The Dallas Stars will look to make it three wins in a row when they take on the Winnipeg Jets at American Airlines Center tonight. And they'll be trying to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race against one of the teams they are battling for a spot in the top eight.
The Stars (21-20-10) and the Jets (24-25-4) are deadlocked at 52 points and three points out of the second wild-card spot in the West.
"They're a team we're tied with or right there with," said Stars center Jason Spezza. "It's a team we're fighting with, and they've kind of had our number a little bit with the two games in Winnipeg, so I think we have to make sure that we're ready to go and it's a big game for us."
The Stars are 1-2-0 vs. the Jets this season but haven't played them since November 8 when they lost 8-2 in Winnipeg.
"It's no secret when we were in their barn the last two games we didn't play the type of game we wanted," said Stars forward Devin Shore. "We want to show them the way we've been playing lately and ramp it up even because they've been playing really well. They've got some guys that can burn you if you're not careful and if you're not at your best."
It appears that the Stars will make only one lineup change for tonight's game. Patrik Nemeth will be back in on defense after sitting out the past two games as a healthy scratch.
"I think overall he has been solid for us," Ruff said. "He had one tough outing. He gambled on the offensive side a couple times, which we are trying to clean up. For me, his defending has to come first. I think his overall play has been good.
Stars look to make it three in a row
Lehtonen in goal as Stars face Jets, a team they are battling in playoff race
