Stars at Predators
The Nashville Predators have been steamrolling through their schedule of late and look to keep moving forward when they begin a four-game homestand Tuesday against the Central Division-rival Dallas Stars. Nashville is hoping to set a franchise record with its ninth straight victory and move ahead of Tampa Bay, which it trails by one point in the race for the Presidents' Trophy with a game in hand.
The Predators, who have won eight in a row for the first time since Oct. 5-25, 2005, concluded a four-game road trip Sunday with a 4-3 overtime triumph at Colorado in which Filip Forsberg scored 1:07 into the extra session. Viktor Arvidsson helped set up the tally, giving him seven points (two goals) during his four-game streak. Dallas inched closer to third place in the Central on Monday, climbing within one point of Minnesota after dropping a 3-2 overtime decision to Ottawa. Tyler Seguin scored both goals in the setback, tying the game with 1:08 left in the third period to give him seven tallies and four assists during his six-game point streak.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Southwest Plus (Dallas), FS Tennessee (Nashville)
ABOUT THE STARS (37-23-6): Seguin leads the team with 62 points and 36 goals, which is one shy of the career high he set in 2013-14 and matched the following season. Dallas was without Radek Faksa on Monday as the Czech center was sidelined with a foot injury. Esa Lindell also missed the contest because of an illness, allowing defenseman Julius Honka to get into the lineup for the first time since Feb. 11.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (42-14-9): Ryan Ellis made the history books Sunday, joining Andy Sutton (Atlanta, 2003-04) as the only NHL defensemen to score a tying goal in the final three minutes of regulation in back-to-back team games. The 27-year-old Ellis also has set up a total of three tallies to give him five points in his last two contests. Blue-liner Roman Josi, who collected 12 points over a five-game span from Feb. 19-27, has missed the last two contests due to an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day.
OVERTIME
1. Predators C Mike Fisher did not play Sunday after recording a goal and a plus-2 rating at Vancouver two days earlier in his return from retirement.
2. Dallas recalled LW Roope Hintz from Texas on Monday but assigned him back to the American Hockey League club prior to the game against Ottawa.
3. Nashville RW Craig Smith, who has been a healthy scratch for the last two contests, is one game away from the 500th of his NHL career.