After four straight games of coming up empty, the Stars found a reward for their pesky forecheck by edging the Hurricanes 2-1 on Saturday.
Carolina has been the NHL’s toughest five-on-five puck possession team to contend with; it leads the league in Corsi percentage.
Dallas sustained pressure on the Canes throughout a 60-minute arm wrestle, topping them, 19-18, in turnovers.
This win grants the Stars some deserved merit as their on-ice identities are fairly indicative of their numbers.
They average top-four numbers in shooting percentage and goal-scoring rate with a stable lineup that wears down the opposition by executing a full-steam-ahead offensive play style.
When you throw as much spaghetti against the wall as the Stars have, some wins are bound to stick even despite giving up opposing chances.
But as we head into the playoff push, Dallas is proving it’s more than just brawn with a balanced game in all three zones.
Islanders vs. Stars prediction
The Islanders are still fishing for an identity of their own when they visit Dallas for Monday’s puck drop.
The Isles have lost five of their past six, with frustrations brimming high enough for Patrick Roy to pull his goaltender with more than 10 minutes left Thursday while trailing by three goals.
The most recent defeat was a 4-2 decision to a Lightning team that owned five-on-five play from start to finish.
There are too many structural inconsistencies that are negating any offensive friction that the Islanders rub together. They have now allowed 3-0 leads in three of their last six games.
The Islanders defeated the Stars, 3-2, in overtime on Jan. 21 to snap a four-game slide, and Ilya Sorokin delivered a gem — stopping 41 shots in a contest that Dallas commanded.
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The Stars’ top line of Jason Robertson, Rupert Hintz and Joe Pavelski is generating the best expected goals rate at five-on-five in hockey by a considerable margin.
This team is maturing for the playoffs as it leads the Central Division by three points, while the Islanders keep playing panic hockey.
The vast disparity in both five-on-five metrics and special teams success gives way to back Dallas with comfort.
THE PLAY: Stars -1.5 (+140, FanDuel)