The Dallas Stars have made their way to Manitoba to play for a massive two points against the Winnipeg Jets. 

The Jets, who are currently first in the league, sit eight points in front of the Stars. For a good portion of the season, it did not look like anyone was going to be able to catch up to the Jets, but the Stars have been closing the gap. Though the Jets currently have eight points on the Dallas, the Stars have two games in hand and play the Jets twice. So, the gap could close very quickly if the Stars play their cards right.

The Stars had four days off after a 4-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks. The little break did the Stars some favors, as Roope Hintz took a puck to the face against the Edmonton Oilers. He has only had to miss the game against Vancouver and tonight against the Jets. Coaching staff is hopeful that he will be available for Sunday's game against the Colorado Avalanche. 

The few days off also gave newest member of the team, Mikko Rantanen, time to settle in after being on his third team in six weeks. Rantanen was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes on the day of the trade deadline for Logan Stankoven and several picks.  Rantanen, who scored in both of his games as a Star, has three points in his last two games. This will be the sixth time Rantanen will face the Jets this season. In that time, he has tallied one goal and one assist. 

This morning, the Stars called up Kyle Capobianco from the Texas Stars. This comes after the announcement yesterday that Lian Bichsel was sick and was questionable to make the trip to Winnipeg. At morning skate head coach Pete DeBoer said Brendan Smith would slot in Bichsel's spot, making Capobianco the seventh defenseman. 

The rest of the lineup should look similar to the game against Vancouver, with some shuffled lines throughout the game depending on what line combination is working. Jake Oettinger will be in net. Oettinger is 6-2-0 against the Jets in his career with a .916%. 

Puck drop is at 7 p.m. CST and can be seen locally on Victory+ and out-of-market on ESPN+.

Make sure you bookmark THN's Dallas Stars site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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