The Dallas Stars hope to open 2024 the way they ended 2023 when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
Dallas routed visiting Chicago 8-1 on Sunday night, beating the Blackhawks for the second time in three days and improving to 2-0 on their five-game homestand.
After Roope Hintz produced a hat trick on Friday night, Mason Marchment matched him on Sunday and added an assist. Tyler Seguin had a goal and two assists Sunday for Dallas, which edged the Blackhawks 5-4 on Friday night and is 7-1-1 in its past nine games.
Dallas scored three first-period goals and cruised home.
“It was a good night,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “The main thing we wanted to fix from the previous night was to not get in a hole and chase the game. That first period set the tone for the rest of the night, which is something we haven’t done enough of in this building. We want to continue to do that and build on that.”
Sam Steel had a goal and an assist, and Hintz scored his fourth goal in two games. Almost overlooked in the rout was another strong outing by goalie Scott Wedgewood, who made 23 saves in his seventh consecutive start since Jake Oettinger went down with an injury on Dec. 15.
“(Wedgewood)’s been great. He’s got the confidence right now,” Stars defenseman Ryan Suter said. “He’s making that first save right now, which is important. When he has confidence and your goalie is making those saves, it kind of gives your whole team confidence.”
The Canadiens limp into Texas after squandering a 2-0 lead in a 4-3 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. After winning two of three road games, the Canadiens have lost three straight as they prepare to conclude their seven-game trip.
Johnathan Kovacevic scored from 150 feet away for Montreal on a play where the Lightning thought the whistle had blown. Cole Caufield scored in his second straight game and Nick Suzuki and also tallied for the Canadiens, who led 2-0 midway through the second period. Sam Montembeault made 16 saves.
“I think the first two periods the shots were on our side, we spent a lot of time in their zone and we were creating a lot,” defenseman David Savard said. “We had some good chances. Their goalie made some awesome saves and kept them in the game. It’s a team that’s going to come back and haunt you when you can’t score those.”
Suzuki has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in the past eight games. Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson had an assist to extend his point streak to six games (goal, six assists).
“We dominated a large part of that game, and it’s encouraging,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “Very proud of how we played tonight as a team, and for sure it’s demoralizing when you don’t get the result. But we’ll come back to work to go get the results we want to get.”
Montreal played without center Christian Dvorak (upper-body injury).
Dallas and Montreal are meeting for the first time this season.
–Field Level Media