On the Wings

Update (9:15 PM): Uh, I guess I should have read around a little more before guessing Smith would start tonight. According to the Dallas Star-Telegram, Marty Turco will be in net, after all. Apparently, Dave Tippett isn’t worried about Turco’s habit of losing to the Wings. Not that I blame him, really… (via A2Y). - Matt

Tonight is the second of four meetings between these two teams this season. The Wings won the first game 4-3 a month ago in Dallas, the second win in what would become a nine-game winning streak.

Over the past month, the Stars have gone 8-4-0, losing to two Northwest Division teams (Vancouver, Calgary) and two Eastern Conference teams (the Islanders, Carolina). Three of their losses came on the road. They’ve won their last three, which have all been at home, including a 1-0 decision over Nashville on Wednesday. The Stars are third place in the tough Pacific Division when they’d be tied for first in the Central, as the AP’s preview points out.

Looks like the Stars have been going with rookie goaltender Mike Smith lately. Veteran Marty Turco was pulled during the team’s 5-4 win over Colorado after giving up two goals on five shots and Smith has been playing ever since, posting his second shutout of the season. Given Turco’s career record against the Wings (1-7-5), I’m guessing the rookie will get his third-straight start tonight.
The Wings have lost five in a row, including an embarrassing 6-2 loss to Nashville Saturday night. They’ve earned a point in three of the five losses, but have fallen four points behind the Predators in the Central Division. The team’s lack of offense has become a critical problem during this stretch, as three goals seems to be their upper threshold at the moment.

Dominik Hasek should be in net for the Wings.

The injury list remains the same: Johan Franzen (knee, concussion) and Chris Osgood (wrist).

The Wings better hope they can find some offense tonight or else they’ll be in trouble. Saturday night may or may not have been an “aberration,” but the lack of scoring has been a problem all season. This Smith kid looks to be very good and if he doesn’t start, Marty Turco is probably ready to beat the Wings for just the second time in his career. Neither goalie is going to be beaten by half-hearted attempts.

The game is on Versus tonight, not FSN.

I won’t be able to cover the game tonight due to homework. Sorry.