Here's what the lineups could look like when the Stars and Kings take the ice tonight in Dallas:

STARS
Steve Ott - Jamie Benn - Loui Eriksson
Brenden Morrow - Mike Ribeiro - Michael Ryder
Eric Nystrom - Vernon Fiddler - Radek Dvorak
Toby Petersen - Jake Dowell - Adam Burish

Alex Goligoski - Adam Pardy
Sheldon Souray - Stephane Robidas
Trevor Daley - Nicklas Grossman

Kari Lehtonen will start in net, backed up by Andrew Raycroft.

KINGS
Simon Gagne - Anze Kopitar - Justin Williams
Dustin Penner - Mike Richards - Dustin Brown
Ethan Moreau - Jarret Stoll - Brad Richardson
Kyle Clifford - Trevor Lewis - Scott Parse

Willie Mitchell - Slava Voynov
Rob Scuderi - Jack Johnson
Alec Martinez - Matt Greene

Jonathan Quick will be back in goal, with Jonathan Bernier serving as the backup.

For more on tonight's game, check out the preview here.

DALLAS -- When the Dallas Stars (7-2-0, 14 points) and Los Angeles Kings (5-2-1, 11 points) met on Saturday night at the Staples Center, it was the Kings who came away with a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal by Jack Johnson with just under five minutes remaining.

Even though the Stars came up on the short end of the stick that night in Los Angeles, first-year coach Glen Gulutzan and his players agree that was one of their best games on the young season.

In fact, that defeat was the lone blemish on a four-game road trip that saw the Stars finish at 3-1 with wins over the Blue Jackets, Ducks and Coyotes.

Considering how close the last meeting was with the Kings, there isn’t much Gulutzan would change heading into tonight's rematch at the American Airlines Center.

"No, not really," Gulutzan said. "They got a few faceoff plays. They ran on us and we have to be a little bit more aware of those and how we're going to defend those. They're so stingy. They've got good goaltending. They're a well-balanced group. They're structured. I think we just want to get into that same type of game that we were in Saturday night and hope for a different result."

In the last meeting between these two clubs, Dallas actually outshot the Kings, something they've done in only three of their first nine games this year and both teams were just 0-for-1 on the power play.

But it was Johnson's goal at 15:02 of the final frame that was the deciding blow in a close win for the home team. And while the Stars players are pleased with their effort just five days ago on the road, they also want another shot at Los Angeles, this time on their home ice.

"Yeah, I think it's a big test for us," Dallas defenseman Sheldon Souray said. "The last game we played on Saturday against these guys, we played well, maybe our best game of the year and we didn't get the win. To come right back and get a chance is a good test for our hockey club, a good test for our character. LA's the best team we've seen so far and we have to be at our best to have a chance against them."

Stars center Mike Ribeiro, who is currently second on the team with 7 points, agrees their last game against the Kings was one of their better efforts of the year. It's a performance he'd like to see replicated tonight in the Lone Star State.

"Yeah, we played good out there, a pretty intense game, probably our best game of the year," Ribeiro said. "We went at them but couldn't score. I think it was a really intense, physical and really good game to be part of. We'll come back and battle the same way."

Heading into tonight's contest, Dallas is a perfect 4-0-0 to start the season at home and the Stars are one of three NHL clubs that have yet to lose in their own building. The last time Dallas started the year 4-0-0 at home was in 1998-99, when it won the Stanley Cup.
   

Through their first three games of the 2011 season, the Dallas Stars are just 1-for-14 on the power play, including 0-for-7 with the man-advantage in their most recent game, a 2-1 shootout win against Phoenix on Monday.

Facing the St. Louis Blues tonight, however, could be just the shot in the arm that Stars unit needs. That’s because through their first two games, the Blues are 29th on the PK, having allowed three goals in seven shorthanded situations (57.1 percent).

However, two members of that unit don't feel the Blues' early man-down struggles dictate that the Dallas power play will be rolling tonight.

"To me, it's too early to say," Dallas defenseman Stephane Robidas said. "We've just got to look at ourselves and what we do right. We'll look at what they do on their PK. Teams kill penalties different ways. It's always like a chess match. They might change their PK based on what we're doing. That's why you have to have a plan and be ready for anything."

Stars center Mike Ribeiro sees the cure to his club's early struggles on the power play as having a relatively simple solution.

"We know we have the skills to do it. We just have to put the work into it," Ribeiro said. "We just need to settle down a little bit, come out with a good breakout with good speed and throw pucks at the net. We know what we have to do but it’s only three games."

Here is what the lineups for the Blues and Stars would look like when the teams meet in Dallas tonight:

BLUES
Andy McDonald - David Backes - Jamie Langenbrunner
T.J. Oshie - Patrik Berglund - Chris Stewart
Alexander Steen - Jason Arnott - Matt D'Agostini
Vladimir Sobotka - Scott Nichol - Ryan Reaves

Kent Huskins - Alex Pietrangelo
Barret Jackman - Kevin Shattenkirk
Nikita Nikitin - Roman Polak

Jaroslav Halak will start in goal, with Brian Elliott serving as the backup.

STARS
Brenden Morrow - Mike Ribeiro - Michael Ryder
Steve Ott - Jamie Benn - Loui Eriksson
Adam Burish - Vernon Fiddler - Radek Dvorak
Jake Dowell - Toby Petersen - Krystofer Barch

Sheldon Souray - Stephane Robidas
Nicklas Grossman - Trevor Daley
Mark Fistric - Alex Goligoski

Kari Lehtonen will start in goal, with Andrew Raycroft the backup.

Due to their earlier-than-usual start time today in Dallas (6 p.m. ET), neither the Stars nor the Coyotes skated this morning. So here's the best approximation of what their lineups could look like when they hit the ice today.
 
COYOTES
Ray Whitney - Daymond Langkow - Shane Doan
Lauri Korpikoski - Martin Hanzal - Radim Vrbata
Taylor Pyatt - Boyd Gordon - Mikkel Boedker
Raffi Torres - Kyle Chipchura - Petteri Nokelainen

Keith Yandle - Adrian Aucoin
Rostislav Klesla - Derek Morris
Michal Rozsival - Oliver Ekman-Larsson

This game could mark the season debut of Jason LaBarbera -- and his new military appreciation helmet. Mike Smith would then serve as the backup.

STARS
Brenden Morrow - Mike Ribeiro - Michael Ryder
Loui Eriksson - Jamie Benn - Tomas Vincour
Steve Ott - Vernon Fiddler - Radek Dvorak
Tom Wandell - Jake Dowell - Adam Burish

Stephane Robidas - Alex Goligoski
Trevor Daley - Sheldon Souray
Mark Fistric - Philip Larsen

Kari Lehtonen will start in goal, with Andrew Raycroft as the backup.

The Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars will open their seasons today at American Airlines Arena in Dallas. Based on this morning's practices, here are the expected forward lines and defense pairings for each team:

BLACKHAWKS
Brandon Saad-Jonathan Toews-Patrick Sharp
Andrew Brunette-Patrick Kane-Marian Hossa
Bryan Bickell-Brandon Pirri-Michael Frolik
Jamal Mayers-Rostislav Olesz
 
Duncan Keith-Nick Leddy
Niklas Hjalmarsson-Brent Seabrook
Sean O'Donnell-Sami Lepisto
Steve Montador
 
Corey Crawford will start in goal, with Ray Emery the backup

STARS
Michael Ryder-Mike Ribeiro-Brenden Morrow
Loui Eriksson-Jamie Benn-Tomas Vincour
Steve Ott-Vernon Fiddler-Radek Dvorak
Jake Dowell-Tom Wandell-Toby Petersen
 
Stephane Robidas-Alex Goligoski
Trevor Daley-Sheldon Souray
Mark Fistric-Philip Larsen

Kari Lehtonen will start in goal, with Andrew Raycroft serving as the backup.