Stars at Canucks preview
Dallas tries to stretch point streak to seven games; Vancouver without injured centers Beagle, Sutter
by Kevin Woodley / NHL.com Independent Correspondent
STARS (9-8-2) at CANUCKS (10-6-3)
10 p.m. ET; SNP, FS-SW, NHL.TV
The Game
The Dallas Stars will try to extend their point streak to seven games when they play the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Thursday.
The Stars are 5-0-1 in their past six and 8-1-1 after a 1-7-1 start to the season. They play the second of a back to back coming off a 3-1 win at the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.
Dallas might be without forward Andrew Cogliano, who left the game Wednesday with a lower-body injury. Forward Rhett Gardner was recalled from Texas of the American Hockey League on Thursday.
The Canucks are 1-3-1 in their past five games and without centers Jay Beagle and Brandon Sutter. Beagle will miss his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury. Sutter (groin strain) will be re-evaluated in one week after he was injured early in a 5-3 win against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
Players to watch
Stars forward Radek Faksa has five points (three goals, two assists) in a four-game point streak.
Canucks center Elias Pettersson has 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in his past 12 games.
They said it
"The biggest thing is guys in here, I've learned they play hard and they've been playing honest hockey, hard hockey, not really cheating the system." -- Stars forward Joe Pavelski
"It's a dream to play in the NHL, it was a dream to play with him and now it's a lot of fun to play against him. It's a special game every time we play." -- Canucks defenseman Jordie Benn on playing brother and former Stars teammate Jamie Benn
Stars projected lineup
Alexander Radulov -- Jason Dickinson -- Corey Perry
Jamie Benn -- Justin Dowling -- Tyler Seguin
Nick Caamano -- Joe Pavelski -- Denis Gurianov
Rhett Gardner -- Radek Faksa -- Blake Comeau
Esa Lindell -- Andrej Sekera
Jamie Oleksiak -- Miro Heiskanen
Roman Polak -- Taylor Fedun
Anton Khudobin
Ben Bishop
Scratched: Joel Hanley
Injured: Andrew Cogliano (lower body), Roope Hintz (lower body), Mattias Janmark (lower body), John Klingberg (lower body), Stephen Johns (post-traumatic headaches), Martin Hanzal (back)
Canucks projected lineup
Josh Leivo -- Elias Pettersson -- Brock Boeser
Tanner Pearson -- Bo Horvat -- Jake Virtanen
Sven Baertschi -- Adam Gaudette -- J.T. Miller
Tim Schaller -- Tyler Graovac -- Loui Eriksson
Alexander Edler -- Tyler Myers
Quinn Hughes -- Christopher Tanev
Jordie Benn -- Troy Stecher
Jacob Markstrom
Thatcher Demko
Scratched: Oscar Fantenberg, Zack MacEwen
Injured: Jay Beagle (lower body), Brandon Sutter (groin strain), Tyler Motte (foot), Antoine Roussel (knee), Micheal Ferland (concussion protocol)
Status report
The Stars did not hold a morning skate. … Polak is expected to return after fracturing his sternum in the first game of the season.
Stat pack
Jamie Benn hasn't scored in 14 games and doesn't have a point in his past five. … Miller has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in his past 11 games.