The first meeting of the season was a heart breaker for the Predators, so the Stars must ready for Nashville to come out swinging.
Both the Stars and the Predators are coming off of losses - Dallas, a frustrating blown lead to the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville, a disappointing 6-3 loss to the Calgary Flames.
Aside from wanting to bounce back after a loss, Nashville will be ready to redeem themselves after the game just before Christmas against Dallas. The Predators went from winning the game in regulation to losing in regulation in the final 15 seconds.
On the other hand, the Stars look to end a two game skid. A missed shot at an empty net by Radek Faksa resulted in the Avalanche tying the game up with a little over a minute left in regulation. The Stars would go on to lose for the fifth time in overtime this season.
What to watch for:
- Matt Duchene's old team visits his new home. In his first time back in Nashville, he did not record a point. Duchene's line has been one of Dallas' best lines, and Nashville will be hard pressed to keep them off the score sheet for a second game in a row.
- Wyatt Johnston snapped a 16 game drought when he scored against the Montreal Canadiens. Although he did not score against the Avalanche, he had two shots on goal and five more attempts. Johnston has been knocking on the door for quite some time, and once these pucks start going in he could be due for a hot streak.
- With Miro Heiskanen's absence, look for Thomas Harley and Ryan Suter to shoulder the extra minutes that now need to be covered. Nils Lundkvist will slot in and will have to be trusted to hold his own. The unexpected loss of Heiskanen could finally be the time to shine for the oft scratched Lundkvist.
- Also with Heiskanen's absence, the top power-play unit will play with five forwards, with Roope Hintz playing at the point.
Projected lines:
Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski
Marchment-Duchene-Seguin
Benn-Johnston-Dadonov
Steel-Faksa-Smith
Suter-Lundkvist
Lindell-Hakanpaa
Harley-Hanley
Wedgewood
Murray
In the last game, there was no score until the second period where Nashville went up 2-0. The Stars need to break the habit of allowing multiple goals before getting on the scoreboard themselves.
Dallas will likely see Juuse Saros, who is having an uncharacteristic year with the struggling Nashville defense. Saros currently has a .901% save percentage which is down significantly compared to his career average of .918%.
But in the off chance the Stars see Kevin Lankinen, he also has a save percentage of .901%. Lankinen hasn't started since December 19th, but did come into the game against Calgary and stop 14 of 15 shots.
Scott Wedgewood will make his 10th start in a row. Jake Oettinger took shots from players this morning at optional skate, indicating he is getting closer to his return.
Puck drop is at 7 p.m. CST and can be seen on Bally Sports Southwest.
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