New York Rangers vs. Dallas Stars Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 20th 2024
Preview and Prediction
Heading into the campaign, the Dallas Stars and New York Rangers were considered top contenders for the Stanley Cup. However, both teams have been struggling as of late and will face each other for the first time this season on Friday in Dallas.
Dallas has lost four out of their last seven games, including a 5-3 defeat against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. This slump has coincided with a decrease in their offensive production.
In their first 22 games, from October 10th to November 29th, coach Peter DeBoer's team averaged 3.5 goals per game. However, in their last nine games, they have only scored 24 times, with an average of 2.67 goals per game. The Stars, who were last year's Western Conference finalists, have only scored more than three goals once this month, in a 6-2 win over the Calgary Flames on December 8th.
See also:
Disciplinary Action Imposed on Rangers Forward Matt Rempe for Elbowing Incident
See also:
Capitals Put F Lars Eller (Sickness) on Disabled List
DeBoer addressed the issue in a post-game interview after Wednesday's loss, citing Tyler Seguin's hip injury as a contributing factor. The 32-year-old, who scored nine goals in 19 games this season, underwent surgery earlier this month and is expected to be out for four to six months, potentially ending his season. The Stars are also missing Joe Pavelski, who retired after last season. Together, these two players scored a total of 52 goals last season.
DeBoer emphasized the need for other players to step up and fill the void left by Seguin and Pavelski. He did not name specific players, but mentioned the need for those who have scored in the past to increase their production and match their career averages. For example, Jason Robertson, a 25-year-old left wing and two-time 40-goal scorer, has only scored seven goals this season in 31 games. Jamie Benn, another left wing and the second-highest scorer in franchise history with 389 goals in 16 seasons, has only scored six goals in 31 games this season.
The New York Rangers have also been struggling, with only one win in their last six games (1-5-0). Their only victory came against the struggling Buffalo Sabres, who have lost 11 straight games.
On Tuesday, the Rangers lost 2-0 on the road against the Nashville Predators, who were tied for last place in the league standings at the time.
The Rangers' recent slump has coincided with changes in their roster. On Wednesday, the team traded Kaapo Kakko, the second overall draft pick in 2019, to the Seattle Kraken for defenseman Will Borgen and two picks in next year's draft. Two weeks ago, they also traded away defenseman and team captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks for Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth-round pick.
There is a possibility that the Rangers will have Artemi Panarin back in the lineup on Friday. The left wing leads the team with 15 goals and 36 points but has been out of the lineup for the last two games due to an upper-body injury.
According to reports, Panarin participated in practice on Thursday wearing a non-contact jersey. Head coach Gerard Gallant and assistant coach Mike Kelly also joined in on a shootout practice, in an effort to lighten the mood and spark some change.
See also:
"Rangers' Igor Shesterkin leads team to victory against the Stars in NHL roundup"
See also:
"Rasmus Dahlin (back) set to make comeback against Maple Leafs for Sabres"
Gallant addressed the team's recent struggles, stating that the best remedy is to start winning again. He hopes that a lighter practice and a chance to just play and have fun will help the team break out of their slump. The Rangers will have the opportunity to do so on Friday night against the Stars.
New York Rangers vs. Dallas Stars Recap DEC 20TH 2024
With the New York Rangers in dire need of a win, Igor Shesterkin turned in a spectacular performance on Friday. The goalie made 41 saves to end his team's three-game losing streak in a 3-1 victory against the host Dallas Stars.
Vincent Trocheck had a goal and an assist while Reilly Smith and Chris Kreider also scored for New York.
Roope Hintz scored and Jake Oettinger stopped 27 shots for the Stars, who took their second consecutive loss to finish 3-3-0 on their homestand.
Shesterkin, the Rangers' top goalie, entered play having lost three of his past four starts. However, the 28-year-old Russian was also in the middle of a larger slump. The Friday win marked the first time he allowed one or fewer goals since a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 1.
In between, Shesterkin allowed 58 goals in 19 games (3.48 goals-against average), posting a .902 save percentage and a 7-12-0 record.
It also was the fourth time this season he recorded 40 or more saves.
Shesterkin teamed up with the Rangers' penalty-killing unit to deny the Stars on all of the host's seven power-play opportunities, stopping 21 shots with his team short-handed. The seven power-play chances not only represented a season high for the Stars, it also was the most the Rangers allowed this season.
The stops included a five-minute major against Matt Rempe, whom the Rangers recalled from Hartford earlier this week. The 6-foot-9 forward also received a game misconduct for elbowing Dallas' Miro Heiskanen with 12:47 left in regulation. Shesterkin stopped nine shots on that power play alone.
Hintz put Dallas up less than two minutes into the game on a goal assisted by Nils Lundkvist and Jason Robertson.
Smith tied the game nearly nine minutes later on a short-handed breakaway that started when the puck skipped over Thomas Harley's stick at the blueline in the Stars' attacking zone.
Trocheck put the Rangers up with 4:40 left in the first period. Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin, New York's leading scorer who returned to the lineup after missing two games with an upper-body injury, got the assists.
Kreider found the empty net with 2:06 left to finish the scoring and end his seven-game goal drought.