About the Stars - 02-29-12
A preview of the Stars.
When and where: 7: 30 p.m. EST, American Airlines Center.
TV: NBC Sports Network, TSN2.
Record: 33-26-4, 70 points. The Stars are in eighth place in the Western Conference and third place in the Pacific Division.
Leading Scorer: Loui Eriksson (right), 55 points (21 goals, 34 assists).
Last Game: 3-2 overtime home win against the Canucks, Sunday. Eriksson had an overtime goal and an assist for the Stars.
Last Game against the Penguins: 3-1 road loss, Nov. 11. James Neal scored two goals for the Penguins.
Stars Player We Would Bet Money On Scoring: Eriksson. He has goals in three consecutive games.
Ex-Penguins on the Stars: Stu Barnes, hockey operations consultant; Alex Goligoski, D; Jiri Hrdina, amateur scout; Toby Petersen, C.
Ex-Stars/North Stars on the Penguins: Jason Botterill, assistant general manager; Bill Guerin, player development coach; Gilles Meloche, goaltending coach; James Neal, RW; Matt Niskanen, D.
Useless Stars/North Stars Trivia Vaguely Related to the Penguins: Niskanen is one of two former Stars first-round draft picks to play for the Penguins. The other is defenseman Ric Jackman.
Best Stars/North Stars Video We Could Find: Former North Stars left winger Basil McRae making a nifty move around a hip check by Penguins defenseman Randy Hillier and blowing a slapper by goaltender Frank Pietrangelo in the 1989-90 season:
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Probable goaltenders: Marc-Andre Fleury (32-14-3, 2.34 GAA, .912 SV%) for the Penguins and Kari Lehtonen (24-15-3, 2.32 GAA; .921 SV%) for the Stars.
Injuries: For the Penguins, right winger Arron Asham ("upper body") is probable. Goaltender Brent Johnson (undisclosed) is day to day. Center Sidney Crosby (head/neck) and center Tyler Kennedy (ankle) are on injured reserve. For the Stars, left winger Jamie Benn is day to day due to a "lower-body" injury. Center Jake Dowell (hand) and left winger Brenden Morrow ("upper body") are on injured reserve.
Potential lines and defensive pairings: The Penguins primary lines and defensive pairings at today's morning skate were: (PG+)
Chris Kunitz - Evgeni Malkin - James Neal
Steve Sullivan - Jordan Staal - Pascal Dupuis
Matt Cooke - Joe Vitale - Richard Park
Eric Tangradi - Craig Adams - Arron Asham
Kris Letang - Paul Martin
Zbynek Michalek - Brooks Orpik
Matt Niskanen - Ben Lovejoy/Deryk Engelland
-The Stars' primary lines and defensive pairings at today's morning skate were:
Loui Eriksson - Mike Ribeiro - Michael Ryder
Steve Ott - Jamie Benn - Adam Burish
Eric Nystrom - Vernon Fiddler - Radek Dvorak
Ryan Garbutt - Tomas Wandell - Tomas Vincour
Sheldon Souray - Stephane Robidas
Mark Fistric - Trevor Daley
Alex Goligoski - Philip Larsen
Notes:
-The last time the Penguins played the Stars, this happened:
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-The Penguins are 2-3-0 all-time on Leap Day.
-"Yeah, I think I'll have a chip on my shoulder." - Niskanen on facing his former team, the Stars, tonight.
-Neal has 198 career points.
-Malkin has 496 career points and 195 career goals.
-Benn is expected to return to the lineup after missing six games due to a leg injury.
-The Stars are on a four-game winning streak.
-Our live blog begins at approximately 7:15 p.m. Please tune in.
(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)