Winning three of their last four games, the Panthers improved to 9-6-1 with a 5-2 win over the Capitals on Tuesday. Increasing his team-leading goal total to 10, Carter Verhaeghe lit the lamp twice, while Aleksander Barkov, Nick Cousins and Reinhart also touched twine for the Panthers.
Off to a hot start, Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers in scoring with 20 points (five goals, 15 assists). Tied for second, Brandon Montour (four goals, 12 assists) and Verhaeghe (10 goals, six assists) each have 16 points. In fourth, Barkov has tallied 14 points (four goals, 10 assists).
Expected to man the crease against Dallas, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 41 of 43 shots against Washington, including denying all 14 shots he faced on the penalty kill. Owning a 4-4-1 record this season, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has gone 16-2-2 in his career against the Stars.
The win against Dallas marked the 11th game the Panthers have scored first this season.
"I just think it's our preparation," Panthers defenseman Josh Mahura said of getting off on the right foot. "Coming into the game, we have that mindset and that confidence at the start of the game. Obviously it's a fresh 60 [minutes] every night you come in, but we're starting to get that rhythm going."
Leading the Central Division with a 9-5-2 record, the Stars have lost three of their last four games, including a 5-4 overtime loss at Tampa Bay on Tuesday. After Radek Faksa buried a shorthanded goal to tie the game for Dallas and make it 4-4 with 4:42 left in the third period, Alex Killorn scored on a 2-on-1 rush at 3:43 of overtime to lock in the win it for the Lighting.
Helping Dallas steal a key point, Mason Marchment, Joe Pavelski and Jason Roberton also scored against Tampa Bay, while Jake Oettinger, who has started each of the last three games, stopped 33 of 38 shots between the pipes.
"They're not all going to look great and be perfect games, but found a way to get a point against a real good team," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. "The game went back and forth three or four times, so it was a good point."
Robertson leads the Stars in goals (11) and points (25). Roope Hintz ranks second in points (20) and tied with Robertson for the most assists (14). Pavelski is third in scoring with 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists), while Jamie Benn is fourth with 15 points (six goals, nine assists).
After breaking out with the Panthers last season, tonight's matchup will mark Marchment's first game against his former club since he signed with the Stars as a free agent during the summer.
"Nice to see him," said Panthers forward Anton Lundell, who centered Marchment for much of last season. "Last year, it was such an unbelievable year. It was so fun to play with him. Of course, we're on other sides now. Maybe we'll say hi after the game, but there's no friends out there. I'm happy he was able to find a good spot. It seems like he's been playing good."
Executing at both ends of the ice, the Stars rank second in the NHL in goals scored per game (3.75) and tied for sixth in fewest goals allowed per game (2.69). Over their past eight meetings with Dallas, the Panthers have found a lot of success while posting a 6-1-1 record in that span.
"Just in terms of veterans, you've got Benn, Pavelski and [Tyler] Seguin all on different lines," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of the Stars. "You've got good young players around them. They've got speed and they've got skill. There's a mentor there for all three lines."
