Looking to shake off a 6-2 thumping on Tuesday at the hands of Chicago, the Dallas Stars (14-10-5) are in Music City tonight to take on the Nashville Predators (14-14-3). Game time is 7:00 p.m. CST. The match will be televised locally on Fox Sports Southwest.
This is the first of five meetings between the southern clubs this season. In three games last year, the Stars gained three of a possible six points (1-1-1).
Tonight's game marks the beginning of a four-in-six stretch for the Stars,with the first three being played on the road. The Stars have actually been a better road club than they've played at home this season. Dallas has gone 7-1-1 over its last nine road matches. Meanwhile, the Preds have also struggled at home of late, winning just one of their last six games in Nashville.
The Stars are going to need to improve their record in games within the Central Division. They bring a 2-5-3 divisional record into tonight's game. Dallas will get plenty of opportunities to better that mark, as each of the next four games will be played against divisional rivals.
Tonight's game also marks a battle between two clubs that have had a miserable time on the power play. The Stars come into tonight ranked dead last among the NHL's 30 teams. Nashville is also mired in a lengthy drought on the man advantage, notching just one goal in 21 tries over their last nine games.
However, Nashville comes into this game with a bit of confidence from their last outing. The Preds ended a five-game winless streak on Tuesday, notching a 4-1 road win over the New York Rangers. The line of ak with a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden Tuesday.
On the Dallas injury front, shutdown forward Vernon Fiddler (upper body) is out along with the long-term absences to defensemen Stephane Robidas (fractured right leg) and Trevor Daley (high ankle sprain). For Nashville, goalie Pekka Rinne (hip surgery) and promising young forward Filip Forsberg (upper body injury) are unavailable.
*********
KINDLE USERS: Please subscribe to Stars Buzz; a one-stop feed for all things Dallas Stars-related at HockeyBuzz. Content is automatically updated whenever a new blog is published. For more information, click here.