DALLASDallas Stars coach Glen Gulutzan sees the Chicago Blackhawks lineup and the threats among it. There are a few.
We see their big guys are their best players, Gulutzan said after the Stars morning skate. And thats dangerous, because there are a lot of them.
The Blackhawks will be looking to get more out of their bestand everyone elsewhen they take on the Stars tonight at the American Airlines Center. For the Blackhawks, yes, the best have indeed been that. But a team effort has gotten them off to a 3-0-0 start.
Thats the biggest reason for our success: a lot of depth, a lot of contributions from everywhere, Patrick Kane said. One of the things about the core group is they want to be the guys to help carry the team. From the top players, thats where it starts, and the rest of the guys are following. But its not just the top guys in here. Everyones going. So Id say thats the scariest part.
Coach Joel Quenneville has been happy with the four-line aspect.
Were getting good contributions across the board, he said. When your best are your best, youre going to be OK. We have balance in four lines.
The Stars are off to a good start themselves, with just one loss to the Minnesota Wild thus far. The Stars have gotten most of their production from their most veteran guys, 40-year-olds Ray Whitney (1-2-3) and Jaromir Jagr (2-2-4).
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Corey Crawford gets the start for the Blackhawks, Kari Lehtonen for the Stars. There are likely to be any other lineup changes for the Blackhawks. Michal Rozsival looks to stay in among the defenseman. Jamal Mayers will be a healthy scratch again. The veteran brought a great physical edge to the Blackhawks when he signed on with them last season, and you can never have enough of that presence. But Quenneville said Mayers will get back into the lineup at some point.
Everybodys going to play and things change quickly, he said. We like his experience, the leadership qualities and he brings intensity. What he brings to our team is valuable. Whether hes playing or not, hes an important piece to our team. But Jammers going to get in here before you know it.