he played against the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday. The Canadiens put 41 shots on goal after managing 19 against the Wild. Forward Lars Eller was injured in the first period Friday and did not return. Forward Sven Andrighetto was recalled from Hamilton of the American Hockey League and he will meet the team in Dallas. Montreal is 4-1-1 in the second of back-to-back games.

Stars team scope: Dallas has lost four in a row, allowing five goals in each, after a three-game winning streak that had them at .500. The Stars used three goalies in their past three games (Anders Lindback, Kari Lehtonen, Jussi Rynnas), with Rynnas making his 2014-15 NHL debut in a 5-2 loss to the Red Wings on Thursday. "As a coaching staff, when too many goals are going in, you are trying to defend better because you are trying to take a few chances out of the goalie's hands," coach Lindy Ruff told the Stars website after an optional practice Friday. "That type of game leads to a lot safer game, which is hard to play. Our team doesn't play that game very well." The Stars, who play twice in 10 days, at home, after this game, are 5-11-3 since starting 4-1-2. They are three games below .500 for the first time since they were 10-13-4 on Dec. 10, 2008.

Team Stats