The Anaheim Ducks and Dallas Stars meet on the ice tonight for Game 3 of their First Round NHL Playoff series. The game is scheduled for a 9:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on the NBC Sports Network. Currently the odds for the game have Dallas as a home favorite in this one.
Anaheim has a commanding 2-0 lead over Dallas after winning the first two games in Southern California. Yet, the Dallas Stars are favored here in this game tonight to try and claw back into this First Round series. The Ducks are the top-seeded team in the Western Conference and if they can get a victory here tonight in Dallas, they'll be in a great spot to march on in the playoffs.
This will be Dallas' first home playoff game in six seasons. They haven't hosted an NHL Playoff game since May 19, 2008 when the Detroit Red Wings clinched in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals on their way to hoisting the Stanley Cup.
New Dallas coach Lindy Ruff said his team isn't looking to panic just yet. If they can get a victory tonight, they're right back in the series with a second straight game coming at home in just a few days.
Anaheim picked up single-goal victories in both of the first two games over Dallas. Offensively the Stars have been right there, even out-shooting the Ducks in Game 2, 36-19. Dallas held a 15-2 advantage over Anaheim in the third period of that game. Anaheim's Frederik Andersen, a rookie, had 34 saves during the team's last victory over the Stars, who are a very young team on the ice.
The Ducks have a lot of talent on the ice, most notably with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, two outstanding goal-scorers who can make any game a winnable one for Anaheim. The Ducks averaged 27 shots per game in this series and they'll look to continue to pepper shots at Kari Lehtonen, who has saved 87 percent of the shots he has faced in this series.
Dallas was 8-1-1 in their last 10 home games during the regular season. They knocked off St. Louis 3-0 in their home finale to clinch the wild-card spot and qualify for the playoffs. The Stars were 23-11-7 at home this season overall. But if they can't connect on the power play, they won't be able to pick up any wins. Dallas is just 2-for-11 in their power play attempts. Tonight we think they get that figured out.
Free Pick: Dallas 3, Anaheim 2
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