The Dallas Stars have been bitten by the injury bug and are slogging through the final stretch of the regular season having lost five of their last six games.
Can they turn it around on Tuesday? To do so, they’ll have to go through a stout Boston team on the road.
Here’s what to know about Stars-Bruins.
How to watch
When: Tuesday, 6 p.m.
Where: TD Garden in Boston
TV/Streaming: Victory+/FOX 4
Radio: Sportsradio 96.7/1310 The Ticket
Boston creamed
The Stars took it to the Bruins the last time these two teams met with a 6-2 romp in Dallas, in a game that, funnily enough, ended a losing skid for the Stars. Jason Robertson had a pair of goals and Wyatt Johnston added another.
That was all the way back in January, though. These days the Bruins (42-24-8, fourth place in the Atlantic Division) are rolling, winners of three straight and clinging to the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. It continues the recent pattern of the Stars going up against teams likely to be desperate and hungry in the middle of a playoff chase.
Milestone for Robertson
Robertson has recorded five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in his last four games, dating back to March 24 against the New Jersey Devils. In all, the Stars forward has totaled 87 points (40, 47) in 74 games played this season, leading the team in scoring. Entering play Monday, his 87 points ranked 10th in the NHL and were the second-most in a single season of his career.
If Robertson were to tally three more points this season — and that’s likely a when more than an if — he would become the first player in Dallas Stars team history (since 1993-94) to have multiple 90-point seasons for the club. Robertson’s 40 goals are the third-most he has scored in a single season in his career and were tied for the fourth-most in the NHL entering play Monday.
Home sweet home
The matchup against Boston wraps up the Stars’ last long road trip of the season. Dallas will return home after Tuesday for a string of home games against the Jets, Avalanche, Flames, Wild and Rangers, and then end their regular season slate on the road against the Maple Leafs and Sabres.
After that? It’s playoff hockey time once again in Dallas.
