Pregame Notes (Game 34): Stars Look To Bounce Back Against Blackhawks

Coming off of a 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues, the Dallas Stars (20-9-4) look to bounce back against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks (11-22-1). 

The Stars fired 40 shots at Blues goaltender Joel Hofer but only got one goal past the 23-year-old Canadian. Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz connected on the lone goal for the Stars and are each riding four-game point streaks.

The Blackhawks are coming off an emotional 2-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets, where Bedard played the hero. Bedard scored two goals, including an end-to-end rush in overtime, where he showed off his world-class release. 

The Stars power play was silent again and is now 0/14 in the last five games. Head coach Peter DeBoer had this to say about the current state of the power play.

"Well, it's a little bit cold the last few games," DeBoer said. "You're going to have ebbs and flows to that. We've talked about that. It's won us a few games over the last two months, too, so we've just got to find our mojo again."

On the flip side, the Stars penalty kill has been outstanding, ranking second in the league. The Blackhawks' penalty kill ranks 27th in the league, killing just 75.2% of their penalties and giving the Stars an opportunity to get their power play back on track. 

The Stars play their third consecutive game against a central division opponent and sit in third place in the division. This is the first time these two teams have met this season. 

Nils Lundkvist will replace Joel Hanley in the lineup tonight. This will be Lundkvist's first game since December 16th. 

Stars projected lines:

Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski
Marchment-Duchene-Seguin
Benn-Johnston-Dadonov
Steel-Faksa-Smith

Suter-Heiskanen
Lindell-Hakanpaa
Harley-Lundkvist

Wedgewood
Murray

Puck drop is at 7 p.m. CST and can be seen on Bally Sports Southwest or NHL Network.

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

Pregame Notes (Game 33): Stars Look To Extend Winstreak To Four Against Blues

CHRISTMAS MIRACLE ON BROADWAY: Stars Beat Predators 3-2 In Dramatic Fashion

Former Stars Favourite Joins Team Canada

Stars D-man Thomas Harley Joins Quinn Hughes & Rasmus Dahlin Atop Leaderboards