Seeking to jump-start offense on road, Stars rework lines

Coach Jim Montgomery will be moving some pieces around on his forward lines as the Dallas Stars take on the Anaheim Ducks tonight at Honda Center (9 p.m. CT; FS-SW+; KTCK).
Montgomery will break up the top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Alexander Radulov as he tries to generate some more offense on the road. The Stars rank 29th in the NHL in road scoring at 2.06 goals per game. At home, they rank ninth at 3.57 goals per game.
"We're not scoring enough goals on the road. We're just trying to find different combinations," Montgomery said. "Playing the big line together on the road doesn't seem to give us as much success as it does at home."

So, for tonight's game, Valeri Nichushkin, who has been a healthy scratch the last two games, will slot onto the left wing with Seguin and Radulov.
"I think it is (a great opportunity for him) and I hope he takes advantage of it," Montgomery said of Nichushkin. "The way he pursues pucks is going to good with those two because those two can really read well off of puck pressure."
Nichushkin, who returned to the Stars this season after spending two years in the KHL, has four assists in 22 games.
"His teammates are very appreciative of how he has been playing," Montgomery said. "The frustrating part for him, and players especially get consumed with results, especially when it's been as long as it's been without a goal."

Benn will skate on a line with Martin Hanzal at center and Jason Spezza on right wing. Devin Shore will play left wing with center Radek Faksa and right wing Tyler Pitlick. Jason Dickinson will center Mattias Janmark and Blake Comeau. Brett Ritchie is the expected scratch at forward.
There will be no changes at defense. The Stars will go with the same defense and pairs as the past six games: Esa Lindell-Miro Heiskanen; Gavin Bayreuther-Roman Polak; Joel Hanley-Taylor Fedun. Julius Honka will be the scratch on defense.
Ben Bishop will get the start in goal tonight.
The Stars are also expected to have a new look to their power-play units tonight. The Stars scored twice on the power play in Sunday's 4-2 loss to Vegas, but both goals came from the second unit, and the Stars misfired on a four-minute power play late in the third period with a chance to tie the game. So, Montgomery is moving pieces around in hopes of creating more balance between the two units.
One unit is expected to be Seguin, Shore, Radulov, Faksa, and Bayreuther. The other should be made up of Benn, Spezza, Hanzal, Heiskanen, and Lindell.
"I think creating two balanced units will allow us to work at a higher pace on the power play," Montgomery said after Tuesday's practice. "I think also with the way the power play has been, I'd like to create inner competition within our team. Having stars on both units creates that internally, which is healthy and also allows me to go with whoever's freshest."
Tonight's game is the second of a four-game road trip for the Stars (16-11-3). They currently sit in the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Opposition watch: Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks (16-11-5) are coming off a 6-5 shootout win over New Jersey on Sunday at Honda Center. The Ducks overcame 1-0, 3-2, and 4-3 deficits in the game before prevailing in the shootout for their sixth victory in the last seven games.
The victory did come at a cost as the Ducks lost backup goaltender Ryan Miller to a sprained MCL in the third period and he'll miss six weeks. The Ducks claimed goaltender Chad Johnson off waivers from St. Louis to help fill the void.
John Gibson will get the start in goal tonight. Forward Rickard Rakell will miss his third straight game with a sprained ankle. Anaheim is also missing forwards Corey Perry and Patrick Eaves and defenseman Cam Fowler who all are out due to injuries.
The Ducks, who are 8-2-0 in their past 10 games, are in third place in the Pacific Division.

Stat pack

Tonight's game

Who: Dallas Stars at Anaheim Ducks
Where: Honda Center
When: 9 p.m.
TV: Fox Sports Southwest Plus
Radio:The Ticket 1310-AM/96.7-FM

Stars projected lineup

Valeri Nichushkin - Tyler Seguin - Alexander Radulov
Jamie Benn - Martin Hanzal - Jason Spezza
Devin Shore - Radek Faksa - Tyler Pitlick
Mattias Janmark - Jason Dickinson - Blake Comeau
Esa Lindell - Miro Heiskanen
Gavin Bayreuther - Roman Polak
Joel Hanley - Taylor Fedun
Ben Bishop
Anton Khudobin
Scratched:Julius Honka, Brett Ritchie
Injured:John Klingberg (hand), Marc Methot (lower body), Connor Carrick (foot), Stephen Johns (post-traumatic headaches)

Ducks projected lineup

Pontus Aberg - Ryan Getzlaf - Ondrej Kase
Andrew Cogliano - Ryan Kesler - Jakob Silfverberg
Nick Ritchie - Adam Henrique - Daniel Sprong
Brian Gibbons - Carter Rowney - Kiefer Sherwood
Hampus Lindholm - Brandon Montour
Jacob Larsson - Josh Manson
Josh Mahura - Jake Dotchin
John Gibson
Chad Johnson
Scratched: Ben Street, Andy Welinski
Injured:Corey Perry (knee surgery), Cam Fowler (facial fractures), Patrick Eaves (rib), Rickard Rakell (ankle), Ryan Miller (knee)
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mark Stepneski has covered the Stars for DallasStars.com since 2012. Follow him on Twitter @StarsInsideEdge.