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Falling Stars: Dallas vies to end skid at Colorado

Nov 18, 2011 - 3:50 PM (Sports Network) - The Stars offense has all but disappeared over their longest losing streak of the season. A meeting with the Avalanche could be the spark the club needs.

Dallas looks to halt a three-game slide tonight at the Pepsi Center against Colorado, which kicks off a lengthy homestand looking for just its third victory this season in Denver.

The Stars got off to an outstanding start by winning 11 of their first 14 games, but have been outscored 14-3 over their current slide. Following back- to-back defeats in Pittsburgh and Detroit, Dallas returned home on Tuesday and was beaten by Florida, 6-0, for just its second home loss of the season.

"I think the honeymoon's over," Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan said. "You start off 11-3, and teams are prepared to play you. They watch you probably a little closer, and Florida did a really good job of pre-scouting us."

Kari Lehtonen was left in for all six goals on 30 shots for the Stars, who were outshot 23-10 through the first two periods.

"This is probably the most embarrassing game we've had at home in some time, this season anyway," said Dallas' Brenden Morrow. "I think right now, you look back it's probably been nine periods that we've been outworked."

The Stars also lost forward Adam Burish to a broken hand in the loss and he is expected to miss at least four weeks of action. However, Steve Ott could return tonight after getting activated off injured reserve. Ott has missed the past six games with a lower-body injury.

Lehtonen also gave up six goals when the Stars last faced the Avalanche on Nov. 4, but the offense picked him up in a 7-6 overtime win. Loui Eriksson scored the winner with 1:05 left in the extra frame as Dallas picked up its third straight win over Colorado despite falling behind three times in the game.

Matt Duchene notched the first hat trick of his career for the Avalanche, who have won six of their last eight at home versus the Stars. Semyon Varlamov gave up seven goals on 29 shots.

Duchene has two goals in six games since his hat trick, and like the rest of his club he was held pointless in last night's 1-0 defeat in Minnesota. Jean- Sebastien Giguere made 17 saves in the loss, Colorado's seventh in eight games.

"As the game went on, you knew that it was going to be a bounce that would win the game," Giguere said.

The Avs have also lost five straight on the road since opening the season 6-0 as the guest and bring a 2-6 home record into this game. Colorado will begin an eight-game residency tonight, the longest continuous homestand in Avalanche history.

The Avalanche did have a nine-game homestand in 2001-02 that was broken up by the Olympic break and also played a string of eight in a row at home in 2008-09, but that residency also featured the All-Star break.