Detroit, MI (Sportsbooks) - The
Dallas Stars try to extend their unbeaten streak to four games tonight when they visit the Detroit Red Wings in a clash of Western Conference powers.
Dallas maintains the National Hockey League's best record with 44 points, while Detroit sits atop the Central Division with 40.
The Stars are 2-0-1 during their current run, and have lost just once in their last six overall (3-1-2). On Tuesday they skated to a 2-2 tie in Philadelphia, as the Flyers rallied from a 2-0 deficit. Mike Modano and Jason Arnott scored in the deadlock, while Marty Turco made 34 saves and moved to 15-6-5.
There was a scary moment for the Stars in the first period, when Modano was crunched into the boards from behind by Flyers center Jeremy Roenick. Modano hit his head on the glass and fell to the ice, where he stayed for several minutes. He suffered a mild concussion and is questionable for this evening's contest.
Dallas, 7-6-5 on the road, will play the third installment of a seven-game road set. The Stars will visit New Jersey on Saturday.
Detroit, meanwhile, is 5-1-2 in its last eight tries, including Tuesday's 2-2 tie on Long Island. Igor Larionov and Luc Robitaille scored to bring the Wings out of a 2-0 hole, with Robitaille's tally 6:56 into the third period proving to be the equalizer.
The Wings had a golden opportunity to secure the victory in the latter stages of regulation, but Kris Draper was stopped by former teammate Chris Osgood on the shorthanded breakaway.
Detroit, which has won five of its last six at Joe Louis Arena, will host the Rangers on Saturday.
These teams have skated to a pair of ties this season, although the Red Wings are 5-2-2 in the last nine clashes. The road club holds a 12-3-2 advantage in the last 17 meetings.
The NHL celebrates its 85th Anniversary today, as it was on December 19, 1917 that the first slate of games was played. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators, 7-4, in Ottawa and the Montreal Wanderers downed the Toronto Arenas, 10-9, at Montreal.
In its first season of competition, the four-team National Hockey League, which replaced the National Hockey Association as the major professional hockey circuit in the East, adopted the same playing rules as its forerunner. However, those rules drastically differed from those employed today by the league. Some of the differences include: no blue lines; no forward passing beyond the center red-line; no icing rule; unlimited overtime; one referee and, when necessary, a referee's assistant; a maximum of 12 players in uniform for each team per game; three-minute minor penalties.
