The Stars (31-19-4) come into tonight's game with three straight wins and a 7-2-1 record over their past 10 games. Dallas continues to hold onto the first wild-card spot in the West and is just one point out of third place in the Central Division.
The Stars are on a nice run on the road as well coming into tonight's tilt in Chicago. After a 3-8-1 start on the road to the season, the Stars are 9-3-2 over their last 14 games away from home, including 4-0-1 in the last five.
"Earlier in the year, we tried to hit home runs. We'd get down 1-0, and we'd try to hit home runs," Hitchcock said of the team's road play. "We've managed the puck better and have confidence that the game is two-and-a-half hours long, not 20 minutes long. Earlier in the year, some of the best hockey we played was in the first half of the game, but we'd be down in the game, and we'd try to go for long bombs or stretch people out. Those go in one net or the other, and they were ending up in our net a lot. We've calmed down, and we continually stay on the program for longer periods of time, and I like our work ethic."
The Stars will face a Chicago team that has been struggling lately. The Blackhawks have lost three straight and are on the outside looking in at a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Stars, who have won the first three games of the four-game season series, have a ten-point lead on Chicago.
"I look at the way they played against Calgary (a 3-2 loss on Tuesday) and I thought they played a great game, but that's hockey," Hitchcock said. "All of us, quite frankly, live in a little bit of fear of the Hawks because we know they are capable of getting on a run and that scares us. That's why for us to put more distance between them and us is going to be a good thing."
