Getting a good workout in was what the Canes did on Monday morning at T-Mobile Arena. The loaded top forward line of Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen was utilized again, while the other three lines saw a shuffle of wingers.
PROJECTED LINEUP
Aho is riding a six-game point streak (6g, 4a) and a five-game goal streak, and Andrei Svechnikov has recorded points in four straight games (3g, 3a).
Striking First
The Hurricanes have surrendered the first goal in each of their last five games, and though they are 3-2-0 in that stretch, it's a trend they'd like to reverse.
"I'm hoping we get a good effort from the start. We don't want to get behind," Brind'Amour said. "We need to definitely have a better push at the beginning of the game so we're not chasing the game all the time."
Playing from behind, especially on the road, can be a tough task, especially repeatedly. The Canes have enough skill to erase multi-goal deficits - just look at what they've done in their last two games - but playing with a lead would allow the Canes to settle into their game and not have to play such high-risk hockey.
"You don't have to open up as much. You don't have to play on the edge, which we do probably anyway, but when we're down, we play a little more on that," Brind'Amour said. "Any team in this league, when you're behind, it's tough. You just open up too much."
The Opposition
The Stars are 3-1-1 in their last five games after having topped the St. Louis Blues, 3-2, in overtime on Saturday. At 31-19-5 (67 points), Dallas sits at third in the Central Division. Tyler Seguin is the team's leading scorer with 40 points (11g, 29a) in 55 games.
"They hunker down really well," Brind'Amour said. "They've got a good defense, for sure, and their goaltending has been good all year. They don't give you any easy ones. You have to work for your chances."
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