Stars hoping home crowd helps turn tide of series

DALLAS -- It has been nearly six full years since the Dallas Stars last hosted a Stanley Cup Playoff game at American Airlines Center.

So when the Stars take the ice Monday for Game 3 of their best-of-7 Western Conference First Round series against the Anaheim Ducks (9:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, RDS, TSN, KDOC, TXA 21), a series they currently trail 2-0, they are expecting a raucous atmosphere.

Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski knows a thing or two about playing in front of a great home crowd in the postseason from his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he was part of their Stanley Cup-winning team in 2009, and he expects a similar vibe Monday evening in downtown Dallas.

"Can't wait to see what it is going to be like. It should be fun, especially early. I'm sure it is going to be real intense," Goligoski said.

Stars coach Lindy Ruff appears to be changing his forward lines for Game 3. The top line of left wing and captain Jamie Benn, center Tyler Seguin and rookie right wing Alex Chiasson remains intact.

But it appears Ruff will juggle the rest of his lineup. The second line could now consist of left wing Antoine Roussel, center Vernon Fiddler and right wing Ryan Garbutt.

The Stars' third line could feature left wing Shawn Horcoff, center Chris Mueller and right wing Colton Sceviour, a rookie who is tied for the team lead with two points in the series.

Dallas' fourth line should consist of left wing Ray Whitney, center Cody Eakin and rookie right wing Valeri Nichushkin.

Ruff will keep his defensive pairings the same from earlier in the series. Goalie Kari Lehtonen will start.

With these changes, it appears veteran left wing Erik Cole, who has been playing up and down the lineup in the series and was on the second line alongside Eakin and Nichushkin on Sunday, could be scratched. Cole was one of the last Dallas players to leave the ice Monday morning.

"Probably just getting some extra work, I guess, he hasn't played a lot," Ruff said of Cole.

But no matter how he puts together his lines, Ruff knows Game 3 represents a great opportunity for the Stars to start to swing the series in their favor, especially in a building where Dallas won eight of their last 10 in the regular season.

"I think this building will be electric," Ruff said. "Anytime I've been in a home playoff game coaching, that first game, the energy in the building before you start the game is absolutely tremendous, and I expect that tonight. Our fans have been able to lift us down the stretch. From the Minnesota game (when Mike Modano's number was retired) to the St. Louis game (where Dallas clinched a playoff spot), there's been tremendous energy. And I'm looking forward to our guys playing in front of our fans because that's another special moment in the playoffs."

Here are the projected lineups:

DUCKS

Devante Smith-Pelly – Ryan Getzlaf – Corey Perry

Jakob Silfverberg - Saku Koivu – Andrew Cogliano

Patrick Maroon – Mathieu Perreault – Teemu Selanne

Daniel Winnik – Nick Bonino – Kyle Palmieri

Hampus Lindholm – Francois Beauchemin

Cam Fowler – Ben Lovejoy

Bryan Allen – Stephane Robidas

Frederik Andersen

Jonas Hiller

Scratched: Emerson Etem, Mark Fistric, Rickard Rakell, Luca Sbisa

Injured: Matt Beleskey (lower body), Tim Jackman (hand)

STARS

Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Alex Chiasson

Antoine Roussel – Vernon Fiddler – Ryan Garbutt

Shawn Horcoff – Chris Mueller – Colton Sceviour

Ray Whitney – Cody Eakin – Valeri Nichushkin

Alex Goligoski – Trevor Daley

Patrik Nemeth – Jordie Benn

Kevin Connauton – Sergei Gonchar

Kari Lehtonen

Tim Thomas

Scratched: Erik Cole, Dustin Jeffrey, Aaron Rome

Injured: Brenden Dillon (lower body), Rich Peverley (irregular heartbeat)