GAME 4 MINI-PREVIEW: STARS @ PREDATORS
Coming off their first win of the 2017-18 season, Ken Hitchcock's Dallas Stars (1-2-0) are in Music City on Thursday to take on Peter Laviolette's Nashville Predators (1-2-0). Game time is 7 p.m. CDT. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest.
This is the first of four meetings this season between the teams, and the first of two in Nashville. Last season, the teams met five times, with the Predators winning three and the Stars two. All decisions were in regulation.
On Tuesday, the Stars doubled up the visiting Detroit Red Wings, 4-2. John Klingberg, Tyler Seguin (power play), Mattias Janmark and Martin Hanzal (empty net) scored for for Dallas. Ben Bishop earned his first win in a Stars uniform, stopping 23 of 25 shots.
The Predators are coming off a wild and controversial 6-5 win on Tuesday in their home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers. Nashville built a 3-0 lead by early in the second period only for Philadelphia to storm back with five goals. After getting back within 5-4, the Predators benefited from a two-minute 5-on-3 (soon 6-on-3) power play late in regulation.
An unsuccessful Philadelphia challenge claiming the tying goal was offside was overturned, creating another 5-on-3 for 36 seconds. As play moved to 5-on-4, Nashville scored again to forge ahead. In the scant remaining time, the Flyers were unable to muster a push to re-tie the game.
Filip Forsberg scored an even strength and the game-winning power play goal for the Predators in the third period and also collected an assist for a three-point game. Former Flyer Scott Hartnell scored a second period even strength goal and the disputed game-tier at 18:48 of the third period and redeemed himself for an undisciplined penalty that proved costly to his own team. Nashville also got goals by Craig Smith and Nick Bonino. Pekka Rinne got the win in goal, stopping 25 of 30 shots.