Game Day: Stars vs. Preds Preview

After snapping a four-game skid Tuesday night in Florida, the Nashville Predators have returned home to host the Dallas Stars on one of the biggest nights in franchise history.
Legendary goaltender Pekka Rinne's No. 35 will rise to the Bridgestone Arena rafters this evening (6 p.m. CT) ahead of tonight's contest against a division rival, and the Preds are looking forward to sending Rinne off with a win in the third of four total meetings this season against Dallas.
The Preds are coming off of a satisfying 6-4 victory against the Panthers on Tuesday, a game that gave them a much-needed win against the NHL's highest-scoring team.

"It definitely feels really good to get back in the win column," Preds forward Tanner Jeannot said following Tuesday's win. "We've been saying all year we don't want to get too high or get too low. So, when we were having some success earlier in the year, we were trying not to get too high. When the games weren't going our way in this recent stretch here, we've been trying not to get too low and just trying to stick to our game and play to the same Predators identity we want to have. We felt like we've been playing some good hockey and maybe just not getting all the bounces we needed, but tonight we did the same thing - we just came out hard, played our game and we got the win."
Now, the Preds will aim to continue that strong play on what's sure to be a memorable occasion. Ahead of tonight's ceremonies, current Preds reflected back on their former teammate ahead of the ultimate honor.
"All he's done for this organization, the whole city of Nashville, it's so great," Preds forward Mikael Granlund said Tuesday. "It's going to be a great night for him and for his family, and I'm glad to be part of that and play that game."
"It's just the standards that he set for everyone," Preds defenseman Mattias Ekholm said last week. "He was always doing his part and was super professional…to really show the young guys how you conduct yourself and how you become successful in this League."

Preds defenseman Mark Borowiecki did not play on Tuesday in Florida and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, and forward Nick Cousins remains week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

The Good Guys:

There were a total of five Preds players who tallied in Tuesday's contest against the Panthers. Filip Forsberg (26), Roman Josi (14), Yakov Trenin (12), Mikael Granlund (8) and Jeannot (16, 17) all scored to help the Predators to the win, and goaltender David Rittich made 44 saves - a season high - for his fourth victory of the campaign.
Josi (14g-39a) continues to lead his club with 53 points, followed by Matt Duchene (23g-23a) with 46 points and Forsberg (26g-18a) with 44 points. Granlund has 32 assists and 40 points so far this season, Ryan Johansen (13g-23a) has 36 points and Jeannot has 17 goals and 31 points. Goaltender Juuse Saros is 24-15-3 in net.

The Opposition:

The Stars defeated Winnipeg last night in Dallas by a 3-2 final in overtime with Tyler Seguin tallying the game-winner. Joe Pavelski (21g-32a) leads his club in points with 53, followed by Jason Robertson (21g-25a) with 46 points and Roope Hintz (22g-21a) with 43. Goaltender Jake Oettinger got the win last night for Dallas; he's 16-6-0 in net on the season, and netminder Braden Holtby is 9-10-1.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 46-46-(1)-5 all-time against the Stars, including a 29-17-(1)-2 record at Bridgestone Arena. The Predators are 3-2-0 in their last five games vs. the Stars; they are 6-4-0 in their last 10; and 4-1-0 in their last five at home.
The Preds went 5-3-0 vs. the Stars in 2020-21, with all five victories coming in either overtime or a shootout. Nashville closed out its eight-game regular-season series vs. Dallas by winning five of the last six meetings.

Notables Versus Dallas:

Juuse Saros is 10-4-1 in his career vs. Dallas, posting three shutouts, a 2.35 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in 15 career games against the Stars. Eeli Tolvanen has recorded eight points (4g-4a) in seven career games against Dallas, including his first career three-point game (1g-2a) on March 21, 2021.
Mikael Granlund has 28 points (9g-19a) in 38 career contests vs. Dallas; he recorded an individual 12-game point streak (3g-14a) against the Stars from Oct. 29, 2016-Feb. 1, 2019. Preds Captain Roman Josi owns 32 career points (11g-21a) vs. the Stars, his second-most against a single opponent in his NHL career.

Watch & Listen:

Special coverage for tonight's ceremonies begin at 5 p.m. CT on Bally Sports South with Pekka Rinne's Frozen Moments, a look back on his career, hosted by Chris Mason. At 6 p.m. CT, a special edition of the Predators Live! pregame show begins as Rinne's retirement ceremony gets underway ahead of tonight's 7:30 p.m. puck drop. Willy Daunic, Mason and Kara Hammer have the call on the television side, while Pete Weber and Hal Gill will broadcast on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network.