After one game at home, the Dallas Stars make a pit stop in Nashville to face the Predators.
The Dallas Stars are back on the road again--for one game.
Following a three-game road trip and brief one-game homestand, Dallas travels to Nashville for a Thursday night matchup against the Predators.
On Tuesday, the Stars won 4-2 over the Carolina Hurricanes, who had won five of their last six coming into the matchup. Four different players scored a goal while goalie Jake Oettinger was exceptional again in net, stopping 31 of 34 Canes shots.
The victory kept Dallas on top of the Central Division, moving their record to 33-14-6 for 72 points.
The Predators also last saw action Tuesday night, falling 4-2 to the New Jersey Devils at home. The loss spoiled a masterful outing by goalie Juuse Saros, who stopped a season-high 43 shots.
Nashville currently sits in fifth place in the Central (27-24-2, 56 points). Thursday's contest with the Stars wraps up a three-game homestand for the Predators before they embark on a five-game road swing.
The meeting concludes a four-game season series between the two clubs, with Dallas posting a 1-2-0 record through the first three. However, the Stars have won each of their last three at Bridgestone Arena, earning at least a point in 12 of their last 14 road games (7-2-5) against the Predators.
The first two games in the series were decided by one goal. Dallas took a 3-2 victory in Nashville December 23,while the Predators returned the favor at American Airlines Arena 4-3. The Stars lost 6-3 at home on January 12.
Dallas holds the edge on the power play at 21.6% compared to 19.5% for Nashville. However, the Predators have scored three goals in their last two outings with the man advantage. Dallas also leads on the penalty-kill unit 81.7% to 76.2%.
Things to Watch For:
- Since returning from his All-Star Game performance in which he led Team Matthews to the mini-tournament championship, goalie Jake Oettinger has been on a roll. In his last three games since the break, Otter is 3-0-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average and .957 save percentage.
- Forward Jason Robertson has 13 points (3-10-13) and a seven-point game streak against the Predators.
- Jani Hakanpää leads the team with two goals in the season series against Nashville, and also has a team-leading 14 hits against the Predators.
- Ryan O'Reilly has 12 power play goals for the Predators so far in 2023-24.
- Predators captain Roman Josi comes into Thursday's game with a four-game point streak (1-6-7).
Projected Lines:
Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski
Marchment-Duchene-Seguin
Benn-Johnston-Dellandrea
Steel-Faksa-Smith
Harley-Heiskanen
Suter-Lundkvist
Lindell-Hakanpaa
Oettinger
Wedgewood
These lines have not been officially confirmed.
Some extra passengers will be making the trip to Nashville. A number of the players' moms flew to Music City with the team as part of a tradition that allows dads to accompany their sons for one trip every other year, while moms get the alternate year.
A watch party for Thursday's game will be held at Sidecar Social in Frisco for fans interested in getting together to root on the Stars.
Puck drop is at 7:00 Pm, and the game can be seen on ESPN+ and Hulu.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Dallas Stars site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
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