(Preview from The Sports Network)
The Detroit Red Wings will try to bounce back from a loss to a bitter rival when they welcome the Dallas Stars for tonight's clash at Joe Louis Arena.
The Red Wings lost for the second time in three games when they dropped a 4-1 decision to the hated Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. Before the game at Chicago's United Center, the Blackhawks honored former team captain Chris Chelios, who also spent most of the final decade of his career playing for Detroit.
Corey Crawford turned aside 29 shots to help the Blackhawks end a three-game losing streak to the Red Wings. Patrick Eaves scored the lone goal for Detroit, while Jimmy Howard was tagged for three goals on 30 shots.
"We didn't really work hard for our breaks. We didn't really have the jump that we needed," said Detroit's Darren Helm.
Despite the setback, the Red Wings are still first in both the Central Division and Western Conference with 43 points on the year.
Detroit will begin a brief two-game homestand tonight and will also host Vancouver this Wednesday at the Joe. The Red Wings are tied for the NHL lead in home wins this year, posting a 12-4-2 record in the Motor City.
Tonight marks the second meeting of the year between the Wings and Stars. Dallas notched a 4-1 home win when the clubs met on Oct. 14 in Red Wings center Mike Modano's first game back in Dallas. Modano, who played the first 20 years of his career with the Stars franchise before signing with Detroit this summer, will not play tonight. He is still sidelined indefinitely following surgery to his right wrist.
The Stars were able to pick up a win Saturday night in Columbus, as they edged the Blue Jackets, 2-1, in regulation. Brad Richards scored the game-winner early in the third period to lift Dallas to its third win in five games (3-1-1).
Richards ended a five-game goal drought by scoring both Dallas goals and Kari Lehtonen turned away 35 shots to earn the victory.
"We didn't have our best period in the first," said Dallas head coach Marc Crawford. "I thought they were really good and they came after us. We knew that they forecheck extremely hard and they did. I thought as a team, we played better in the second, and I thought our best period was the third."
The Stars have won their last two tests on the road and are 8-7-1 as the guest this season. Next up for Dallas is a three-game homestand, which is set to begin Tuesday against Montreal.
Dallas has taken three straight and six of the last seven from the Red Wings in this series, but the Stars have dropped four of six and six of their last nine in Detroit.