Game Preview: Stars Try To Douse Flames In Final Game Ahead of All-Star Break

The winner of tonight’s matchup between the Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames will jump into the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Calgary currently holds down that spot with fewer games played but the Stars are sitting equal to their 48 points heading into tonight. While holding a playoff spot at the break does not ensure anything, it is a big step, especially in terms of confidence.

“We are going to be battling with these guys all year for a playoff spot,” Bowness said. “To have any chance, you have to at least stay in the top five in your division, and then you are fighting with the other five teams from the other division. This is a huge game especially going into the All-Star break. If we win tonight, we know we take over the eighth spot.”

Roope Hintz will play his 200th NHL game tonight. The 25-year-old forward leads the Stars with 20 goals and is third overall with 37 points.

“The first year here, he was up and down,” Bowness said. “ The last time he came up, he stayed obviously and just keeps getting better. I have always said this about Roope, he is probably one of our best defensive players. You’re looking at all those numbers that he is scoring and he is just a very solid two-way player. Exciting offensively and reliable defensively. He is a number one center.”

Calgary comes into the game with a 4-6-0 record over their last ten games. They have been excellent on the road, however, going 14-8-2 in 24 games. They are one of the teams that will see a home-heavy second half of the season and they have put themselves in a good spot in the playoff race.

Jake Oettinger will get his second straight start tonight. He was spectacular against Boston, sporting a .964 save percentage and allowing only one goal. Since his struggles against Florida and Montreal, the 23-year-old has gone 2-0-0, allowing only two goals, while holding an incredible .963 save percentage.

Over the past two games, we have seen both ends of the spectrum for Dallas. Nothing went right in an ugly 5-0 loss to the Capitals, followed by everything going according to plan on Sunday in a 6-1 victory over the Bruins. For a team that has been chasing consistency all season long, another solid performance tonight would go a long way heading into the week-long NHL All-Star break.

Lineup Updates

• Braden Holtby is OUT tonight with a lower-body injury

• Joel Kiviranta is OUT tonight with a lower-body injury

• Dallas has recalled Riley Damiani from the Taxi Squad

• Dallas has recalled Anton Khudobin from the Texas Stars

Projected Lines

Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski

Benn-Seguin-Gurianov

Peterson-Faksa-Radulov

Kero-Damiani-Glendening

Lindell-Klingberg

Suter-Heiskanen

Hanley-Hakanpää

Oettinger

Khudobin