Stars reach 50-game mark of season, host Jets in opener of back-to-back

Stars (27-20-2, 56 points) vs. Jets (22-20-8, 52 points)

Still just a stone's throw from a playoff spot with 32 games remaining, the Stars open a crucial back-to-back Wednesday against the Winnipeg Jets at American Airlines Center. It's an earlier start time than normal (6:30 p.m. CT), so keep that in mind if you're heading to the arena.
The Stars remain three points behind the LA Kings for the second wild card and hold a four-point edge on the Jets, so a regulation win on Wednesday would be big. It would also do the Stars a lot of good to open this back-to-back with a win considering they have to travel to Nashville to face the Predators on Thursday. Nashville is coming off a comeback victory over Florida on Tuesday and sit in the first wild card with 62 points, six more than Dallas. At this stage of the game, the Stars can't afford to drop consecutive contests.
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Home is where the Stars have been at their best. They enter Wednesday's matchup against the Jets with a 17-7-1 record at American Airlines Center this season, including a 4-3 overtime victory vs. Winnipeg on Feb. 11. The Stars have won five consecutive home games against the Jets and have been perfect on the penalty kill, going 15 for 15 over that span.
Leading the way against Winnipeg is captain Jamie Benn, who has points in three consecutive games against them and in six of his past eight. In 36 career head-to-head meetings, Benn has posted 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists). Eight of his 16 goals have come on the power play, his second highest total against any individual opponent.
This is the second game of a four-game road trip for the Jets, who opened it on Monday with a 3-1 loss in Calgary. From here, they'll face Colorado on Friday and Arizona on Sunday. The Jets have dropped two in a row and have gone 3-3 since their visit to AAC two weeks ago. Trailing the Kings by seven points, the Jets are right on the edge of must-win territory.

Pride Night

Wednesday's game marks the Stars' annual Pride Night celebration.
The ceremonial puck drop will feature local figure skating pair Timothy LeDuc and Ashley Cain-Gribble, who recently competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics. LeDuc, the first openly nonbinary U.S. Winter Games athlete, and Cain-Gribble have trained together at Children's Health StarCenter Euless for the last five years. The lengthy list of accolades for the reigning U.S. National Pairs Champions includes being 2022 Olympic Team Members, 2019 and 2022 National Champions, four-time World team members and Grand Prix Medalists. LeDuc and Cain-Gribble are coached by Darlene and Peter Cain.
Fort Worth-based artist Christopher Najera Estrada has partnered with the Dallas Stars Foundation to design a one-of-a-kind shirt that will be available for purchase. The son of immigrants and a queer man, Estrada's work references his relationships with religion, love, mental health, family, nostalgia, the fragility and sturdiness of nature, Mexican machismo and Chicanx culture. He will also be designing a custom T-shirt for the team's upcoming Noche Mexicana celebration on March 2.
The team will wear special Pride-themed jerseys during warmups, along with having Pride Tape on their sticks. All jerseys will be auctioned off at
DallasStars.com/JerseyAuction
. Proceeds collected from the Pride Night t-shirt, warmup jersey auction and the Dallas Stars Foundation 50/50 Raffle presented Jim Ross Law Group will benefit the You Can Play Project.
Great seats are still available for tonight's game against the Winnipeg Jets! Get your tickets now!
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the Digital Manager for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.