Chicago Blackhawks Look to Cool Off the Red Hot Dallas Stars

The Chicago Blackhawks head south to take on the red hot Dallas Stars in a Saturday night tilt.

The Chicago Blackhawks have a real tough opponent tonight. Two division rivals that really do not like each other, the Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars.

After starting the month of November with a 5-0-1 record, the last two games have not gone the ‘Hawks way. The last two games have stunk for the Blackhawks, to put it mildly. They have struggled offensively the last two games. Patrick Kane has been the one steady presence on offense, as he tries to extend his point streak which currently sits at 11 games.

The Blackhawks look to end the two-game losing streak in Dallas tonight. This is the first game played against Dallas this season.

In the last ten games, the Dallas Stars are 9-0-1 with 28 points. They have rebounded from their awful October where they were at the bottom of the league. The Stars are currently third in the Central Division, so clearly they are one of the hottest teams in the league.

Chicago Blackhawks’ Projected Lineup

Alexander Nylander — Jonathan Toews — Brandon Saad

Alex DeBrincat — Dylan Strome — Patrick Kane

Dominik Kubalik — David Kampf — Andrew Shaw

Zack Smith — Kirby Dach — Ryan Carpenter

Duncan Keith — Erik Gustafsson

Calvin de Haan — Brent Seabrook

Olli Maatta — Connor Murphy

Robin Lehner

Corey Crawford

Scratched: Slater Koekkoek

Injured: Drake Caggiula (concussion protocol)

Dallas Stars’ Projected Lineup

Jamie Benn — Justin Dowling — Tyler Seguin

Roope Hintz — Joe Pavelski — Alexander Radulov

Andrew Cogliano — Radek Faksa — Blake Comeau

Mattias Janmark — Jason Dickinson — Corey Perry

Esa Lindell — John Klingberg

Jamie Oleksiak — Miro Heiskanen

Andrej Sekera — Roman Polak

Anton Khudobin

Ben Bishop

Scratched: Denis Gurianov, Taylor Fedun, Joel Hanley

Injured: Stephen Johns (post-traumatic headaches)

More from Blackhawk Up

• Blackhawks: Three Noticeable Improvements in Comeback Win vs Blues
• Blackhawks: Key Takeaways from 3-2 win over the Blues
• Blackhawks: Grading Connor Murphy and a position comparison
• Blackhawks: Shuffling the lines to try and spark offense at 5 on 5
• These Lineup Changes could Solve the Blackhawks’ Scoring Problem

Players to Watch: Dallas Stars

Tyler Seguin

Tyler Seguin is someone you always have to watch out for when you are on the ice.  He is having a fantastic season and once again demonstrated that he is an elite scorer. Seguin has six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in 23 games. The Blackhawks’ defense will have to keep him out of the open areas.  If this elite sniper will pick them apart.

Roope Hinz

Roope Hinz has been out for the last two weeks dealing with a lower-body injury.  He is set to return tonight against the Blackhawks.  Hinz has played 16 games and has nine goals and two assists for 11 points.

Jamie Benn

Jamie Benn has been clutch for the Stars.  He has three game-winning goal in the last three games.  Benn creates momentum for his team with his physical play and goal-scoring prowess.  He is the main spark for this Stars’ offense, so the Blackhawks have to make sure to bring physicality to slow Benn down.

Pick to Click and Predictions

My pick to click is Alex DeBrincat. He has not scored a goal since November 7 against the Vancouver Canucks. I simply think he is due.

The Dallas Stars have really played well as a team. In the last 14 games, the Stars are 12-1-1.  In the month of November, they have scored 35 goals and only allowed a total of 17 goals. Obviously, they have been on fire offensively and stout defensively. With that being said, I think the Stars will win 5-2.

Game Information

TIME: 7 p.m. CT
TV: NBCSCH
RADIO: WGN Radio 720
STREAM: NHL.TV & MyTeamsApp