Gameday Preview: Texas Stars v. San Antonio Rampage

Texas Stars
7-3-0-1, 15 pts
#4 Pacific Division
v.San Antonio Rampage
6-0-4-0, 16 pts
#2 Pacific Division
November 11th at 7:30 PM
Cedar Park Center, Cedar Park, TX

UPDATE: Devin Shore and Patrik Nemeth were assigned to the Texas Stars this morning.

UPDATE 2: G Calvin Pickard has been recalled from San Antonio to Colorado.

Well, it's Jack Campbell time in Cedar Park. The former first round pick will make his season debut for the Texas Stars tonight against the Rampage. After getting injured in the preseason with Dallas, Campbell has been biding his time on the injured reserve, hungry for a chance to prove himself a worthy successor to the NHL throne.

Meanwhile, of course, both Dallas and Texas have been getting solid, if not spectacular at times, goalie play from their existing combos. Antti Niemi, Kari Lehtonen, John Muse and Maxime Lagace all seem pretty well suited to their current spots in the roster shuffle.

So Campbell adds a wrench.

(Credit: Christina Shapiro/Texas Stars)
The team needs a winning goalie. It's pretty clear that the team can score, but so can others in their division. The top 4 teams in the Pacific are averaging 3.36 goals per game. You're going to need a goalie to steal a game. That's what San Antonio got from Calvin Pickard on Saturday. There's no reason that the Rampage should have been in that game after the first period Texas had. Texas knew it and so did San Antonio. Their saving grace was their saving ace: Pickard in net.

If Campbell can't provide that edge and someone like Lagace can, it's going to be tough to get consistent ice time. The show is Campbell's to steal; he's getting ample opportunity to do so.

The Stars will be without Mattias Backman tonight. The defenseman was concussed in the previous game with San Antonio. The perpetrator, Patrick Bordeleau, has been suspended by the league for three games and will miss games against Texas tonight and Sunday.

Stars injury/call up report:
McKenzie, Faksa, Shore (call up)
Backman (concussion)

Website: sarampage.com
Blog (unofficial): Rampage with Tony U.
Blog (unofficial): Runnin' With The Herd
Twitter: @SARampage
Twitter: @DanWeissPBP (play-by-play for SA)

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