Stars News and Notes: Tippett returns

Sunday, January 31, 2010-12:48:am
/Andrew's Dallas Stars Page                            

The Dallas Stars have already squared off against former coach Dave Tippett and his Phoenix Coyotes twice this season, but Sunday's game will be Tippett's first game in Dallas as coach of the Coyotes.

With the Coyotes playing the Rangers Saturday night in Phoenix, there won't be a lot of hype surrounding his return to the place he coached from 2002-03 through 2008-09. With the Sunday's game starting at 5 pm, there won't even be a morning skate and pregame media scrum.

"That's the way I want it right there, in and out in a hurry," Tippett said with a laugh when asked about it during his meeting with Phoenix media on Friday. ""No pregame skate, no nothing. It just so happens we play twice in a week. We start the road trip there and we end it there. The good thing is I get to see my daughter. It will be a quick game, in and out." 

After Saturday's 3-2 win over the Rangers, the third straight for Phoenix, Tippett was asked again about Sunday's game in Dallas.

"There's lots of family and friends. My daughter still lives there. It will be good to see her. I haven't seen her in a little bit," said Tippett. "Lots of good friends. I was there a long time. Good friends on that hockey team, the players there. It's like everything else, you're good friends off the ice but once the puck drops everybody is for his own team. They've moved on, I've moved on. The friendships will last a lot longer, but it's back to the game now."

For the Stars, they say it's less about Tippett and more about an opportunity to gain ground on a team they are chasing in the Western Conference playoff race. The Coyotes are 32-18-5 and currently rank fourth in the West.

"For him it's extra motivation, first game back at American Airlines Center," Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas said after the team's practice in Frisco. "For us, it's an important game because we are in playoff mode. We are desperate for points and they are a team needing points. They are a team ahead of us in the standings and they are a team we want to catch."

The Stars will be seeing a lot of Tippett and Phoenix in the near future. Dallas has seven games before the Olympic break and three are against the Coyotes, two in Dallas and one in Phoenix.

Still looking for that three-game winning streak

This will be the fifth time this season the Stars have tried to string together three straight wins, something they have been unable to do this season and haven't done since January of last year.

Here's a look at how they've fared this year in following up their two-game winning streaks.

Peters back to AHL

With right wing Jere Lehtinen scheduled to come off injured reserve and return to the lineup Sunday, the Stars have sent center Warren Peters back to the Texas Stars of the AHL.

Coach Marc Crawford will make some adjustments in the lines as a result.

"With Jere coming back we've got the ability to move Toby Petersen into center to play some of those minutes," Crawford said.

Petersen is expected to center a line with Lehtinen and left wing Brian Sutherby.

That could leave the Stars lines looking like this:

Stars/Practice notes

• Alex Auld will start in goal Sunday, according to coach Marc Crawford.

• The Stars practiced before a good sized crowd at the Euless Dr. Pepper StarCenter Saturday afternoon.

• Center Mike Modano had the day off.

• Center Mike Ribeiro, who is recovering from a throat contusion, skated with the team Saturday.