StarPoints For 4/6 vs Chicago

1.)  Tonight’s game is the fourth and final matchup of the season between the Stars and Blackhawks. Dallas is 2-0-1 against the Central Division Champions this season, including a 5-4 win on Dec. 29, the last time the teams played at American Airlines Center. Each game has been high-scoring, with seven goals or more in all three games.
 
2.)  The Stars have played well against the league’s elite teams, and Chicago is definitely one that falls into that category. Against the top three teams in the league (Washington, San Jose and Chicago), Dallas is 7-2-2, averaging 3.4 goals per contest. At home, the Stars are 3-1-0 against those same teams, averaging five goals per game.

3.)  Stars’ goaltender Matt Climie was called up from the Texas Stars (AHL) last week and is expected to make his season debut. The 27-year-old backstop has played well in Cedar Park this season, going 21-16-3 with a 2.40 GAA and three shutouts. Climie was 2-1-0 in three games at the end of last season with Dallas, and was called up once earlier this season but did not appear in a game.
 
4.)  Some of the Stars’ veterans have turned back the clock lately. 36-year-old Jere Lehtinen scored a goal and two assists, and 39-year-old Mike Modano set up Jamie Benn for two goals against Edmonton on April 2. Benn, who was born the summer after Modano was drafted, hit the 20-goal plateau with his first score, giving fans a glimpse of just how bright the Stars’ future can be.
 
5.)  One to watch for: Chicago has a young team, including 21-year-old Patrick Kane, who already has nine goals and six assists in 11 career games against the Stars. Kane leads the Blackhawks in scoring and has already established career-highs in goals (29), assists (55) and points (84) this season. The native of Buffalo, N.Y. was part of a young U.S. team that earned a silver medal at the Winter Olympics in February, and will be one of the big names on that team for years to come.