Flyers 1 - 5 Stars
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Flyers, Stars meet for matinee in Big D

Dec 7, 2013 - 2:43 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Philadelphia Flyers continue a six-game road trip on Saturday afternoon in Dallas, where they will try to avoid their first loss to the Stars in six years.

The Flyers have won each of their past six meetings with the Stars, having not lost to the club since Dec. 1, 2007 in Philadelphia. That streak includes three straight victories in Dallas.

Philly is 2-1 so far on a six-game swing, having rallied from two goals down to beat the Detroit Red Wings 6-3 on Wednesday. Sean Couturier paced the comeback with his first career four-point game, notching two goals and a pair of assists.

Matt Read, Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell also tallied during the Flyers' run of five straight goals scored and Steve Mason made 32 saves.

"We knew we had to come out flying and get pucks on the net," Read said of the team's comeback. "It was just a very gritty comeback win by us and something we can build off of."

Read and Hartnell added two assists each. Hartnell is scheduled to skate in his 900th career regular-season game tonight, while Read is tied with Vincent Lecavalier for the team lead in goals with nine.

Lecavalier has missed the past two games with back spasms and is not expected to play today either.

Mason, who has won three straight starts, is 4-3-1 with a 2.31 goals against average in his career versus the Stars.

Dallas has points in five straight, going 2-0-3 in that span. The Stars are coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday despite registering a season-high 50 shots on net.

Shawn Horcoff had a goal and an assist and Erik Cole also scored for the Stars. Kari Lehtonen allowed all three goals on 24 shots.

Dallas lost not only the game but defenseman Trevor Daley to a lower-body injury when he crashed into the end boards during the second period and had to be helped off the ice.

"He's got an injury that looks like it's going to take some time," said Stars head coach Lindy Ruff. "It's going to be nothing that's going to be short- term."

Dallas is already without defender Stephane Robidas for the next 4-to-6 months due to a broken leg. Jamie Oleksiak and Kevin Connauton are in line to fill the void left by Robidas and Daley, with Connauton having picked up his first NHL point with an assist on Thursday.

If Ruff wants to find a good spot to rest Lehtonen, today may be the time. The netminder has never beaten the Flyers in his career, going 0-10-2 with a 3.50 GAA.

Backup Dan Ellis is 1-1-0 in three career starts against the Flyers, but with a 6.23 GAA.






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