Ducks seek win in 2nd meeting with Stars Thursday night
On Oct. 13, the Dallas Stars defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-3 at American Airlines Center.
These former Pacific Division rivals square off again in Dallas on Thursday, and first-year Stars coach Jim Montgomery expects a similar game from the Ducks.
“They haven’t changed,” Montgomery said after practice Wednesday. “They’re winning games because of their goalie, their D core and they manage games well. They don’t beat themselves.”
Anaheim (5-4-1, 11 points), who is concluding a quick two-game road trip, is 3-3-0 on the road after a 3-1 loss at Chicago on Tuesday with Rickard Rakell scoring the lone goal.
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One positive was the season debut of forward Nick Ritchie, who had been a contract holdout before signing Oct. 17. Ritchie, 22, is the younger brother of Dallas forward Brett Ritchie.
“It wasn’t a very good game,” Ritchie told Fox Sports West postgame in Chicago. “We had a slow start, took a lot of penalties. It wasn’t the effort we were looking for.”
Dallas (4-4-0, 8 points), on the other hand, heads into this game off a win, 4-2 against the Ducks’ crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Kings, on Tuesday night.
The Stars’ victory arrested a three-game losing streak and saw Dallas play 11 forwards and seven defensemen, a look Montgomery said he could employ again.
