(Sportsbooks) - The
Dallas Stars will be trying to extend their best stretch of the season when the Northwest Division-leading
Calgary Flames skate in to the American Airlines Center tonight.
Dallas is currently riding a four-game winning streak in which the club has outscored the opposition by a 17-6 margin. The surge has lifted the Stars into a five-way tie for sixth place in the Western Conference standings, although they have played less games than the other teams in that mix (Minnesota, Edmonton, Columbus, Phoenix).
The Stars are also coming off one of their highest scoring outputs of the season in Saturday's 7-3 triumph over Columbus at the American Airlines Center. James Neal led the outburst with two goals and an assist, while goaltender Marty Turco put together another strong effort between the pipes.
Turco stopped 35-of-38 shots on the night and has recorded a 1.51 goals against average and a stellar .948 save percentage during Dallas' winning run. The veteran netminder has also historically shined when facing the Flames, having compiled a 13-7 record with two ties and a 1.81 GAA over 23 regular- season starts versus Calgary.
The Flames had won three in a row before being edged out by Colorado last night in Denver, where the Avalanche's Marek Svatos registered two goals and an assist to lead his team to a 4-3 win.
Rene Bourque, Adrian Aucoin and Jarome Iginla had goals for Calgary, which received 38 saves from Miikka Kiprusoff in a losing cause.
Aucoin now has two goals and six assists during a seven-game scoring streak. Teammate Michael Cammalleri had a personal eight-game run come to an end in Monday's defeat, with the Flames forward having racked up 11 goals and three assists over the tear.
Calgary fell to 11-10-1 on the road with last night's setback, the team's second straight road loss. Following tonight's clash, the Flames begin a three-game homestand on Thursday against Chicago.
The Stars have won four of their last five matchups at the American Airlines Center and are 12-6-4 at home so far this season.
In the lone meeting between these teams in 2008-09, Dallas posted a 3-1 victory over the Flames at the Saddledome on December 2 behind a 36-save performance by Turco. Calgary won both its battles with the Stars in Dallas last season, however.
