PREVIEW 5:45 AM CST

In their final game before the NHL All-Star break, the struggling Dallas Stars (24-21-2) will take on the suddenly red hot Anaheim Ducks (18-22-7) at the American Airlines Center. The game starts at 7:30 PM CST and will be broadcast locally on Fox Sports Southwest.

The game marks the fourth of six meetings between the teams this season, and the second of three in Dallas. The Stars won the first two games in regulation (3-1 in Anaheim and 5-3 at home) but dropped the most recent match. On Jan. 10, the Stars rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the third period and tied the game on goals by Steve Ott and Alex Goligoski. However, the Ducks responded with three unanswered goals to win, 5-2.

The Stars, who have won just three of their last 10 games and have had major trouble scoring goals, received mixed news on the injury front on recent days. On the positive side, Mike Ribeiro (MCL tear) is ahead of schedule from his originally project post-ASB return to the lineup and should play tonight. On the down side, Brenden Morrow (neck) had to be put on injured reserve and is out tonight, along with Jamie Benn (IR, appendectomy).

Texas Stars' rookie power winger Matt Fraser was called up by the big club and will make his NHL debut tonight. He leads Texas in goal scoring and ranks fourth in the AHL. Fraser scores goals both in tight to the net and by moving out a little further and overpowering goalies from the slot and the circle. The rest of his game is a work in progress.

Anaheim enters tonight's game riding an 8-0-1 record in its last nine games after burying itself in the standings in the months before New Years. Bobby Ryan has been especially hot, tallying goals in four of the last five games. On the injury front, the Stars are without goalie Dan Ellis (groin), defenseman Matt Smaby (broken thumb) and right winger Devante Smith-Pelly (foot).

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