ESPN

Minnesota Wild at Dallas Stars
Saturday February 4
7:00 p.m.
TV: TXA 21
Radio: KTCK-1310 (AM)

About the Stars

The Stars (26-22-2) fell to 1-1-0 out of the All-Star break after losing 5-2 to San Jose on Thursday. The Stars were outshot 37-21 in the game and lost 40 of 52 faceoffs.

“I thought (the Sharks) played a real good game start to finish,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “I thought a good indication were those faceoffs, manhandling us on the draws. I thought they were at the top of their game. … We didn’t win any battles starting from the faceoff circles to corner. The way they were moving the puck around, we were just chasing it. We were a step behind.”

The Stars head into the game three points behind Minnesota for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Stars placed captain Brenden Morrow on injured reserve with an upper body injury and recalled RW Tomas Vincour from the Texas Stars of the AHL.

Injuries: Brenden Morrow (neck) is out.

About the Wild

The Wild (25-19-7) defeated the Avalanche 1-0 in Denver Thursday night. It was a bounce back victory for the Wild, who blew a 4-1 lead in losing to Nashville in their first game out of the break on Tuesday.

“It was an outstanding effort, coming off last game,” Wild coach Mike Yeo said. “Emotionally, it was not easy, but to see our guys respond the way they did says a lot about our group.”

Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom made 37 saves for his third shutout of the season.

The Wild acquired F Erik Christensen from the New York Rangers for F Casey Wellman on Friday. Christensen is expected to play for the Wild on Saturday. Minnesota also assigned F Chad Rau to Houston of the AHL.

Injuries: D Clayton Stoner (lower body) is doubtful. C Mikko Koivu (shoulder), C Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion) and F Guillaume Latendresse (concussion) are out.

Series notes

*This is the second of four meetings between the Stars and Wild this season.

*Dallas is 0-1-0 in the season series.

*Minnesota is 1-0-0 in the season series.

*January 21, at Minnesota: Wild 5, Stars 2

Dallas Stars captain Brenden Morrow is out for at least one week. The Stars placed Morrow on injured reserve Friday evening and recalled right wing Tomas Vincour from the Texas Stars of the AHL.

Morrow has been struggling with a neck issue and missed the last game before the All-Star break. He played in the first two games out of the break – at Anaheim (Wednesday) and at San Jose (Thursday) – but didn’t register a shot on goal in either contest.

Vincour has 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) in 18 games with Dallas this season. He was assigned to Texas at the All-Star break and played three games, registering 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist). Vincour ranks third on Texas in goal scoring this season with 11 in 18 games.

Prior to Saturday night’s game against Minnesota at American Airlines Center, the Dallas Stars will recognize former goaltender Ed Belfour for his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Saturday’s ceremony starts at 7 p.m. sharp and fans are encouraged to get there early. Four of Belfour's former Dallas teammates - Joe Nieuwendyk, Mike Modano, Brett Hull and Jere Lehtinen - will participate in the ceremony. Stars broadcasters Ralph Strangis and Daryl Reaugh will be the emcees.

Belfour, who helped lead the Stars to the 1999 Stanley Cup, was inducted into the Hall along with Nieuwendyk, Doug Gilmour and Mark Howe in November.

The Dallas Stars’ woes in the second game of back-to-backs continued Thursday night in San Jose. The Stars lost 5-2 to the Sharks, falling to 0-8-1 this season in the second game of back-to-backs.

It didn’t help matters that they ran into a San Jose team that was clicking on all cylinders. The Sharks outshot the Stars 37-21, including 28-11 through the first two periods as they built a 4-1 lead in the game. San Jose won an astounding 40 of 52 (77 percent) in the game.

“I thought they played a real good game start to finish,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said of the Sharks. “I thought a good indication were those faceoffs, manhandling us on the draws. I thought they were at the top of their game.

“We didn’t win any battles starting from the faceoff circles to corner. The way they were moving the puck around, we were just chasing it. We were a step behind.”

The Stars (26-22-2) fell three points behind Minnesota for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

“There were a lot of frustrating things tonight. Obviously we didn’t get the result we wanted,” said Stars forward Steve Ott. “There were a lot of little breakdowns. Our faceoff percentage was [bad] and when that happens you are going to chase the puck a lot. We made some costly mistakes that hurt our chances of being in the game.”

The Stars, coming off a 6-2 win in Anaheim on Wednesday, were under the gun in the first 20 minutes Thursday. The Sharks outshot the Stars 15-7 on their way to building a 2-0 lead on an even-strength goal by Michael Handzus and a power play tally by Joe Pavelski.

Only some big saves by Richard Bachman kept it from getting out of hand early. He made several quality stops, including a save on a breakaway by Pavelski and then a second stop on Pavelski’s rebound attempt.

“He made some huge saves,” said Gulutzan. “I thought the first period could have been 5-0. He made some real huge saves.”

The Stars got back in the game on the scoreboard when Ott busted in on net with Dallas on the power play and Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle tried to clear the puck away and accidentally put it in his own net.

But the Sharks got their fourth power play of the night a short time later and cashed in when Patrick Marleau tipped home a Brent Burns centering pass to extend the San Jose lead to 3-1 with five minutes left in the second. The Sharks ended up 2-5 on the power play in the game.

“We took a lot of penalties and they have a lot talent and they want to get on the power play,” Dallas defenseman Stephane Robidas said. “When you give them that many power plays they are eventually going to capitalize on it. That’s exactly what happened.”

Less than two minutes after Marleau's goal, Pavelski picked off a Nicklas Grossman pass in the Dallas zone and set up Joe Thornton, who had an easy tap-in to give the Sharks a 4-1 lead.

Jamie Benn scored early in the third to cut the lead to 4-2, but Ryan Clowe scored later in the period to make it a 5-2 game.

Notes

*Stars defenseman Nicklas Grossman, who missed Wednesday’s game with the flu, played on Thursday. The Stars dressed seven defensemen and eleven forwards.

*Jake Dowell, Toby Petersen and Adam Pardy were healthy scratches.

*Stars center Jamie Benn has scored goals in consecutive games since returning from his appendectomy.

*Stars forward Steve Ott has consecutive multi-point games.

*The Stars were 1-2 on the power play Thursday and are 2-5 in their first two games since the break.

*The Stars were 3-5 on the penalty kill.

*Benn lost all seven of his faceoffs. Mike Ribeiro won one of eleven.

*The Stars are 0-3-0 against San Jose this season and have been outscored 14-5.

Back-t0-back woes

The Stars are now 4-12-2 in back-to-back games this season, including 0-8-1 in second games. Excluding the extra goal awarded for a shootout victory, the Stars have been outscored 36-14 in those second games.

Here are some postgame quotes following the Dallas Stars’ 5-2 loss at San Jose Thursday night.

Stars coach Glen Gulutzan on if the Stars lacked energy in the second night of a back-to-back

“I don’t know if it was as much us. I thought they played a real good game start to finish. I thought a good indication were those faceoffs (40-12 in favor of San Jose), manhandling us on the draws. I thought they were at the top of their game.”

On the play of goalie Richard Bachman

“He made some huge saves. I thought the first period could have been 5-0. He made some real huge saves.”

Stars forward Steve Ott

“I think there were a lot of frustrating things tonight. Obviously we didn’t get the result we wanted. There were a lot of little breakdowns. I think our faceoff percentage was 15 percent and when that happens you are going to chase the puck a lot. We made some costly mistakes that hurt our chances of being in the game.”

Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas

“We took a lot of penalties and they have a lot talent and they want to get on the power play. When you give them that many power plays they are eventually going to capitalize on it. That’s exactly what happened.”

The Dallas Stars quest for three straight wins fell short in San Jose Thursday night as they lost 5-2 to the Sharks. The Stars are now three points behind Minnesota for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Stars are now 0-8-1 in the second game of back-to-backs this season. Steve Ott and Jamie Scored for the Stars. Richard Bachman stopped 32 of 37 shots. San Jose outshot the Stars 37-21 and won 40 of 52 (77 percent) faceoffs.

First period

The Sharks struck 4:42 into the game to take the early lead. A Brent Burns shot from the point deflected off Sharks forward Michal Handzus and past Stars goalie Richard Bachman.

Bachman made some big stops to keep it a one-goal game. He made a nice stop on a blast from Joe Thornton and then stopped Joe Pavelski on a breakaway and then denied Pavelski’s rebound bid.

But the Sharks extended the lead by taking advantage of the game’s first power play when Pavelski’s shot from the point made its way through traffic and past Bachman at the 16:32 mark.

The Sharks outshot the Stars 15-7 in the period.

Nicklas Grossman, who missed Wednesday night's game with the flu, was back in the lineup. The Stars dressed seven defensemen scratched Jake Dowell from the fourth line.

Second period

The Stars killed off the remaining 40 seconds of a San Jose power play to open the period and then thwarted another full Sharks power play a short time later.

The Stars then got a couple of power plays and cashed in on the second one to cut the San Jose to 2-1. As Steve Ott was trying to bust in on net, Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle tried to clear the puck away and ended up it firing it into his own net at 12:41 of the second.

But the Sharks went on their fourth power play less than a minute later and scored to take a 3-1 lead. Patrick Marleau tipped in a Brent Burns centering pass at the 14:59 mark.

Less than two minutes later, Nicklas Grossman turned the puck over to Joe Pavelski, who set up Joe Thornton, who had an easy tap in to give the Sharks a 4-1 lead.

The Sharks outshot the Stars 13-4 in the second period and had a 28-11 advantage through 40 minutes.

Third period

Jamie Benn scored off a rebound at 6:22 of the third to cut San Jose’s lead to 4-2, but that was as close as the Stars would get.

Ryane Clowe scored later in the period to give the Sharks a 5-2 lead.

The Stars outshot the Sharks 10-9 in the third. San Jose had a 37-21 advantage for the game.

Stars lineup

Ott-Benn-Ryder
Morrow-Ribeiro-Eriksson
Nystrom-Fiddler-Dvorak
Wandell-Burish

Souray-Robidas
Goligoski-Larsen
Fistric-Daley
Grossman

Scratched: Dowell, Petersen, Pardy
Injured: None

It will be the battle of the backups tonight as the Dallas Stars take on the Sharks in San Jose.

Richard Bachman will get the start for the Stars. Bachman is 6-2-1 with a 2.50 goals against average and a .917 goals against average this season. It will be his first start since January 17, when the Stars lost 3-2 in a shootout to Detroit. Bachman’s played once against San Jose, stopping all eight shots in 20 minutes of relief work on December 8.

Sharks goalie Antti Niemi got dinged up in practice yesterday and won’t play tonight. The Sharks will go with backup Thomas Greiss, who is 6-4-1 with a 1.98 goals against average and .927 save percentage this season.

“The last three starts he’s kept teams to one goal and he’s come in and played very well,” said Sharks coach Todd McLellan. “There isn’t any added pressure on him. He just comes in and plays his game, and that’s what we want to see.”

It looks like Sharks forward Ryane Clowe, who has missed the last six games with a facial fracture, will be back in the lineup tonight.

Stars defenseman Nicklas Grossman, who missed last night’s game with the flu, is questionable for tonight’s game.

A few tidbits for your Thursday morning.

*With last night's win over the Ducks, the Stars improved to 4-4-2 in the first games of back-to-back sets this season. As has been mentioned often, it's the second game that's been the big issue. They are 0-7-1 in those games so far this season. Here's a look at how the Stars have fared in back-to-backs in 2011-12.



*A power play note from last night's game. Defenseman Sheldon Souray, who has been averaging 2:24 of power play time per game this season, didn't see any PP time last night. The Stars went with blue line combinations of Alex Goligoski-Stephane Robidas and Trevor Daley-Philip Larsen last night. They give up the big cannon, but that's a pretty mobile group on the blue line.

*The Los Angeles Kings beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 last night on a power play goal by Drew Doughty with 0.4 seconds remaining in regulation. Video replays below show that the game clock stopped briefly at 1.8 seconds, restarted and then Doughty scores.

Here's an excerpt from the NHL.com recap:

Columbus' Samuel Pahlsson took a hooking penalty with 1:06 left in regulation, and the Kings buzzed away in the Jackets' zone. Curtis Sanford made a pair of stops in the final eight seconds on Anze Kopitar, and with time running out the puck came to Doughty, whose snap shot through traffic barely beat the final horn. Referee Steven Walkom originally waved off the goal, but video replay showed the puck crossed the goal line with less than a second to play -- though television replays indicated that the game clock stopped briefly with 1.8 seconds remaining before starting again.

Here's the video. Watch the clock when it hits 1.8 seconds.

Dallas Stars at San Jose Sharks
Thursday February 2
9:30 p.m.
TV: Fox Sports Southwest
Radio: KTCK-1310 (AM)

About the Stars

The Stars (26-21-2) won their first game out the break, routing the Ducks 6-2 in Anaheim Wednesday night. The win moved the Stars to within one point of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

“We wanted to come out strong after the break, and we've got to keep moving forward like this if we want to make the playoffs,” said Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas.

Richard Bachman will start in goal for the Stars.

This is the Stars’ ninth back-to-back of the season. So far, they are 0-7-1 in the second game of the back-to-back sets.

Injuries: D Nicklas Grossman (flu) is questionable.

About the Sharks

The Sharks (28-14-6) won their first game out the break, shutting out Columbus 6-0 in San Jose Tuesday night. Joe Thornton, who took a hit to the head from Blue Jackets forward Jared Boll in the game’s first shift, scored twice for the Sharks.

“Everybody wakes up,” Thornton said. "You get more into the game. Kind of a wakeup call. Gives the group a wakeup call. It was a good hit to take. Get the two points and move on.”

Antti Niemi posted his second straight shutout. The Sharks outshot Columbus 43-30 in the game.

LW Ryane Clowe missed his sixth straight game with a facial injury, but could return Thursday against the Stars.

Injuries: LW Ryane Clowe (face) is questionable. D Jason Demers (lower body) is day to day. RW Martin Havlat (hamstring) is out.

Series notes

*This is the third of six meetings between the two teams.

*The Stars are 0-2-0 in the season series.

*The Sharks are 2-0-0 in the season series.

*November 19, at Dallas: Sharks 4, Stars 1
*December 8, at San Jose: Sharks 5, Stars 2

The Dallas Stars were looking for a strong start coming out of the All-Star break and they got it Wednesday night in Anaheim, routing the Ducks 6-2 at Honda Center.

The victory lifted the Stars (26-21-2) to within one point of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

“We have to keep moving forward like this if we want to make the playoffs,” said Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas, who scored a power play goal and led Dallas with eight hits.

Six different players scored goals for the Stars, who had scored two goals or fewer in their last six games.

“We’ve had trouble scoring goals lately, but we’ve got our guys back in the lineup and we’re more healthy,” said Robidas. “A lot of our goals were shots and traffic and rebounds. It wasn’t all like tic-tac-toes. We’ve got to keep things simple and play well defensively. I think there are some corrections that need to be made in that regard, but overall we are pleased with the effort and obviously we are very happy with the win.”

Center Jamie Benn, who had missed the last five games due to an appendectomy, had one goal and two assists in the game, as did Michael Ryder. Robidas, Eric Nystrom, Vernon Fiddler and Sheldon Souray also scored for the Stars, who scored six goals in regulation for the third time this season.

“We were a little more in an offensive mode. We were thinking a little more about scoring,” said Souray. “In the last game (1-0 win over Anaheim) we were just wanting to keep it close and get comfortable in close game.”

The Stars got a stellar performance from goaltender Kari Lehtonen, who stopped 33 of 35 shots. He came up big early in the game when the Stars were still shaking off a little bit of the rust from the break, and was solid throughout.

Special teams were big for the Stars as well. The power play, which had been struggling prior to the break, was 1-3. The penalty kill was 4-4.

The Stars, who fell behind early, took control of the game with three goals in a 3:54 span late in the first period, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead heading into the first intermission.

Eric Nystrom knocked home the rebound of an Alex Goligoski shot from the left point to tie the game. Vernon Fiddler won a puck battle against Anaheim defenseman Luca Sbisa in the neutral zone, slipped by Ducks defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky in the slot and then beat Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller five-hole to the give the Stars a 2-1 lead. Benn scored on a breakaway following an Anaheim turnover to make it a 3-1 game.

Stephane Robidas scored on the power play to make it a 4-1 game in the second. Sbisa scored for the Ducks to cut the lead to 4-2 a little more than a minute later, but Sheldon Souray and Michael Ryder scored third period goals for the Stars to put the Ducks away.

Anaheim, which entered the game on a 9-1-1 run, had a six-game home winning streak snapped.

“We played bad tonight,” Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau said. “It wasn’t fun to watch.”

For the Stars, it was a step in the right direction as they try to climb into the top eight in the Western Conference.

“It’s little steps. There are some building blocks to build from,” said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. “Was our game clean? By no means, but it can get better. That’s what we have to do, but we’ll take the points and use that as a stepping stone.”

Notes

*Defenseman Nicklas Grossman did not play Wednesday due to the flu. He could play Thursday.

*Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said Richard Bachman would start Thursday’s game in San Jose.

*Adam Pardy and Toby Petersen were healthy scratches Wednesday.

*Sheldon Souray scored his first goal since November 4.

*Stephane Robidas scored his first since November 6.

Here are some postgame quotes following the Dallas Stars’ 6-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks Wednesday night.

Stars coach Glen Gulutzan

“Our net presence was good tonight. It’s little steps. There are some building blocks to build from. Was our game clean? By no means, but it can get better. That’s what we have to do, but we’ll take the points and use that as a stepping stone.”

“I thought it was (Stephane Robidas’) strongest game. I don’t know if he lost a one-on-one battle. He was a workhorse for us tonight. I thought that was maybe the best game I’ve seen him play. You could see the five-day break and the healing of the foot and the hip has helped him immensely. That’s what we need of our guy back there.”

Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas

“We’ve had trouble scoring goals lately, but we’ve got our guys back in the lineup and we’re more healthy. A lot of goals were shots and traffic and rebounds. It wasn’t all like tic-tac-toes. We’ve got to keep things simple and play well defensively. I think there are some corrections that need to be made in that regard, but overall we are pleased with the effort and obviously we are very happy with the win.”

Stars defenseman Sheldon Souray

“We were a little more in an offensive mode. We were thinking a little more about scoring. In the last game (1-0 win over Anaheim) we were just wanting to keep it close and get comfortable in close game. Tonight we got an early goal to tie it up, we took the lead, got a big power play goal and we just started rolling. We worked hard and got a few bounces as well. And our goalie made a couple big saves as well.”

The Dallas Stars won their first game out of the All Star break, routing the Anaheim Ducks 6-2 at Honda Center Wednesday night. The victory pulled the Stars to within one point of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Jamie Benn and Michael Ryder each had one goal and two assists. Eric Nystrom, Vernon Fiddler, Stephane Robidas and Sheldon Souray also scored goals. Steve Ott and Alex Goligoski each had two assists. Kari Lehtonen stopped 33 of 35 shots.

The Stars were 1-3 on the power play and were 4-4 on the penalty kill.

First period

The Ducks opened the scoring 5:14 into the game when a Matt Beleskey shot from the blue line deflected off traffic and got by Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen.

But the Stars scored three goals in a 3:54 span late in the period to build a 3-1 lead.

Eric Nystrom scored off the rebound of an Alex Goligoski shot from the left point to tie the game at the 13:56 mark.

Vernon Fiddler scored off the rush, slipping by Ducks defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky and then beat goaltender Jonas Hiller five-hole to give the Stars a 2-1 lead at the 16:41 mark.

Just 1:09 later the Ducks turned the puck over in the neutral zone, Steve Ott set up Jamie Benn on a breakaway and Benn roofed a shot over Hiller to make it a 3-1 game.

Stars defenseman Nicklas Grossman was a late scratch due to the flu, according to a team official.

Second period

The Ducks got a power play early in the second period, but the Stars’ penalty kill was sharp and the Ducks generated little.

The Stars went on the power play seven minutes into the second when Ducks forward Corey Perry was called for slashing, and they cashed in to take a 4-1 lead.

Mike Ribeiro set up Stephane Robidas, who scored off a one-timer from just beyond the top of the right circle at the 7:14 mark.

The Ducks answered a little more than a minute later when Luca Sbisa scored on a shot from the slot off the rush to make it 4-2 at the 8:36 mark.

Both teams had power play chances later in the period, but couldn’t take advantage.

Third period

Sheldon Souray scored 36 seconds into the third period, beating Hiller with a shot from the left point to give the Stars a 5-2 lead.

Lehtonen had some sharp saves in the period and the Stars killed off the Ducks fourth power play chance of the game late in the game.

Ott set up Michael Ryder on a odd-man rush late in the game to extend the Dallas lead to 6-2.

Stars lineup

Ott-Benn-Ryder
Morrow-Ribeiro-Eriksson
Nystrom-Fiddler-Dvorak
Dowell-Wandell-Burish

Souray-Robidas
Fistric-Daley
Goligoski-Larsen

Lehtonen (starter)
Bachman

Injured: Grossman (flu)
Scratched: Pardy, Petersen

Here are some notes and a statistical update on Dallas Stars prospects playing junior hockey, in Europe and in college.

*RW Reilly Smith (3rd round/2009) was named the CCHA’s player of the month after picking up 7 goals and 3 assists in eight games during the month. Four of his goals were game-winners for Miami, which won six of the eight games. Smith has 19 goals and 8 assists in 26 games this season. He is tied for third in the nation in goal scoring.

*F Austin Smith (5th round/2007) had 2 goals, 1 assist an a plus-4 rating as Colgate swept a pair of games from Cornell over the weekend. Smith, who has 41 points (26 goals, 15 assists) in 26 games, leads the nation in both goal scoring and points.

*RW Brett Ritchie (2^nd round/2011) has points in five of this last six games for Niagara (OHL), and has 4 goals and 3 assists during that stretch. Ritchie has 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) and a plus-9 rating in 11 games since joining Niagara and has 12 goals and 12 assists in 34 total games this season.

*RW Matej Stransky (6^th round/2011) registered 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) and a plus-6 rating in three games for Saskatoon (WHL) over the past week. Stransky has 54 points (28 goals, 26 assists) in 49 games this season and is tied for 23^rd in the WHL in scoring.

*G Jack Campbell (1^st round/2010) snapped a personal three-game losing streak by stopping 29 of 30 shots in Sault Ste. Marie’s (OHL) victory over Erie. Campbell is 8-7-4 with a 3.19 goals against average and .903 save percentage since being traded to Sault Ste. Marie earlier this season.

The Dallas Stars get back to action in their first game after the break, taking on the Ducks in Anaheim. The Ducks got a chance to shake off the rust last night, winning 4-1 at Phoenix.

Stars coach Glen Gulutzan isn't too concerned about the Stars being rusty, since they've have had plenty of ice time to get ready for this game.

"Yesterday was a little bit different than today. Teams (last night) had one practice before they played and we had the luxury of having two full practices and a pregame skate," Gulutzan said. "I am not expecting us to be completely rusty or anything like that. We've had enough time to prepare and get ready. The teams that played yesterday, they had one practice and one pregame, and that practice was in the afternoon, so it was a little tougher for them."

The Stars are healthy and ready to go.

Tonight's projected lineup looks exactly the way the Stars practiced the past couple days. Kari Lehtonen is getting the nod in goal and Gulutzan said a decision on who starts tomorrow night in San Jose will depend on how things go tonight. Jonas Hiller will be in net for the Ducks.

Stars lineup

Ott-Benn-Ryder
Morrow-Ribeiro-Eriksson
Nystrom-Fiddler-Dvorak
Dowell-Wandell-Burish

Souray-Robidas
Grossman-Daley
Goligoski-Larsen

Lehtonen

ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun has some trade deadline items related to the Dallas Stars. GM Joe Nieuwendyk told LeBrun time will tell how the Stars approach the trade deadline. Obviously, how the Stars do over next few weeks will dictate the plan moving forward.

"I think it’s a little early yet," Nieuwendyk said. "I think all these teams will have a better idea in a few weeks depending on how things shake out. There’s a lot of tire-kicking going on, but we’ll have to see how things work out."

LeBrun also has a brief item on Stars defenseman Nicklas Grossman, who will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Grossman could spark interest if the Stars don't sign him to an extension prior to the deadline, which is Feb. 27. You can read the latest from LeBrun here.

Also, a reminder that tonight's tilt against the Ducks is on Fox Sports Southwest Plus.

Here's where you can find the game in the Dallas Fort Worth Area, according to FSSW.

AT&T U-Verse - Ch. 692 (1692 HD)
Charter Cable - Ch. 300
DirecTV - Ch. 680 (680-1 HD)
Dish Network - Ch. 448 (9518 HD)
Time Warner Cable - Ch. 960 (requires digital cable box)
Verizon FIOS - Ch. 77 (577 HD)

For people outside Dallas/Fort Worth, click here to find out where to find the game in your area.

Also, this Saturday’s game vs. Minnesota (Feb. 4), which was originally scheduled on FOX Sports Southwest Plus, has been moved to TXA 21. Saturday’s game begins with the Ed Belfour Hall of Fame Recognition Ceremony at 7 pm.

And the April 7 home game vs. St. Louis has been moved from TXA 21 to FOX Sports Southwest Plus.