Dallas Stars Skid Into Matchup With Predators On Fumes

The Dallas Stars playoff hopes took a severe if not mortal shot to their playoff hopes Friday night, but will look for a win when they meet up with the Nashville Predators on Saturday night. This will be the fourth of five meetings between the two teams, with the final one coming in a week on the final day of the NHL season. The Predators have won all three games against the Stars this season and will look to continue the trend. Tonight’s game will be broadcasted on Fox Sports Southwest Plus (FSSW+), and you can also hear it on 1310AM/96.7FM The Ticket. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM CST from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN.

Records and Scores

The Dallas Stars have seen much better days, and have all but eliminated themselves from the Western Conference wild card race. They currently hoist a record of 37-31-10 with 84 points, good enough for a tie for sixth place in the Central Division and a tie for last in the wild card race among teams mathematically still in. It’s all but over at this point, but next season looks to be brighter than ever. They sit six points out of the final wild card spot with a game out of hand and only four contests remaining. Their most recent game came as a 7-5 upsetting and demoralizing loss to the St. Louis Blues on Friday night. They are 2-3-0 in their last five games.

The Nashville Predators will look to continue their hot push to the playoffs against a lost Dallas team. The Predators are 47-22-9 this season with 103 points, their best record in what seems like ages. They currently hold the first place lead in the Central Division, and clenched a playoff spot a couple of days back. The Predators most recent game came as a 5-4 SO loss to the Vancouver Canucks back on Tuesday night. They are 3-1-1 in their last five contests.

Storylines

The shining Stars have lost their spark

The Dallas Stars had a large amount of hope of making a playoff run just two weeks ago. Even a week ago the hope was nowhere near dead. But after two home losses that came with a combined 12 goals given up, those hopes have been extinguished. It was a fun season and a fun adventure over the past few weeks, but it was a tough way to go down, especially regarding the fight and tenacity the team showed down the stretch, giving all they had on every shift. A new offseason gives a chance for a clean slate and something to look forward to in the coming year, but this one is all but packed up. Time to enjoy the final four games of the Dallas Stars 2014-2015 campaign with joy and excitement before the offseason hits.

Will the Predators take the Presidents Trophy?

The Nashville Predators have experienced a complete 180 of the Stars season. Instead of going from good to average, they went from average to amazing. With the offseason moves and draft picks aligning glamorously, the Predators sit atop the Central Division with a lot of confidence. That confidence may end up leading them to 1st place in the entire NHL, ultimately snagging the President’s Trophy for the best record in the season. They will need the New York Rangers to drop a contest or two, but they could definitely make a strong run at it before the postseason starts. But the top three in the Central are tight, so the Predators will also be battling for home ice advantage once the postseason rolls around.

Injury report

The Dallas Stars will have D Jordie Benn (back) and F Shawn Horcoff along for the trip as most likely game time decisions. F Rich Peverley (heart) remains on non-playing IR.

The Nashville Predators will be without D Shea Weber (lower body), F Paul Gaustad (upper body), and F Eric Nystrom (lower body).

Projected lines

Dallas Stars

Jamie Benn – Cody Eakin – Tyler Seguin

Patrick Eaves – Jason Spezza – Ales Hemsky

Antoine Roussel – Cody Eakin – Ryan Garbutt

Travis Moen – Shawn Horcoff – Colton Sceviour

Alex Goligoski – John Klingberg

Trevor Daley – Patrik Nemeth

Jyrki Jokipakka – Jason Demers

Jhonas Enroth

Kari Lehtonen

Nashville Predators

Filip Forsberg – Mike Ribiero – James Neal

Colin Wilson – Mike Fisher – Craig Smith

Taylor Beck – Matt Cullen – Viktor Stalberg

Gabriel Bourque – Calle Jarnkrok – Mike Santorelli

Roman Josi – Seth Jones

Mattias Ekholm – Cody Franson

Ryan Ellis – Anton Volchenkov

Pekka Rinne

Carter Hutton

Prediction

Factoring in the back-to-back and the deflation of playoff hopes, the Nashville Predators will throttle the Dallas Stars 4-1 tonight.

Next: Is Kari Lehtonen To Blame For Killing Playoff Hopes?: POLL

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