Coyotes Look for Win in Dallas
Mike Modano set an impressive record in his last game. The way he’s playing, he may set a few more before he’s done.
Modano and the Dallas Stars look to rebound from their first loss in five games on Sunday night when they host the Phoenix Coyotes.
The Stars (42-24-5) were bidding to win five straight games for the first time since the first five games of the season, but allowed three second-period goals Saturday en route to a 3-2 loss at Nashville.
Oddsmakers have made Dallas -320 money line (NHL Odds) favorites for todays game, the over/under has been set at 5.5 total goals (View NHL Sports Books). Our public betting information shows that 87% of bets for this game have been placed on Dallas -320 (View NHL Bet Percentages).
Mike Modano set an impressive record in his last game. The way he’s playing, he may set a few more
Modano scored both goals for Dallas, the 502nd and 503rd of his career. His second of the night moved him past Hall of Famer Joe Mullen into first place all-time among players born in the United States.
"My goals were overshadowed by the loss, but it’s probably something I’ll lay in bed and think about tonight," Modano said on the Stars’ official Web site. "It’s hard to put into words what this means. It’s a great thrill to get the record and I’ve enjoyed the chase."
Modano, a 36-year-old native of Livonia, Mich., has goals in four straight games and seven in his last eight contests. He also now has 1,217 career points, just 15 behind Phil Housley for most among American-born players.
"I’m going to try to get that one too,” Modano said. "I’d hate to go a whole summer and be four or five points away.”
A good portion of Modano’s success has come at the expense of the Phoenix-Winnipeg franchise. His 83 career points against the Coyotes-Jets is his best total versus any opponent. Modano has 32 goals and 51 assists in 77 career games against them.
Although the Stars’ win streak was snapped, they received some good news as captain Brenden Morrow returned to the lineup after missing 33 games with a right wrist injury. Morrow, who hadn’t played since Dec. 26 at Chicago, had no shots in 16:46 of ice time.
Also returning to the lineup for Dallas was left wing Ladislav Nagy, who sat out Thursday’s 4-2 victory over Calgary due to a facial laceration. Forwards Jeff Halpern (foot) and Eric Lindros (groin) and defenseman Mattias Norstrom (knee) remained sidelined.
Defenseman Stephane Robidas will not play after he was carted off the ice on a stretcher late in the third period Saturday. Robidas was sucker-punched by Nashville’s Jordin Tootoo, and lay flat on his back for several minutes.
"It was unfortunate that Mike’s accomplishment went overshadowed by the loss and Stephane’s injury," Morrow said. "Robi is a tough guy and we expect that he’ll bounce back from this."
With Marty Turco stopping 21 shots Saturday, rookie Mike Smith likely will be in net as Dallas plays its second game in two nights. Smith made his NHL debut Oct. 21 at Phoenix and stopped 22 shots in a 4-0 victory.
The Coyotes’ (28-40-3) disappointing season continued Saturday with a 6-3 loss to visiting Colorado.
Phoenix, already eliminated from playoff contention, went 1-4-0 on its five-game homestand and has lost seven of eight overall.
"Third period at home in a tie, you expect to win that,” Coyotes captain Shane Doan said. "We’ve got to play a full 60 minutes. We can’t play 50 or whatever we tend to play right now."
The Stars won the first four meetings between the teams this season – the first three by shutout – before a 5-2 home loss on Jan. 9.
by: Gary Roberts – theSpread.com – Email Us
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