On that memorable night, the Bruins and Stars engaged in three fights in the game’s first four seconds. The final tally showed 91 combined penalty minutes in the Bruins’ 6-3 win.

 

Good water-cooler talk, yes, but the beginning of the Stars’ problems, no.

 

Turn the calendar back two weeks earlier and Dallas has gone 2-8-1 since Jan. 21 – a streak that has seen the Stars fall from the top of the Pacific Division (and three points behind Vancouver for the top spot in the Western Conference) to a tie with Los Angeles and Anaheim at the bottom of an impossibly tight division.

 

The reason?

 

“Injuries and bad play,” head coach Marc Crawford told the Vancouver Sun. “Not a real good combination.”

 

The Stars aren’t out of it, but they are losing ground at the wrong time. It’s not just that the rest of the division, or the top of the Western Conference, is streaking. The specter of the Feb. 28 trade deadline has given steam to the idea of trading top-line center Brad Richards, an elite player who would command a treasure trove of prospects and draft picks in return. It’s an idea that the group of lenders currently running the team could push for as a viable cost-cutting measure.

 

Richards, whose contract expires at the end of the season, has not played since suffering a concussion in Columbus on Sunday. The Stars’ play in the meantime, including a 4-1 loss to the lowly Edmonton Oilers, has only reinforced the fact that the 30-year-old center is the engine that makes his team go.

 

Without Richards, the lineup is perilously thin down the middle. Mike Ribeiro becomes the number one center, Steve Ott the number two and, presently, Jason Williams the number three.

 

Which brings that Feb. 3 game back into focus.

 

Maybe if forwards Krys Barch (broken orbital bone, scratched cornea), Raymond Sawada (separated shoulder) and Adam Burish (orbital bone) weren’t all injured in the Boston brawlfest – none have returned to the lineup since – Crawford could focus more on the “bad play” portion of the equation. Not to be overlooked, skilled winger Jamie Benn hasn’t played since suffering a shoulder injury on Jan. 24.

 

Appropriately, the Stars return tonight to Vancouver’s Rogers Arena, the same place their 2-8-1 streak began, to try and exorcise their demons.

 

Good water-cooler talk? Yes.

 

The end of the Stars’ problems? Probably not.

Coyotes G Ilya Bryzgalov was named the NHL’s third star of the week Monday. Bryzgalov posted a 3-0-0 record, 1.29 goals-against average, .948 save percentage and one shutout. … The Coyotes placed D Ed Jovanovski on injured reserve Friday. Jovanovski suffered an upper-body injury late in the second period of Thursday’s 4-3 win over the Atlanta Thrashers. … Friday was a busy day for the Sharks, headlined by the acquisition of D Ian White from Carolina for a second-round pick in 2012. White, 27, has played in 50 games this season with Calgary and Carolina, posting a combined 16 points (two goals, 14 assists) and 18 penalty minutes. … In a separate trade earlier in the day, the Sharks dealt D Derek Joslin to Carolina for “future considerations.” Joslin had a goal, three assists and eight penalty minutes in 17 games. … The Sharks also recalled F Benn Ferriero and D Matt Irwin from AHL affiliate Worcester on Friday. … Anaheim made three trades this week: D Paul Mara was traded to Montreal for a fifth-round pick in the 2012 draft, Aaron Voros was traded to Toronto for a seventh-round pick in the 2011 draft, and Jarkko Ruutu arrived from Ottawa in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2011 draft. … The Ducks placed Jonas Hiller on IR for the second time this month Wednesday after the goalie had a recurrence of light-headedness in practice Tuesday. … The Kings are facing a shootout goalie dilemma. Jonathan Quick improved to 7-0 in the skills competition this season by beating Columbus 4-3 on Wednesday. Backup Jonathan Bernier fell to 0-2 the next night in a 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers. … On the plus side? The shootout loss gave Los Angeles points in 11 straight games, tying a franchise record set in 1974. … Entering tonight’s game against the New York Islanders, D Drew Doughty has two goals in his last three games and four in his last seven. … The Kings raised season-ticket prices for next season.

 

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