Tied for the longest active winning streak in the NHL, the Stars open a three-game homestand Tuesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes. Dallas has reeled off four straight victories, have wins in six of its past seven and enter Tuesday's matchup with a 10-7-2 record.
The Stars are also getting it done at home. They've won five in a row at American Airlines Center and have outscored the opposition 21-7 over that span. It marks their longest home winning streak since a five gamer from April 15-26, 2021. Should Dallas win on Tuesday, it'll represent the longest winning streak on home ice since a seven-game stretch (7-0) from Oct. 29-Nov. 25, 2019.
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Stars head coach Rick Bowness will be on the bench for his 2,500th game as a head or assistant coach on Tuesday. Bowness, 66, began his coaching career in 1983 with Winnipeg.
It could also be a milestone evening for goaltender Braden Holtby, who is one appearance shy of 500. He would become the 10th active goalie to appear in 500 career contests and could surpass Jacques Plante (292-119-88 in 500 GP) for the most wins by a goaltender in NHL history through his 500th game. (Holtby has a record of 292-137-50 in 499 GP).
Every game presents a new challenge, and Tuesday is no different. The Hurricanes come in with the league's best points percentage (.775%) and rank second in the Metropolitan Division and third overall in the Eastern Conference with a 15-4-1 record. They started the season on a nine-game winning streak and at one point were 14-2-0. They've returned to Earth (somewhat) over the past week, going 1-2-1 over their past four games, including a 4-2 loss at home against Washington on Sunday.
The Canes are 9-2-1 on the road and have allowed the second-fewest goals (2.25) and third fewest shots (28.8) in the league away from PNC Arena.
Carolina will be without the services of three right-shot defensemen, as Tony DeAngelo and Brett Pesce joined Ethan Bear on the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list Monday. In their place, the Hurricanes recalled defensemen Jalen Chatfield and Max Lajoie from Chicago of the American Hockey League.
Sebastian Aho (10 goals, 10 assists) and Andrei Svechnikov (eight goals, 12 assists) co-lead the team in points (20), while veteran netminder Freddie Andersen's seven road victories are tied with New York's Igor Shesterkin and Edmonton's Mikko Koskinen for the most among NHL goalies this season. Andersen, a former longtime Duck and Maple Leaf, has an 11-4-0 record, 1.98 goals-against average and .932 save percentage in 15 appearances this season.
Great seats are still available for tonight's Stars game against Carolina. Get your tickets now!
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the Digital Manager for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.
