Stars 3, Predators 2
DALLAS -- Jason Spezza scored his seventh career hat trick and Antti Niemi stopped 28 of 30 shots for the Dallas Stars in a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night at American Airlines Center.
Dallas (50-23-9), which has won nine of its last 11 games (9-2-0), clinched the top spot in the Western Conference and the Central Division title. It is the Stars' first time finishing atop the West since 2002-03 and first division title since 2005-06 when they won the Pacific Division.
The Stars will open the playoffs on Thursday in Dallas.
Spezza scored twice in the second period and then delivered the winner with 1:00 remaining in regulation. He beat Predators goaltender Carter Hutton, who stopped 21 of 24 shots, top shelf to his right side with a wrist shot from the right point.
The play was reviewed to determine if Spezza had received the puck from an offside position, but the goal was deemed valid.
Nashville (41-27-14) got goals from Ryan Ellis and Calle Jarnkrok. The Predators, the first wild card in the West, will face the Pacific champion, either the Anaheim Ducks or the Los Angeles Kings, in the first round of the playoffs.
Nashville wasted little time taking its first lead, drawing first blood when Ryan Ellis scored his 10th goal of the season 19 seconds into the game. Ellis' goal, which was unassisted, came from a blistering slap shot from the right circle that beat Stars goaltender Niemi top shelf to his short side.
Ellis established a career high in goals.
Nashville led 1-0 after 20 minutes and outshot Dallas 15-6 in the first period.
The Predators doubled their lead 8:23 into the second period when Jarnkrok scored his 16th goal of the season during a five-on-three power play. Filip Forsberg's slap shot hit the right goal post with the puck then deflecting off an official.
Stars defenseman Jason Demers attempted to clear the puck off the carom near the far post but whiffed on the play. Jarnkrok quickly gained possession and scored to make it 2-0.
Nashville had the two-man advantage thanks to a hooking call on Cody Eakin at 6:19 of the second period and another hooking call on Alex Goligoski 31 seconds later at 6:50.
Spezza scored the next two goals for Dallas to tie the score at 2. His first, his 31st of the season, came at 10:46 of the second period on a slap shot from the right circle that beat Hutton far post.
Spezza then delivered a power-play goal with 6:55 remaining in the second period, knocking a deflection to the ice with his left glove before scoring his 32nd goal of the season and 300th of his career.
NOTES: The Predators scratched LW Gabriel Bourque (upper body), C Mike Fisher, D Roman Josi, C Mike Ribeiro, G Pekka Rinne, RW Miikka Salomaki (undisclosed) and D Shea Weber. Fisher, Josi, Ribeiro, Rinne and Weber did not travel to Dallas in order to rest before the playoffs. ... The Stars scratched D Jordie Benn, C Mattias Janmark (upper body), D Patrik Nemeth, D Jamie Oleksiak, RW Brett Ritchie (lower body) and C Tyler Seguin (Achilles). ... Nashville recalled D Corey Potter and G Marek Mazanec from AHL Milwaukee on Saturday morning. Potter saw his first NHL action of the season and Mazanec backed up starting G Carter Hutton. ... Stars D Jason Demers played for the first time since suffering a shoulder injury on March 8 at Montreal. He missed 13 games. ... Predators D Mattias Ekholm, LW Filip Forsberg, RW James Neal and RW Craig Smith appeared in their 82nd game of the season.