GAME PREVIEW (1:15 PM CDT)

Two days after coming up a little bit short against unbeaten Colorado, the Dallas Stars (2-3-0) take on another undefeated club. The San Jose Sharks (6-0-0) pay a visit tonight to the American Airlines Center. Game time is at 7:30 p.m. central and the match will be televised locally on Fox Sports Southwest.

This is the first of three meetings between the former Pacific Division rivals. Last season, the Stars took three of four from the Sharks.

STARS OUTLOOK

The Stars played well overall in Tuesday's game in Colorado but paid the price for a couple of defensive breakdowns. Rich Peverley and Cody Eakin (power play) scored for the Stars in a 3-2 regulation loss.

Kari Lehtonen remains unavailable for the Stars. The veteran netminder is still day-to-day with a lower-body injury. On Tuesday, Dan Ellis stopped 23 of 26 shots in a losing cause.

Valeri Nichuskin is expected to be back in the Dallas lineup tonight. Lindy Ruff made the 18-year-old rookie a healthy scratch in Tuesday's game in Colorado. He is slated to play left wing tonight on a line with Shawn Horcoff and Erik Cole.

The Stars may change up defensive pairings tonight. However, they reportedly practiced with the same units that have been used in the previous games this season.

After tonight's game at home, the Stars head back out on the road. They will be in Los Angeles on Saturday and Anaheim on Sunday.

SHARKS OUTLOOK

The Sharks ran their record to 6-0-0 on Tuesday after an impressive but emotionally taxing 6-2 win over previously unbeaten St. Louis. Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski (power play) Tommy Wingels, Scott Hannan, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau (power play) tallied for the Sharks.

Antti Niemi flirted with a shutout for two-plus periods before the Blues solved him twice in the final stanza. The Finn finished with 25 saves on 27 shots.

The win against the Blues was a costly one for San Jose. Veteran defenseman Dan Boyle was taken off the ice on a stretcher and hospitalized after getting drilled from behind by Maxim Lapierre (who is facing a lengthy suspension by the NHL).

Veteran defenseman Brad Stuart is eligible to return for tonight's game. He has finished serving a three-game suspension from the NHL stemming from a controversial hit on New York Rangers star Rick Nash.

PROJECTED LINEUPS (Subject to change)

STARS

14 Jamie Benn - 91 Tyler Seguin - 17 Rich Peverley
13 Ray Whitney -20 Cody Eakin - 12 Alex Chiasson
43 Valeri Nichushkin - 10 Shawn Horcoff - 72 Erik Cole
16 Ryan Garbutt - 38 Vernon Fiddler - 21 Antoine Roussel

4 Brenden Dillon - 3 Stephane Robidas
33 Alex Goligoski - 55 Sergei Gonchar
24 Jordie Benn - 6 Trevor Daley

30 Dan Ellis
[1 Jack Campbell]

Scratches: Lane MacDermid (healthy), Kevin Connauton (healthy), Kari Lehtonen (IR, groin), Aaron Rome (AHL conditioning assigment), Scott Glennie (IR, knee).


SHARKS

Tomas Hertl – Joe Thornton – Brent Burns
Tyler Kennedy – Logan Couture – Patrick Marleau
Matthew Nieto – Joe Pavelski – Tommy Wingels
James Sheppard – Andrew Desjardins – Bracken Kearns

Matt Irwin – Brad Stuart
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Justin Braun
Scott Hannan - Jason Demers

Antti Niemi
[Alex Stalock]

Scratches: Dan Boyle (jaw/upper body), Adam Burish (lower body), Martin Havlat (groin), Raffi Torres (knee).


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