Matt Fraser gets his chance in the spotlight. He's being projected as playing on the second line with Roy and Eriksson. That bumps Reilly Smith down to the third line and Antoine Roussel takes a seat.

Nilstorp will get the start, his third in a row. Kari is questionable for tomorrow night but he has been skating daily so there's some small hope.

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It's that most dreaded day of days, a visit to the proctologist....that's not right...oh yeah it's the dreaded second half of a back-to-back. Given the Stars futility in these games a proctological exam might be considered less unpleasant then watching the inevitable trainwreck that ensues with these. There is some reason for hope given the recent offensive outburst, but Nilstorp or Bachman will have to play better then they have recently for the Stars to end the jinx.

- Kari Lehtonen is still not ready, but expects to go Thursday per Mike Heika. Here's his morning skate update with more info...

http://starsblog.dallasnews.com/2013...ack-jinx.html/

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Holy sheep! They won one! The second game of a back-to-back! Damn if they didn't make it interesting though. Great to break that long streak on losses in those games, but I'm going to be a bit of a wet-blanket. I'm not ready to say the monkey is totally off their back until they win a couple more. After all they're still 2-15-2 over the last two seasons in these games. But this was much needed and is the stepping stone to fully shaking that monkey off.

- That makes 11 straight games with three or more goals, tying the team record. I like their chances of making it an even dozen.

- Loui is starting to heating up now. He picked up two in this one, including the OT winner. There's a reason the Stars have kept the faith with him and tonight showed why.

- In the "What's new about that" column, chalk up another sketchy defensive effort. Too many times they aren't clearing the front of the net, just standing around looking, and it's showing. If Dallas just had some semblance of defense they would be a solid playoff contender. That is the one area right now that's holding them back more than anything....assuming the pesky back-to-back jinx is well and truly broken.

- Only one powerplay apiece tonight. The zebras swallowed their whistles for this one. Dallas entered the night 11th in the league on both the power play and penalty kill. This one obviously won't see that change much.

- Another good takeaway from this game, and their recent play, they aren't a one trick pony. The offense isn't coming from just one line. If Benn's line isn't the one generating the most offense, then it's Eakin's, or it's Roy's. Heck even Fiddler's line has chipped in lately, most notably the swing through western Canada. Their generating chances on multiple lines every game. And it's the kids doing it too. You've got to like that as it reinforces the notion that the Stars are in good hands with the talent in the pipeline.

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2 points for Dillon as well - and of course I had him benched.

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Any chance Cole will replace Jagr with Benn? Any opinions? Thanks!

I think it's far more likely that Cole goes with Roy. Roy's lie can't afford to get softer. Maybe you see cole take the place of morrow but I'd guess he goes with Roy and Eriksson.
I'm curious to see what will happen when Whitney comes back.

Eriksson-Benn-Jagr
Whitney-Roy-Cole

Maybe?

That would be sick news for me because I own Eriksson and Benn.

Speaking of which wtf Benn -6 this week so far. Did he actually go minus six with no points or did they just mix him and jordie up? Lol

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I don't see that happening this year or beyond. If Jagr moves on after this season, or goes down with an injury I would expect Eriksson to be the one to step into that role. Maybe if they move Morrow, and Cole can make the switch to LW, he might end up with Benn, but I just don't think it's likely. He's probably going to be on Roy's or Eakin's wing, and being on Roy's wing may hinge on Morrow's status after Whitney returns.

Could this Cole trade be foreshadowing Morrow's departure? Once Whitney returns, and he is skating so he's not far off, you'll have Morrow, Benn, Jagr, Whitney, Roy, Eriksson, and Cole all vying for spots in the top-six. And don't overlook all the kids who have been making their case for getting those minutes. In my opinion if Morrow hasn't been moved by the time Whtney comes back Cole is the odd man out, and likely plays with Eakin.

But even with that Cole could still hold some value. The Stars have been getting production up and down the lineup lately, and Eakin is a very good setup man. Cole may actually fare well with him, certainly not at the level he would in a top-six role, but not chopped liver either.

The days ahead in Big D look to be active and quite interesting. Maybe we'll finally see an identity for this team emerge.

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No he actually did. He was just off positionally on defense a few times himself and the team as a whole had plenty of defensive letdowns which contributed to that minus-6. And no Amazing Kari to perform incredible feats of prestidigitation to yank their collective asses out of the fire.

I do think at this point Cole is 50/50 at least to be with Eakin to start. Morrow has really stepped up his game of late. And if they are actively looking to move him he's in the best position to maximize the return right where he is now.

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I should rephrase that comment about Cole. In my mind he's likely to be with Eakin once Whitney returns unless a trade opens a top-six spot. Right now he should slot in with Roy, but that means either Eriksson flips back to left-wing or Cole slots in there.

It's still not entirely out of the realm of possibility that Gulutzan keeps Loui in this natural right-wing spot and continues to roll with one of the kids on the left and slots Cole on Eakin's line. But I think in the short term Cole plays on one of Roy's wings.

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Hey, NWO, how long are you expecting Roussel to stay up? And what's his long term viability in a multi cat league w/hits and PIM?

Thanks, brother.

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