StarPoints For 3/31 vs San Jose

1.)  The Stars and Sharks are meeting for the sixth and final time this season. Dallas is 3-2-0 in the season series against San Jose and will be looking to steal two more points from the Western Conference leaders. The Stars won the last meeting at American Airlines Center 8-2 on March 16. Brenden Morrow and Mike Ribeiro notched two goals and two assists each and five other Stars had multi-point efforts. Dallas leads the all-time series against San Jose 50-34-10.
 
2.)  As the season winds down, Brad Richards is closing in on a new personal high in points for a season, having collected 86 points (23g, 63a) in 74 games this year. With six games left on the Stars’ schedule, Richards is only five points off his personal best 91 points, set during the 2005-06 season as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Richards has accumulated 20 points (6g, 14a) in the 15 games since the Olympic break. He has collected five points (2g, 3a) in five games against the Sharks this season, for a total of 15 points (7g, 8a) in 18 career games against the club.

3.)  Marty Turco is expected to start in goal for the Stars tonight. Despite Dallas’ 3-1 loss Monday night against Anaheim, Kari Lehtonen had another golden performance for the Stars. Lehtonen turned away 43 of 46 shots against the Ducks, but it wasn’t enough and his three-game win streak was snapped. He picked up his first win as a Dallas Star, stopping 45 San Jose shots, in a decisive 8-2 win over the Sharks March 16.
 
4.)  The Sharks could be without leading scorer Joe Thornton tonight. Thornton missed San Jose’s last game with a lower body injury, snapping his streak of 379 consecutive games played. The Olympian has made the trip with the team and expects to return sometime during San Jose’s four-game road trip that begins tonight in Dallas. He leads all Sharks with 85 points (19g, 66a) in 75 games this season. Thornton is second on the team in scoring against the Stars, registering 42 points (12g, 30a) in 43 games. The center has collected four assists in the five games against Dallas this year.
 
5.)  One to watch for:  Dan Boyle is having another fantastic year offensively. He is third in the league in scoring for defensemen with 55 points (15g, 40a) in 70 games. Through 16 games against the Stars, Boyle has tallied 12 points (5g, 7a) in 16 games, including two goals and three assists in five games this season. Boyle recorded the game-winning goal, his 400th career point, in San Jose’s 3-0 win over Dallas March 25.  He is currently on a three game point streak, accumulating five points (2g, 3a) in that span.