Stars 4 - 2 Blackhawks
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Stars-Blackhawks Preview

Feb 10, 2016 - 9:30 PM Patrick Sharp was a key part of the Chicago Blackhawks' transformation from league also-ran to Stanley Cup champion.

He raised the Cup on the United Center ice in June and will make his first trip back to Chicago as a player Thursday night, with his Dallas Stars looking to cut into the Blackhawks' Central Division lead.

For the past 9 1/2 seasons, Sharp was a staple in Chicago's lineup, leading the team in scoring four times. The fan favorite tallied 239 goals and scored another 42 in the playoffs to help the club to three Stanley Cups.

Three weeks after their latest Cup celebration, the Blackhawks (36-17-4) traded Sharp to Dallas (34-15-5) in need of saving salary-cap space.

Sharp got off to a fast start with the Stars - as did most of his teammates - but has been stuck on 16 goals since Jan. 3. He had a goal and an assist in his first game against his former team in a 4-0 win Dec. 22 as Dallas moved 10 points ahead of Chicago.

The Stars' push to the division crown hit a snag in January, however, as they slogged through much of the month while the Blackhawks pulled ahead on the strength of a franchise-best 12-game winning streak.

Chicago returned to Dallas on Saturday and this time it dominated play, winning 5-1 behind a goal and three assists from Artem Anisimov.

Patrick Kane scored his NHL-leading 32nd goal - four ahead of Dallas' Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin - and Artemi Panarin had two assists as Chicago's top line accounted for two goals and five assists.

''They knew what happened here last time, and didn't want that to happen again,'' said Dallas defenseman Alex Goligoski, who was on the ice for the Blackhawks' last four goals. ''It will be nice to get them again pretty quick, so it's a chance to get them back.''

The Stars bounced back with Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win in Minnesota, their fourth victory in five games. John Klingberg scored the winner for Dallas, which has scored at least four goals in three of four games since the All-Star break, with the Chicago loss being the exception. The Stars reached the four-goal mark twice in 15 games before the break.

Corey Crawford made 36 saves against the Stars and stopped 25 of 26 shots Tuesday against San Jose, but Chicago's three-game winning streak was snapped with a 2-0 loss. The Blackhawks, three points ahead of Dallas, have four losses in their last 20 games, totaling one goal in the defeats.

''We didn't have the same jump that we usually do," said Crawford, who is 13-3-0 with a 1.88 goals-against average in his last 16 starts. "It was just one of those games where the puck wasn't going in.''

The Blackhawks did have one puck go in but Brandon Mashinter's goal late in the first period was disallowed after the Sharks won a successful video challenge for goalie interference.

When the first question of his postgame press conference asked about the play, a fuming Joel Quenneville gave a quick answer before abruptly throwing up his arms and walking out.

The Blackhawks are hopeful Panarin, who leads NHL rookies with 52 points, can return after he missed his first game with an illness.

Former Blackhawk Antti Niemi was given the night off Tuesday after being pulled for giving up three goals on eight shots in Saturday's first period. He has a 4.02 GAA in losing seven consecutive starts in Chicago since winning Dec. 30, 2010 in his first game back at the United Center.






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