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Stars stick with Seguin-Spezza-Benn line vs. Canucks

Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, Ales Hemsky, Jamie Benn

Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, Ales Hemsky, Jamie Benn

AP

The line of Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza and Jamie Benn went for nine points in Dallas’ OT loss to Philly on Saturday, so no surprise they’re back together tonight when the Stars host Vancouver.

“It’s something I really want to see,” head coach Lindy Ruff explained, per the Dallas Morning-News. “I think that ice-time-wise it fits better for us because it gives Jason the ice time minutes with those top guys.”

Seguin and Spezza did the most damage against the Flyers, scoring four points each, but it’s Benn who’ll be in the spotlight tonight. The British Columbia native has a habit of roasting the Canucks, going for 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his last seven games.

So... how will Vancouver adjust?

That’s an equally compelling storyline, given the club’s ties to Dallas. Ex-AHL Texas bench boss Willie Desjardins -- who led the Stars to the Calder Cup last season -- has the Canucks off to a 3-1-0 start to the year and his assistant, Glen Gulutzan, was the head coach in Dallas for two seasons before moving north.

Will Desjardins match his top line of Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Radim Vrbata against the Seguin-Spezza-Benn unit? The group struggled Saturday in its first big head-to-head line match of the season, getting burned by the Tampa Bay trio of Steve Stamkos, Ryan Callahan and Ondrej Palat:

The Bolts’ top line finished with seven points in the 4-2 win (the Sedins and Vrbata went for just one) and, afterward, Henrik lamented the performance.

“I thought we gave this game away,” he said, per the Globe and Mail. We showed on a back-to-back night we can play the best teams. I thought we could have won the game.

“I cost us the first goal and then we gave them the second goal as well.”