PREVIEW 6:45 AM CST

Renewing one of the NHL's more underrated rivalries, the Dallas Stars (9-8-1) head to Music City tonight for a clash with the Nashville Predators (8-6-5). The game starts at 7:00 p.m. CST and will be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network.

This is the first of three meetings between the teams this season, and the first of two in Nashville. Last year, the teams evenly split the four-game season series (which has been the outcome of every season series from 2008-09 onward).

The Stars have been in a good offensive groove of late, despite power play issues. The team has scored three or more goals in each of the last nine games. Keeping the puck out of their own net has been a little trickier since Kari Lehtonen went down, but the team is coming off 3-1 win against San Jose in which goaltender Cristopher Nilstorp turned in a strong performance in goal.

Jamie is coming off a Gordie Howe Hat Trick in Saturday's 3-1 win over San Jose. The Stars' top line center has six goals and 12 points in his last nine games.

Nashville has had the opposite issue. They usually keep the score low but have had problems scoring goals. The Predators enter tonight's game with losses in four of their last five matches (1-3-1). Recently, they were shut out in succession by the Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings.

On the injury front, the Stars remain without Lehtonen (groin) and Ray Whitney (foot). Philip Larsen (head) and Aaron Rome (foot) went down in the San Jose game. However, Trevor Daley (neck) has returned to practice and is expected to play tonight after missing two games. For the Predators, Paul Gaustad (upper body) is questionable.

The Stars have recalled top defensive prospect Jamie Oleksiak for his second stint with the big club. He'll step in for one of the injured defenseman tonight.


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
43 Jamie Oleksiak - 33 Alex Goligoski
58 Jordie Benn - 6 Trevor Daley

41 Cristopher Nilstorp
[31 Richard Bachman]


PREDATORS (per Dailyfaceoff.com)

57 Gabriel Bourque - 12 Mike Fisher - 27 Patric Hornqvist
33 Colin Wilson - 11 David Legwand - 10 Martin Erat
74 Sergei Kostitsyn - 15 Craig Smith - 24 Matt Halischuk
16 Richard Clune - 13 Nick Spaling - [7 Jonathon Blum]

59 Roman Josi - 6 Shea Weber
22 Scott Hannan - 8 Kevin Klein
75 Hal Gill - 4 Ryan Ellis

35 Pekka Rinne
[30 Chris Mason]

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