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Strong defense and goaltending have keyed the Dallas Stars' best stretch of the season. Generating offense remains a problem.
Dallas will look to extend a season-high, six-game unbeaten streak when it faces the Phoenix Coyotes at American Airlines Center.
The Stars were unable to protect a one-goal lead Wednesday and settled for a 1-1 tie with Montreal after Niklas Sundstrom scored with one minute left in regulation.
Brenden Morrow scored his fifth goal in six games and Marty Turco finished with 20 saves, helping move Dallas' unbeaten streak to six (4-0-2). The Stars are 6-1-3 since a five-game losing streak -- their longest since the 1995-96 season.
Although the Stars are playing well, their lack of offense remains a concern.
They have averaged 1.9 goals per game during the 6-1-3 stretch, and are only winning because Turco has a 1.06 goals-against average in those games.
"We'd love to score a lot more but we know it's more important to win,'' center Stu Barnes said. "In a perfect world we'd score 10 goals every night.''
Turco has also gotten a lot of help from his penalty killers, who have not allowed a goal in 41 consecutive opportunities.
While Dallas' top players are producing, the role players are not contributing offensively. The Stars have scored 79 goals in 39 games this season and 44 of them have come from Mike Modano, Bill Guerin, Jason Arnott and Morrow.
"The role players, and I consider myself a role player, we all need to chip in,'' Barnes said. "That's the little nudge that puts you over the top. We've had a lot of opportunities, and we've got to get them to go in.''
After registering a tie and an overtime loss in their first two games, the Coyotes recorded their first victory in their new arena Wednesday, 4-0 over Los Angeles.
Brian Boucher earned his first shutout in more than two years with 21 saves and captain Shane Doan had a goal and an assist for Phoenix, which completed December 5-3-5-1.
"He came up with some phenomenal saves,'' Coyotes coach Bob Francis said of Boucher. "We've come to expect that from him. He has been consistent, he's been outstanding and it was nice to see him get the goose egg.''
Doan, on pace for the best season of his nine-year career, has eight goals and 14 assists in his last 17 games.
STANDINGS (through Dec. 31): Coyotes - 37 points, 4th place, 7 PB, Pacific Division. Stars - 40 points, 3rd place, 4 PB, Pacific Division.
TEAM LEADERS: Coyotes - Ladislav Nagy, 17 goals; Doan, 24 assists and 39 points; Cale Hulse, 66 PIM. Stars - Guerin, 17 goals and 31 points; Sergei Zubov, 18 assists; John Erskine, 79 PIM.
SPECIAL TEAMS (through Dec. 31): Coyotes - Power play: 14.2 percent (23 for 162), 20th in NHL. Penalty killing: 82.3 percent (163 for 198 ), 24th. Stars - Power play: 16.8 percent (27 for 161), 10th. Penalty killing: 88.4 percent (129 for 146), 2nd.
GOALTENDERS: Coyotes - Sean Burke (10-11-5, 1 SO, 2.66 GAA); Boucher (2-2-4, 1, 2.37). Stars - Turco (16-14-6, 2, 2.03); Ron Tugnutt (1-2-0, 2.11).
SEASON SERIES: Tied, 1-1-1.
LAST MEETING: Dec. 10; Coyotes, 2-1. At Phoenix, Burke turned aside 39 shots and Daymond Langkow had a goal and an assist, as the Coyotes ended an eight-game winless streak against Dallas.
ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Coyotes - 5-6-9-1 on the road; Stars - 11-4-4-0 at home.
Strong defense and goaltending have keyed the Dallas Stars' best stretch of the season. Generating offense remains a problem.
Dallas will look to extend a season-high, six-game unbeaten streak when it faces the Phoenix Coyotes at American Airlines Center.
The Stars were unable to protect a one-goal lead Wednesday and settled for a 1-1 tie with Montreal after Niklas Sundstrom scored with one minute left in regulation.
Brenden Morrow scored his fifth goal in six games and Marty Turco finished with 20 saves, helping move Dallas' unbeaten streak to six (4-0-2). The Stars are 6-1-3 since a five-game losing streak -- their longest since the 1995-96 season.
Although the Stars are playing well, their lack of offense remains a concern.
They have averaged 1.9 goals per game during the 6-1-3 stretch, and are only winning because Turco has a 1.06 goals-against average in those games.
"We'd love to score a lot more but we know it's more important to win,'' center Stu Barnes said. "In a perfect world we'd score 10 goals every night.''
Turco has also gotten a lot of help from his penalty killers, who have not allowed a goal in 41 consecutive opportunities.
While Dallas' top players are producing, the role players are not contributing offensively. The Stars have scored 79 goals in 39 games this season and 44 of them have come from Mike Modano, Bill Guerin, Jason Arnott and Morrow.
"The role players, and I consider myself a role player, we all need to chip in,'' Barnes said. "That's the little nudge that puts you over the top. We've had a lot of opportunities, and we've got to get them to go in.''
After registering a tie and an overtime loss in their first two games, the Coyotes recorded their first victory in their new arena Wednesday, 4-0 over Los Angeles.
Brian Boucher earned his first shutout in more than two years with 21 saves and captain Shane Doan had a goal and an assist for Phoenix, which completed December 5-3-5-1.
"He came up with some phenomenal saves,'' Coyotes coach Bob Francis said of Boucher. "We've come to expect that from him. He has been consistent, he's been outstanding and it was nice to see him get the goose egg.''
Doan, on pace for the best season of his nine-year career, has eight goals and 14 assists in his last 17 games.
STANDINGS (through Dec. 31): Coyotes - 37 points, 4th place, 7 PB, Pacific Division. Stars - 40 points, 3rd place, 4 PB, Pacific Division.
TEAM LEADERS: Coyotes - Ladislav Nagy, 17 goals; Doan, 24 assists and 39 points; Cale Hulse, 66 PIM. Stars - Guerin, 17 goals and 31 points; Sergei Zubov, 18 assists; John Erskine, 79 PIM.
SPECIAL TEAMS (through Dec. 31): Coyotes - Power play: 14.2 percent (23 for 162), 20th in NHL. Penalty killing: 82.3 percent (163 for 198 ), 24th. Stars - Power play: 16.8 percent (27 for 161), 10th. Penalty killing: 88.4 percent (129 for 146), 2nd.
GOALTENDERS: Coyotes - Sean Burke (10-11-5, 1 SO, 2.66 GAA); Boucher (2-2-4, 1, 2.37). Stars - Turco (16-14-6, 2, 2.03); Ron Tugnutt (1-2-0, 2.11).
SEASON SERIES: Tied, 1-1-1.
LAST MEETING: Dec. 10; Coyotes, 2-1. At Phoenix, Burke turned aside 39 shots and Daymond Langkow had a goal and an assist, as the Coyotes ended an eight-game winless streak against Dallas.
ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Coyotes - 5-6-9-1 on the road; Stars - 11-4-4-0 at home.
