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Dallas Stars: Examining Their First Round Matchup Against Predators

By Josh Clark

NASHVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 2: Calle Jarnkrok #19 of the Nashville Predators battles for the puck against John Klingberg #3 and Mattias Janmark #13 of the Dallas Stars at Bridgestone Arena on February 2, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 2: Calle Jarnkrok #19 of the Nashville Predators battles for the puck against John Klingberg #3 and Mattias Janmark #13 of the Dallas Stars at Bridgestone Arena on February 2, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TX – FEBRUARY 19: Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators stops a re-directed puck against Alexander Radulov #47 of the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center on February 19, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Comparing The Special Teams

Special teams have been a bit of an oddity for both the Stars and Predators throughout the 2018-19 regular season.

But, like the offense, that could make them an even bigger factor in the opening round.

The Stars’ Side

Power play percentage: 21.0 percent (11th in NHL)

Penalty kill percentage: 82.8 percent (5th in NHL)

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    • The Dallas Stars turned in another solid year in the special teams department, with both their power play and penalty kill units finishing in the top half of the league rankings.

    The power play served as a thorn of frustration at times, especially during John Klingberg’s absence from the lineup. But when you look at the last month, their success has taken a major step forward.

    In the final 10 games of the regular season, the Dallas power play scored on 10/29 chances. That’s a 34.5 percent success rate. In the final seven games, they were 9/21 (42.9 percent).

    The power play is heating up at the right time of the regular season and is giving the Stars the scoring help that they need using the man advantage.

    Their penalty kill, on the other hand, has been rock solid for the majority of the 2018-19 campaign. They thrive on being able to use a variety of combinations both at forward and on defense and can mix up their attack to properly counter the opposing power play. With a top-five shorthanded unit and a confident goaltender to round it all out, the Dallas PK is one of the best in the NHL.

    The Predators’ Side

    Power play percentage: 12 percent (last place in NHL)

    Penalty kill percentage: 82.1 percent (6th in NHL)

    Unlike the Stars, the Predators struggled on the power play to start the year and never found their way out. As a result, they enter the postseason with the worst power play percentage in the entire NHL at 12 percent.

    It’s been an incredibly rough year on the man advantage for Nashville. Whenever they earn a power play, it’s usually spent losing possession of the puck and trying to set up an offensive zone attack that doesn’t pan out.

    On the other hand, their penalty kill is one of the best in the NHL and sits less than one percentage point behind the Stars. Their confident defenders and goaltenders keep the shorthanded unit going and use composure and proper structure to give up minimal chances when stuck on the kill.

    ADVANTAGE: DALLAS

    The worst power play in the NHL isn’t a title that any playoff team should own, especially one that won the Central division regular season title.

    If this series turns into a special teams battle, it looks as though the Stars will have the upper hand.

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