Stars look to end frustrating season on high vs. Avs

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DALLAS — A disappointing season will come to the end for the Dallas Stars on Saturday when they host the Colorado Avalanche in their season finale at American Airlines Center.

With 77 points heading into Saturday, the Stars (33-37-11) are guaranteed to have the second-worst non-lockout shortened season since the franchise moved from Minnesota before the 1993-94 season.

It’s a drastic change from the 2015-16 season when Dallas had the best record in the Western Conference with 109 points and reached the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

“Lots of frustration, but we still have to be pros,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. “They have play, I have to coach. There is a certain way we need to play to be successful and we haven’t done that.”

Saturday’s game will be a showcase for the Stars’ youngest players.

An injury-riddled season got worse in a 7-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Thursday. Justin Dowling left the game after getting hit in the head with a high stick, while Brett Ritchie missed the game with a lower-body injury.

Both players are out on Saturday, and Dallas recalled rookies Mark McNeill and Denis Gurianov from Texas of the American Hockey League on Friday afternoon.

“It’s a chance for young guys to prove himself,” Ruff said. “Whoever it is. This is a chance for them to play well. Like we’ve seen with (Jason) Dickinson.”

McNeill played one game for the Chicago Blackhawks last season and joined the Stars this year in a trade deadline deal for Johnny Oduya. Gurianov was the Stars’ first-round pick in the 2015 NHL draft and has been one of the rare teenagers in the AHL this season.

The 19-year-old Gurianov has 25 points in 54 AHL games and helped Russia win a bronze medal at the World Junior Championship back in December.

Colorado (22-55-3) will be playing its penultimate game of the season and has already locked up the worst record in the NHL. The Avalanche have just 47 points — every other NHL team has at least 69 — and have a minus-110 goal differential.

Colorado has won just two of its past 10 games and still hasn’t won double-digit contests on the road with a 9-29-1 record away from the Pepsi Center.

While this season has been frustrating, rookie Tyson Jost has provided a spark for the future after finishing his collegiate career at the University of North Dakota.

Jost scored his first career NHL goal on Thursday in a 4-3 loss against the Minnesota Wild.

“It was definitely great to get that off my chest, and that was a great play by my linemates to get that pass over,” Jost said after the game. “It’s special. It’s nice, obviously, to be in front of the home crowd. Hopefully there’s going to be many more of those at home and on the road too. I was just disappointed we couldn’t get that win.”