PREVIEW 9:00 AM CDT

If they are to be in the playoff fight rather than playing the spoiler role in the final two games of the season, the Dallas Stars (22-19-4) must find a way to come up with a road win tonight against the San Jose Sharks (24-14-7). The game starts at 9:00 p.m. CDT and will be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network.

This is the fourth and final meeting between the teams this season, and the second in San Jose. The Stars have won each of the first three games but all have been up grabs until the end.

On Feb 23 in Dallas, the Stars downed the Sharks by a 3-1 count. A late third-period goal (not an empty netter) by Jamie Benn goal provided the insurance marker. On April 7 in San Jose, the Stars erased a pair of two-goal deficits to win via shootout, 5-4. On April 13 at the American Airlines Center, Alex Chiasson scored his third goal in two games against the Sharks to provide the winning goal in a 2-1 Dallas victory.

On Sunday, the Stars clung onto their increasingly tenuous playoff hopes with a 4-3 overtime loss in Los Angeles. This is the team's situation: If they win all three of their remaining games in regulation -- tonight, at home eighth-place Columbus on Thursday and Saturday at home against ninth-place Detroit -- they will be in the playoffs. An overtime win tonight would not change the scenario, either. The Stars cannot afford another regulation loss or one-point outcome.

The Stars showed resilience in coming back from a 2-0 deficit in Los Angeles, and briefly took a 3-2 lead in the third period. However, they were outplayed by the Kings for the majority of the game and were rather fortunate that a controversial rebound goal by Antoine Roussel was allowed to stand after the puck had been played with a high stick a moment earlier by Ryan Garbutt.

The Sharks can clinch a playoff spot with a win tonight. Overall, the team is 6-3-1 in its last 10 games. San Jose is coming off a 4-3 loss in regulation to Columbus after rallying back from deficits of 2-0 and 3-2. Martin Havlat, Andrew Desjardins and Joe Pavelski (power play) scored in a losing cause.

On the Dallas injury front, the team is still without Chiasson (shoulder injury). Lane MacDermid's return in the LA game putt Matt Fraser on the scratch list. Trevor Daley has been playing through a lower-body ailment. San Jose should be able to dress a full lineup tonight.


PROJECTED LINEUPS (Subject to change)

STARS

13 Ray Whitney - 14 Jamie Benn - 21 Loui Eriksson
18 Reilly Smith - 20 Cody Eakin - 40 Ryan Garbutt
24 Eric Nystrom - 38 Vernon Fiddler - 72 Erik Cole
28 Lane MacDermid - 23 Tom Wandell - 60 Antoine Roussel

6 Trevor Daley- 3 Stephane Robidas
4 Brenden Dillon - 33 Alex Goligoski
27 Aaron Rome - 36 Philip Larsen

32 Kari Lehtonen
[31 Richard Bachman]


SHARKS (per Dailyfaceoff.com)

12 Patrick Marleau - 39 Logan Couture - 9 Martin Havlat
21 T.J. Gagliardi - 19 Joe Thornton - 88 Brent Burns
13 Raffi Torres - 8 Joe Pavelski - 57 Tommy Wingels
10 Andrew Desjardins - 23 Scott Gomez - 37 Adam Burish

52 Matt Irwin - 22 Dan Boyle
7 Brad Stuart - 27 Scott Hannan
44 Marc-Edouard Vlasic - 61 Justin Braun

31 Antti Niemi
[1 Thomas Greiss]

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