The muddled Western Conference will gain clarity over the course of the next few weeks but Thursday night's game between the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars will help break apart that logjam. The Blackhawks are sixth in the Conference with 86 points while Dallas is two points behind them in seventh place in the league. If Chicago wins, they would leap into fourth place in the Western Conference and the Stars could fall to ninth. If Dallas wins, the Stars would leap over the Blackhawks into the sixth spot in the conference and the Blackhawks could only fall to seventh.
Blackhawks Vs. Stars: Battle To Stay Alive In Crowded Western Conference
The Stars are 2-1 over the Blackhawks this season and this will be the final matchup between the teams this regular season. The Stars and Blackhawks have each been on a roll over their last ten games, the Blackhawks are 7-1-2 while the Stars are 6-2-2. The key for staying alive in the Western Conference playoff race is to win and that is what each team has done thus far.
Corey Crawford is expected to get the start for the Blackhawks. He is 1-1 with a 3.05 goals against average and .885 save percentage against the Stars this season. Marty Turco has already faced the Stars once in Dallas, in a 4-3 shootout loss. Kari Lehtonen should get the start for the Stars with a 2-0 record and a 2.40 goals against average and .921 save percentage against the Blackhawks.
Game time is 8:30 pm Eastern and for more information on this game please visit our Stars site, Defending Big D, and our Blackhawks site, Second City Hockey.
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