Game Day Guide: Stars vs Predators

When: Thursday, December 12 at 7:00 PM CT

Where: American Airlines Center

TV: Victory+

Radio: The Ticket 96.7-FM, 1310-AM

Live Stats: NHL Game Center

Tickets: Single Game / Rentals

Local Parking: AAC Parking Options

Arena Bag Policy: Frequently Asked Questions

Party on PNC Plaza: 5:30 PM South Entrance

Five Points 5️⃣

• The Dallas Stars face the Nashville Predators Thursday night at American Airlines Center for the second time this season. Entering Thursday's match, the Stars are 17-10-0 while the Predators are 7-16-6. The teams face each other two more times this season on April 3 (Dallas) and April 16 (Nashville)..
• Dallas is 58-39-12 all-time vs. Nashville, including a 34-15-4 mark at home.
• The Stars enter Thursday's game with victories in seven of their last 10 games against the Predators. Dallas has also recorded wins in three of their past five games vs. Nashville at American Airlines Center.
• Forward Jason Robertson has points in his last nine consecutive games against Nashville (4-11—15), dating back to Oct. 13, 2022. This mark is tied for his second longest point streak against a single opponent (also: CGY, 8-5—13, 9 GP).
• Forward Wyatt Johnston has seven points (4-3—7) in nine career games against Nashville, which includes registering a four-point night (2-2—4) last season on Feb. 15, 2024. Johnston is on a three-game point streak against the Predators, tallying six points (3-3—6) over that span.

Players To Watch 👀

Stars defenseman Harley notched two goals on Dec. 8 vs. Calgary for his second multi-point game of the season, also earning him four points (2-2—4) over his last five games. Harley is tied for the Stars lead in goals (4), assists (10) and points (14) amongst Dallas defensemen. He enters Thursday’s game riding a four-game assist streak against the Predators, dating back to Jan. 6, 2024, totaling five assists during that span. His longest career point streak against a single opponent.

Predators defenseman Roman Josi has nine points (5-4—9) in his last 10 games and leads all Nashville skaters this season with 23 points (7-16—23). His 23 points rank him eighth among NHL defensemen. In his career against Dallas, Josi has totaled 37 points (12-25—37) in 55 games played, the most tallied by a Nashville skater all-time vs. the Stars.

First Shift 🏒

The Stars are 7-2-0 against the Central Division this season.

They are 10-5-0 against the rest of the league.

Both are good numbers, but in a league that is “division centric” in its regular season schedule and its approach to the playoffs, being good against the Central can provide a sizable boost.

“You definitely want to win games against your division,” said forward Matt Duchene. “You want to win all of your games, but you definitely want to win them against your division.”

The Stars play host to Nashville on Thursday and St. Louis on Saturday. Both teams are outside the playoffs right now and battling to get back in, but the fact they are rivals will make the motivation just a little bit higher for the Stars. Nashville enters American Airlines Center with the worst record in hockey, but the Predators are also one of Dallas’ most hated opponents.

“You definitely know these teams because you play them more,” said forward Jason Robertson, who has scored more points against Nashville than any other opponent with 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 21 games. “It builds each game because you face them so much.”

Roope Hintz has also scored more points against the Predators (25 in 26 games) than any other opponent. Esa Lindell has his second highest total vs. any team in the NHL.

Jake Oettinger is 6-2-2 with a 2.26 GAA and .921 save percentage in his career against the Preds.

The Stars finished 17-7-2 against the Central division last season. The year before, they were 18-4-4. That all adds up to a superb 35-11-6 mark under the current coaching staff.

Duchene played for the Predators for four years before being bought out in the summer of 2023 and signing with the Stars, so he has plenty of history with this team.

“Being on the other side, I know that team doesn’t like playing us,” Duchene said. “Dallas was always a tough team to play. We didn’t like them.”

And when you play several times, it creates more memories.

“You talk about division games and climbing the ladder that way, it makes a huge difference when you talk about standings,” said forward Colin Blackwell, who opened his NHL career with the Predators. “It’s really, really important - not only to take care of business at home, but also against divisional opponents.”

The Stars are 11-1-0 at American Airlines Center this season, including a perfect 4-0-0 mark against the Central. Now, during a six-game homestand, the hope is the Stars can use home ice to pick up a few victories in “four-point games.”

“We have that confidence in the room where you go into every game thinking you’re going to come out on top,” Blackwell said. “I think that’s the mindset you have to have to win in this league.”

Key Numbers 🔢

2.21

Nashville ranks last in the league in scoring at 2.21 goals per game. Dallas ranks fourth in fewest goals allowed at 2.56.

87.1

Nashville ranks first in penalty kill success rate at 87.1 percent. Dallas ranks 26th in power play success rate at 17.4 percent.

16.7

Dallas ranks first in giveaways at 16.7 per game.

He Said It 📢

“We’re a team that wants to pressure the other team all over the ice. All of our systems are pressure-based. We want to play fast, we want to defend and get the puck back quickly, and attack in waves. We want to play with a lot of speed and pace and try to put the other team on its heels.”

-Stars coach Pete DeBoer on his team’s playing philosophy

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.