Stars at Predators
The Dallas Stars begin a three-game road trip Monday in Nashville against the Predators loaded with confidence after back-to-back victories over the defending Stanley Cup champion and the NHL's top team. Dallas validated a 4-2 victory in Chicago on Thursday and moved into a first-place tie with the Blackhawks in the Central Division after a 4-3 win Saturday over Washington, which leads the league with 84 points.
“Obviously, (Chicago and Washington) are two pretty good teams that we beat so we’re a confident group in here, and we’ve still got a long way to go,” Stars captain Jamie Benn told reporters. “We’re right back on the road here against three more good teams. We’ve just got to find a way to keep this going.” Dallas has won three straight and six of its last seven contests while winning all four road games during that span, and has three games in hand with Chicago. Nashville is fifth in the ultra-competitive Central - 16 points behind Dallas, but enjoys a five-point bulge for the final Western Conference wild card spot after a 5-0 victory in Florida on Saturday. The game features three of the top goal-scorers in the NHL in the Predators' James Neal, who scored his 21st goal Saturday and has reached that number in each of his first eight seasons, and the Stars' Tyler Seguin (30 goals) and Jamie Benn (29), who are third and fourth in the league.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), FSN Tennessee (Nashville)
ABOUT THE STARS (36-15-5): Seguin scored twice Saturday and is fourth in the NHL in points with 62 while Benn snapped a five-game scoring drought by extending his point streak to four games (one goal, four assists) and is tied for second at 63 points with Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson. Seguin was cut on the arm by the skate of Washington's Nicklas Backstrom and didn't play the final three minutes, but returned to the ice to be honored as the first star of the game.
Kari Lehtonen (16-5-0, .910 save percentage, 2.80 goals-against average) has stopped 101-of-109 shots in winning Dallas' last three games.
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (26-21-9): Calle Jarnkrok scored twice Saturday and has four goals in his last five games, increasing his career-high total to 11. Defenseman Roman Josi has a team-leading 42 points after recording two assists versus Florida, increasing his club-best assist total to 31. Pekka Rinne (20-18-8, .902, 2.57 - 0-3-1 in his last four starts) is 10-6-2, .896, 2.76 in 20 games versus the Stars.
OVERTIME
1. Nashville rookie D Anthony Bitetto recorded his first NHL point Saturday - an assist on Jarnkrok's first goal - in his 18th career game.
2. Dallas is 4-for-9 on the power play in its last three games while the Predators were 4-for-4 on the penalty kill Saturday after yielding four power-play goals in 11 chances over their previous three contests.
3. Dallas has won three straight meetings, including a 5-1 decision Dec. 31 behind a pair of goals from Seguin.