PREVIEW 7:30 AM CST

Losing to snap a two-game losing streak and climb back over the .500 mark on the season, the Dallas Stars (8-8-1) host the San Jose Sharks (8-5-3) tonight at the American Airlines Center. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. CST and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Southwest.

This is the first of four meetings between the Pacific Division clubs. They won't see each other again until the final month of the lockout-shortened season, when they'll clash three times in as many weeks. San Jose dominated the season series last year, racking up five regulation wins and 11 of 12 possible points from the six games.

In the first two games of their current homestand, the Stars were unable to hold leads against either the Calgary Flames or Vancouver Canucks and went down to a pair of regulation losses. The Sharks, who won their first seven games of the regular season, have struggled of late. The club is coming off a 2-1 loss to Chicago and has dropped eight of its last 10 games (2-5-3).

Neither Richard Bachman nor Cristopher Nilstorp have looked very good in the absence of Kari Lehtonen (groin), but they have been victimized by poor defensive play in front of them. San Jose has struggled score goals of late, tallying just six in their last six games. With Lehtonen in goal this season, the Stars are 7-2-1. With Bachman or Nilstorp, the club is 1-6-0.

The Stars as a whole have been a good offensive run of late, scoring three or more goals in each of the last eight games. All of the scoring of late has come at even strength, as the Stars are 0-for-12 on the power play in the last three games.

Michael Ryder broke out of an eight-game goal drought in the last game against Vancouver and has produced five points (1G, 4A) over a current four-game point streak. Meanwhile, the Stars would like to get Jaromir Jagr (pointless in last three games) going again. The chances have been there but the points haven't been coming for him. However, linemate Jamie Benn has 10 points in his last eight games.

On the injury front, the Stars remain without Lehtonen (groin, worked out briefly on the ice on Friday), Ray Whitney (foot) and Trevor Daley (neck, skated on his own on Friday). For San Jose, James Sheppard (lower body) is out.


PROJECTED LINEUPS (Subject to change)

STARS

10 Brenden Morrow - 14 Jamie Benn - 68 Jaromir Jagr
21 Loui Eriksson - 11 Derek Roy - 73 Michael Ryder
18 Reilly Smith- 20 Cody Eakin - 60 Antoine Roussel
24 Eric Nystrom - 38 Vernon Fiddler - 40 Ryan Garbutt

4 Brenden Dillon - 3 Stephane Robidas
36 Philip Larsen - 33 Alex Goligoski
58 Jordie Benn - 27 Aaron Rome

41 Cristopher Nilstorp/ 31 Richard Bachman


SHARKS (per Dailyfaceoff.com)

12 Patrick Marleau - 19 Joe Thornton - 8 Joe Pavelski
29 Ryane Clowe - 39 Logan Couture - 9 Martin Havlat
57 Tommy Wingels - 26 Michal Handzus - 46 Tim Kennedy
42 Matt Pelech - 69 Andrew Desjardins - 37 Adam Burish

44 Marc-Edouard Vlasic - 22 Dan Boyle
7 Brad Stuart - 88 Brett Burns
3 Douglas Murray - 61 Justin Braun

31 Antti Niemi
[1 Thomas Greiss]

*******

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