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The Portland Timbers might be the more desperate team. The Minnesota United could be the more fatigued team. The clubs meet Saturday night at Saint Paul, Minn. Following Saturday’s match, Portland (2-4-1, 7 points) travels to San Diego and Salt Lake. The Timbers are 0-3-0 in road matches. “It’s a group of fixtures we have to pick up points,” coach Phil Neville said. “We have to develop a different type of mentality. We’re going to have to dig in. We’re going to have to get victories. We’re going to have to get results.” Portland became the first team this season to score on LAFC in last week’s 2-1 victory. That might be a spark that can lead to more consistent

FC Dallas, with Santiago Moreno’s arrival this year adding to an already potent attack led by Petar Musa, will try to keep their early-season form going Saturday night when they continue a homestand against the Los Angeles Galaxy in Frisco, Texas. Moreno enjoyed 4 1/2 good years in Portland, scoring 20 goals and adding 40 assists in 131 fixtures for the Timbers. But a high-profile transfer to Brazilian side Fluminense resulted in Moreno logging just 18 minutes total. Fluminense loaned Moreno to Dallas for the season’s balance with an option to make it permanent at year’s end. He believes he can help Dallas (3-1-3, 12 points) become a contender in MLS’ Western Conference. “The few times I’ve been able to

The Carolina Hurricanes worked all season to secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and now they turn their attention to the next phase of the season on Saturday afternoon. They’ll welcome the Ottawa Senators for the opener of the first-round series in Raleigh, N.C. “We’ve been eager for this for a long time,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Once we knew it was official, and we were in a pretty good spot all year, we’ve got to turn the page now. It goes to being a sprint. We know the season’s a marathon, and now all of a sudden you’ve got to be ready right from the get-go and put your best foot forward.” The Senators hold the

The Dallas Stars are entering the Stanley Cup Playoffs on a different path this season. When they host the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of their first-round series on Saturday, the Stars will be riding a five-game winning streak. A year ago, Dallas entered the playoffs on a season-long seven-game skid, but then went on to reach the Western Conference finals. “Last year, we were comfortable and confident going into the playoffs, but it is nice going in winning,” Dallas forward Sam Steel said. “There are less questions.” The Stars are also as healthy as they’ve been in a while. They are still without forwards Tyler Seguin and Roope Hintz, but defenseman Miro Heiskanen returned to practice on Friday after