Stars at Predators
While the Nashville Predators have all but fallen out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference, the Dallas Stars are surprisingly in the thick of things. Dallas could move even closer to a postseason berth when it visits Nashville on Friday. The Stars lost their first game after dealing Jaromir Jagr and Derek Roy at the trade deadline but have won three straight to climb within three points of the Detroit Red Wings for eighth place in the West.
Nashville has fallen six points behind Detroit with seven contests remaining thanks to a four-game losing streak during which it scored a total of four goals. The Predators suffered their second 1-0 loss in three games Tuesday, when they fell to Brian Elliott and the St. Louis Blues. Nashville is looking to sweep the three-game season series as it posted a 5-4 overtime victory at home on Feb. 25 and a 4-0 triumph in Dallas on March 12.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Plus Southwest (Dallas), SportSouth (Nashville)
ABOUT THE STARS (19-17-3): Kari Lehtonen practiced briefly on Thursday and is questionable for Friday's contest. Lehtonen, who faced shots for approximately 10 minutes, left Tuesday's 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings with a groin injury. "He's day-to-day and he could be a game player (on Friday)," coach Glen Gulutzan said. "But he is still day-to-day, so we'll see how that plays out." Left wing Lane MacDermid will miss his third straight game with a bruised chest, although he participated in practice. "It's not long-term or anything," Gulutzan said. "He needs to rest it until it is done and healed up. That's probably a week to 10 days."
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (15-18-8): Pekka Rinne tops the NHL in appearances (39) and minutes (2,203:53) and shares the lead with five shutouts. He has started 25 consecutive games and appeared in 29 straight, both second in franchise history to Tomas Vokoun, who made 38 starts in a row from Jan. 16-April 6, 2003. Defenseman Shea Weber's next goal will be his 108th, which will give him sole possession of third place on the franchise list. The captain has collected 22 points in his last 28 games after notching just one in his first 13 contests. Centers Paul Gaustad and Colin Wilson are slated to undergo shoulder surgery while left wing Gabriel Bourque will have a procedure performed on his knee. All three have been shut down for the season.
OVERTIME
1. Rinne has posted a shutout in two of his last three starts against the Stars.
2. Nashville has won each of the last four meetings between the teams.
3. The Predators have been short-handed just once in each of their last three games.
PREDICTION: Stars 3, Predators 1