Five for Fighting

Quick change in L.A.

I'm pretty impressed with the quick change here at the Staples Center after the 1 p.m. start here for the Stars-Kings game. The local time is 6:15, and the teams have already been on the floor for a few minutes for warmups for the Mavericks-Clippers game, which starts at 7:30.

The behind-the-scenes guys never get enough credit for the work they put in to pull off double dips like these.

Zubov an All-Star

Stars defenseman Sergei Zubov was named as a reserve to the NHL All-Star Game on Jan. 27 in Atlanta.

Zubov, who was an All-Star from 1998-2000, is the only Star to make the squad. He's third in scoring among NHL defensemen (35 points).

--Milenko Martinovich

Winter Classic

I'm watching this outdoor game between Buffalo and Pittsburgh. Conditions couldn't be any better: About 30 degrees, lake-effect snow (that means the flakes are as big as your head) and winds that, although they seem light, they're switching direction constantly. They've got 73,000 strong today, too. Fantastic stuff.

This is fun stuff. I wish I would've alerted my parents when the game was announced, they would've gone up and watched in a heartbeat. They need to do something like this every year, maybe even throw a southern team up into one of them.
Check it out if you haven't already.

What have we learned?

First, let me state that this is not a pick-on-the-Stars entry. But, here's what we know now:

    If you play with fire you get burned. The Stars weren't at their best against the Blues on Saturday, but they escaped. They weren't at their best tonight, and they didn't escape.
   My hunches stink. Remember I said I had a feeling some Star was going to have a big game? Well, not so good. I guess I can count Marty Turco's performance, because he did keep them in it.
   The Stars are tapped out, no doubt about it. They'll enjoy tomorrow's off day before heading on the road, where they've been very, very good.
   No matter how good the Stars have been, the Pacific is still tight. One point between them and San Jose after all the victories they've tallied in the past month. Unbelievable. That's why it's considered the best division all the time.
   But it has been a great December in Starsland, hasn't it? 10 victories, one away from the number they set in the month back in 1998-99, and we all remember what happened that year don't we?

   Anyway, it's New Year's Eve. Enjoy ringing in the New Year, however you choose to do it. I wish the best for all of you in 2008, and be careful out there tonight.

Dumont cashes in

It was bound to happen, the way the Predators have been playing, which is a lot better than how the Stars have been doing. J.P. Dumont gets one past Marty Turco after much work, as the Predators take a 1-0 lead at 16:42 in the second period.

The goal comes on the 22nd shot that Turco's had to face in this game already. He's been great, and he's had to be because the Preds have been around him way too much tonight.

Eh

Good goaltending in the first frame, but otherwise there wasn't a lot to talk about. Brace yourself, folks, there could be a lot of penalties tonight if the first is any indication.

The Stars' power play has suddenly become shaky. Not sure what's happened, but they're still looking for their first shot on the man advantage tonight.

The opposing goalie

Anyone remember him? Anyone? Yep, that's Dan Ellis, who prior to the 2006-07 season was competing with Mike Smith to get that No. 2 job with the Stars. Ellis, now with the Preds, has been a good goaltender for his new team and has wrestled away more of the time from Chris Mason.

So far, he's not looking too shabby tonight.

The rare penalty shot

First one I've seen this year, anyway.

Scott Nichol had gotten hooked by Sergei Zubov on a breakaway and Nichol got the penalty shot. But he didn't even get a good one off, and Marty Turco had no problem saving a shot that I think may have hit the side of the net anyway.

Tonight's lines

Some minor changes due to Jokinen's injury:

Ott-Halpern-Eriksson
Morrow-Ribeiro-Miettinen
Hagman-Modano-Conner
Lundqvist-Barnes-Barch

Marty in tonight

Turco in goal for the New Year's Eve contest. There wasn't much of an update on Jokinen this morning, because his MRI results hadn't come back yet. We're talking at least a week, though, possibly more, on how long he's out.

I have a feeling about tonight's game. Can't put my finger on it, but I think a Stars player is going to have a big night. Like I said, just a hunch. Not based on anything in particular.