Stars Bring a Four-Game Heater Home to Face the Islanders
Dallas has kept chances scarce during its run; New York arrives with Barzal still out and a road record that has lagged its home form.
Written before the game
Dallas comes home riding a four-game winning streak, and the quiet engine of it has been keeping opponents away from good looks. Across its last ten games, Dallas has allowed 2.59 expected goals against per game, a measure of how many goals the chances it gives up are usually worth. That is a club rarely leaving its goalie exposed. The Stars sit 6-3-1 with 13 points, third in the Central, and carry a plus 9 goal differential.
New York (5-3-2, 12 points, third wild-card spot in the East) has created a fair share of chances but has given up more than it generates, with 3.33 expected goals against per game over the same stretch. The Islanders are 1-2-1 on the road and still without Mathew Barzal, Calum Ritchie and Matias Maccelli.
For Dallas to win, the chance suppression simply has to hold and Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz keep finishing. For New York, it means tightening up in front of Ilya Sorokin and getting goals beyond Bo Horvat, who leads the team with five.
