Dallas Stars Look To Gain Ground In Central Division Tonight vs. Nashville
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars will go up against the Central-leading Nashville Predators tonight in their final game before Christmas break. There’s bound to be plenty of fireworks as Dallas searches for its first win of the year against the Preds.
One year ago today, the Dallas Stars entered Christmas break on an extremely high note. They welcomed an impressive Los Angeles Kings team to town in hopes of getting one more win and helping boost them closer to a playoff spot.
The Stars ended the game in dramatic fashion, with Esa Lindell scoring an overtime goal to claim the 3-2 win.
It will be interesting to see if the Stars have some more of that holiday magic up their sleeve tonight. The Stars will go up against the Nashville Predators tonight at the American Airlines Center in the final game for both teams before the three-day holiday break.
This game couldn’t mean much more for the Dallas Stars. At a record of 19-14-3 with 41 points, they currently own the first wild card spot and are only five points out of the top spot in the Central, which is currently owned by Nashville.
Dallas Stars
The only problem is, the Stars have yet to beat Nashville in two meetings this season. In the past two matchups, the Predators have outscored the Stars 9-3.
“For starters, they have really good defensemen,” said Stars defenseman John Klingberg about Nashville’s strengths. “They can join in the rush and play defense, too. So, their defense is a really big part of their team.”
If Dallas is expecting to come away with a win, they will need their offense clicking.
“Just having the confidence in all four of our lines to score the dirty goal,” said Stars forward Devin Shore after morning skate. “Not many goals these days are pretty, so getting to that goal mouth area and cashing in on second or third opportunities because the first one isn’t going in too often.”
The Stars are in a good position to pick up a win tonight against their Central Division foe. Dallas is coming off of a confident and powerful 4-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night.
In the game, the Stars did a lot of good things. They made the most of every scoring opportunity, finishing the night with an 18.18 percent shooting percentage. They took advantage of power plays and stayed away from the penalty box, only taking one minor on the night. Ben Bishop stood tall and had a confident defensive group in front of him that limited opportunities. The Stars are hoping that the win on Thursday will help prepare them for tonight’s game.
“Yeah, last game was a division game and so is this one,” Shore said. “I think you try and approach every game in the same way, but obviously these four-point games in the division are really important. Chicago is a great team, too, so you just have to keep that intensity level high and respect your opponent but also believe in your team’s ability to get the job done.”
More From Blackout Dallas: Will Dallas or Nashville Win The Central Division?
Nashville is coming in on a bit of an unusual note for their 2017-18 season tonight. The team has only lost nine games in regulation this season, but have done so in their last two contests. The Predators, known for their stout defense and depth on offense, have given up ten goals in the past two games and only mustered up five.
Nashville Predators
But with a two-game losing skid, you can expect Nashville to look for a big bounce back tonight in Dallas.
“Every time we play them, we have to bring our A-game because we know they’re going to,” said Stars defenseman Greg Pateryn. “These games are huge. They are four-point games every night in this division. It’s the last one before the break here and I think everyone has the energy in them to go tonight, so I think that will be key also.”
The Predators are flying high this season with a 21-9-4 record. Their defense is one of the best in the league, their goaltending tandem of Pekka Rinne and Juuse Saros are both capable options against the Stars (as we’ve seen this season), and their offense is filled with playmakers, including Kevin Fiala who is riding a nine-game point streak.
The Dallas Stars have not fared well against Nashville this season, losing 4-1 and 5-2 in their first two meetings. The Preds have made easy work of the Stars, and the team is looking to change that tonight.
Though the Predators currently lead the Central Division with 46 points and are considered one of the best teams in the NHL at the moment, the Stars are keeping pace. Dallas sits just five points behind Nashville for the division lead, so a win in regulation could really boost them towards the top.
“It’s a logjam in the whole league and in our division especially,” said Devin Shore. “The break is coming up, so we just got to have the mentality to empty the tank and make sure our effort and compete level is where it needs to be.”
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This is the second straight game against a Central Division opponent for the Stars. While Dallas is 5-8-0 against the division and has won four of their past six against the Central, they struggle with the top dogs. They are a combined 0-6-0 this season against the Predators, Blues, and Jets, who sit in the top three spots in the division.
Dallas will play two more games against Central Division teams immediately after the break, giving them four chances in a row to make an impact and charge them up in the standings. They started it on a bright note by beating the Hawks in a dominant fashion.
But it will be interesting to see if the Stars can translate that success over tonight against one of their biggest weaknesses this season.
The Dallas Stars have yet another golden (heheh, get it?) opportunity in front of them tonight. This team has grown and developed with each passing game, and maybe now they are prepared to finally outdo the Predators.
“I think we’re a lot better team than even played them the last time, and that was three weeks ago,” said Stars head coach Ken Hitchcock. “I think we’re a better team and we’re going to find out.”
Next: Can You Imagine A Stars-Blackhawks Playoff Series?
We sure will. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. tonight from the American Airlines Center. There’s a lot on the line for both teams just before the break settles in. You definitely won’t want to miss this one.