Dallas Stars: Examining Their First Round Matchup Against Predators

The first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs pits the Dallas Stars against the Nashville Predators. But before game one starts on Wednesday night, let’s take a look at how these two teams size up against each other.

“The fun begins now.” That was the message that Dallas Stars head coach Jim Montgomery told the media on Saturday night following his team’s 3-0 win over the Minnesota Wild. And he’s right.

Following some final decisions regarding the seeding on Saturday night, the bracket was set for the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. And while 15 teams will now enter into an early offseason, 16 teams will start the trek to the Stanley Cup Final.

For the Dallas Stars (43-32-7), that involves a path littered with the top teams in the Central division. After winning their final game of the 2018-19 regular season and pushing their point total to 93, the Stars secured the top wild card spot and punched their ticket to the Central section of the Western Conference bracket.

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It also guaranteed them a round one matchup against the Nashville Predators (47-29-6), who clinched their second consecutive Central division title on Saturday night.

And that’s where the fun comes into play.

The Stars and Predators are no strangers to each other. The two teams have been battling it out 4-5 times every year since the 2013-14 season when the NHL realigned. Those meetings have included some close contests, some blowouts, and the needed ingredients to begin brewing a rivalry.

There have been fights and there have been brawls. The fanbases aren’t fond of each other and have made that clear, especially in the recent past. And as both teams continue trying to thrive in their “nontraditional markets,” the bad blood continues to brew between the two southern clubs.

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That mutual dislike also helped set a grand stage for the 2020 Winter Classic, which will be played between the Stars and Predators on Jan. 1, 2020 at the Cotton Bowl. It’s already become one of the most entertaining Central division rivalries to follow and will get the chance to play out on one of the NHL’s biggest stages midway through next season.

This opening round playoff series should simply add more fuel to the fire.

But what will this rivalry look like when it plays out on the ice? Which team holds the advantage in each major category? Which players could make the biggest impacts? What kind of weight do the results of the season series carry into the postseason series?

A lot of questions are lingering around what could become the most entertaining series in the first round of the playoffs. There’s just as much reason to believe that the Predators handle the Stars and advance as there is that Dallas stumps Nashville and carves their path to round two.

That might have you feeling uncertain about which team should be the favorite in this series. Sure, Vegas is giving the Predators the better odds; but the Stars seem to have a pretty good shot at doing some serious damage as an underdog.

The battle begins on Wednesday night. But before we get there, let’s do a full-scale comparison of both franchises based on their 2018-19 regular season efforts. Maybe it will help you craft a more confident outlook on who will emerge victorious in the series. Then again, maybe not.