2006 Dallas Stars Preview

2006 Dallas Stars Preview from Maddux Sports. With the NHL Hockey Season now is the time to get aquatinted with the 2006 teams and players. Remember if you are NHL hockey betting look no further, as we offer hockey picks and can help you turn a profit betting on the NHL this season.

2006 Dallas Stars Hockey Season Preview

The Dallas Stars finished second in the Western Conference and ended tied for 10th in offense and ranked sixth on defense. Although they looked good in the regular season, they were out of the playoffs in the first round after 5 games, being beaten by the Avalanche.

On offense, Mike Modano (27 G, 50 A, 77 Pts) is still the primary center man, flanked by Brenden Morrow (23 G, 42 A, 65 Pts) and Jere Lehtinen (33 G, 19 A, 52 Pts). Rookie winger Jussi Jokinen notched an impressive 55 points in 81 games. Dallas welcomes centers Eric Lindros (11 G, 11 A, 22 Pts in 33 games) from Toronto and Jeff Halpern (11 G, 33 A, 44 Pts) from Washington. But it’s doubtful that either can make up for the offense lost by the partings of Guerin and Arnott.

The defense is fast but lacks punch. Sergei Zubov (13 G, 58 A, 71 Pts) was second in scoring among all NHL defensemen. Philippe Boucher (16 G, 27 A, 43 Pts), who led all Stars D-men with a plus-28 rating, is an excellent two-way player. This squad, which allowed the fewest shots per game (25.6 SPG), is manned with puck control experts.

In goal, Marty Turco’s (68 GP, 41 W, 19 L, 5 OT, 2.55 GAA, .898 SP) the man. In five NHL seasons, Turco has been solid, often rising to the occasion when his defense failed.

Last season the Stars power play was ranked only 19th. The team took too many penalties, 18.2 MPG (ranked 25th). Mathew Barnaby and his 178 penalty minutes (fifth in the NHL) join the club, making it even more difficult for Dallas to create power play opportunities.

The Stars are a top team in the conference. If Turco can rise to the occasion, the team can utilize its speed and players can reduce their penalty minutes, Dallas could go deep into the playoffs.

For more information on the 2006 Dallas Hockey Club check out the Stars team website.