For the second game in a row, the Stars will play another team on a hot streak. The Calgary Flames come into town tonight.
It's pretty stunning how good the Stars have been lately. They're not resorting to nailbiters lately, either: each game in their current four game winning streak has been decided by at least 2 goals and they've outscored their opponents 17-4 during that stretch. That includes the 7-3 shellacking the Stars gave Steve "mono" Mason and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
This might be the biggest test yet, as the Calgary Flames are starting to create a buzz and are even making the Detroit Red Wings slightly worried about losing the second seed.
Who to watch
The Flames are, on some levels, still dependent on their big names although their depth has improved considerably since last season. Obviously, Jarome Iginla is still the team's best player (team leading 56 points with a +4 rating) and Dion Phaneuf is a guy you always have to worry about.
(Maybe the Stars and Phaneuf can share a chuckle at Sean Avery's fate. For a second.)
Still, the biggest difference maker might be former LA King Michael Cammalleri, who leads the Flames with 25 goals. The BoC reunion doesn't stop there, as the Flames are the current employer of the infamous Todd Bertuzzi. Big Bert's been a minor steal for the Flames, producing a respectable 33 points for a small cap hit.
(He's still an ultra douche, though.)
A few fantasy tidbits
Steve Ott might be an interesting short term fantasy hockey pickup for those of you in deeper leagues (of course, PIM needs to be a category for Otter to make sense). He's currently on a four game point streak that includes three goals, 6 points and 8 PIM. Not too shabby.
Both Marty Turco and Miikka Kiprusoff are listed as "probable" starters on Goaliepost.com, which by the way, is a godsend for deciding who to start in your fantasy leagues.
Worthy reads
Defending Big D has an interview with Mark Stepneski of Andrew's Stars page.
ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun breaks down the Stars bounce back post-Avery. Should the Stars worry that they're not under the radar anymore?
Puck Daddy has an extremely amusing fake card contest going on, and not surprisingly, the sloppy seconds fiasco made it.
Shameless plug
Feel free to weigh in on Cycle like the Sedins All-Decade coach discussion. Former Ducks coach Mike Babcock and former San Jose Sharks coach Ron Wilson are going to get strong consideration, but was it an oversight to relegate Randy Carlyle and Dave Tippett to honorable mentions?
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