It’s been impressive what the Stars have been able to accomplish in the past week since the trade deadline, in the past three games the Stars are 3-0-0 scoring twelve goals in the streak. New leaders have arrived as well as players like Vernon Fiddler, Eric Nystrom and Alex Chiasson have thrived in bigger minutes and bigger roles for the team. Tonight the Stars face off against the injury-plagued Nashville Predators. Nashville missing key players like Paul Gaustad and Gabriel Bourque from it’s lineup tonight. Dallas also missing Kari Lehtonen will rely on Richard Bachman until Kari is back from his lower body injury. Dallas jumped on the Predators early in the game and never took their foot off the gas in this game as Nashville was simply no match for the Stars tonight.

First Period

It was clear from the beginning that Dallas was going to take advantage of the inexperience of the Nashville lineup which they did holding Nashville without a shot in the first ten minutes of the period. Nashville did out shoot Dallas 6-5 in the period, but Dallas made their shots count as Dallas scored two goals within a short amount of time at the 6:04 mark of the period when a hardworking shift by Nystrom-Fiddler-Cole resulted in a goal as Eric Cole fired a slapshot past Nashville goaltender Chris Mason for his fifth goal as a Star and eighth of the season. Shortly after at the 8:40 mark of the period, while on the powerplay Dallas cashed in when Ray Whitney was set up for a one timer on the left face-off dot by Alex Goligoski for his tenth goal of the season. After Dallas obtained the two goal lead Nashville looked for ways to get themselves back into the game and got some momentum when Rich Clune who spent the entire first period looking for a fight and finally got one towards the end of the first period when Antoine Roussel answered Clune’s challenge. Before the end of the period Nashville cut Dallas’ lead to one goal as Taylor Beck scored his third goal of the season at the 18:42 mark of the period making the game 2-1 after the first.

Second Period

Dallas struck quickly to regain their two goal lead as the fourth line got on the score sheet when Tom Wandell finished a play created by Ryan Garbutt and Antoine Roussel for his first NHL goal in over a year. Nashville tried to answer throughout the period, but Richard Bachman held the Predators scoreless in the second stopping all nine Nashville shots. Dallas created a deeper hole for Nashville at the 11:12 mark of the period when Alex Chiasson scored his fourth goal of the season. Dallas ended the period with a big penalty kill and took a 4-1 lead into the second intermission.

Third Period

The period was mostly a mop up one for the Stars as they were just playing the last twenty minutes. At the 7:03 mark of the period Alex Chiasson scored his second goal of the game and fifth of the season giving Dallas a 5-1 lead. Nashville had a small attempt at a comeback at the 12:12 mark of the period when Bobby Butler scored his second goal of the season, but the comeback was soon put away when Sergei Kostitsyn got a boarding major at the 16:31 mark of the period putting the game away and giving Dallas a 5-2 victory for their fourth victory in a row.

Game Extras

• Richard Bachman won his fourth straight decision and five of his last six
• Vernon Fiddler earned two assist tonight, pushing him to a five game point streak. Fiddler has fifteen points on the season (3g, 12a) and eight of those points have come during the streak.
• Playoff  Update: With the break, Dallas was three points behind eighth place Detroit in the west. With the win tonight Dallas is only 1 point behind Detroit with eight games remaining.
• Alex Chiasson didn’t register a point in his first NHL game, but has in his last four including all five goals.
• Three Stars of the Game Chosen by Nashville Media: 1. Alex Chiasson 2. Ray Whitney 3. Vernon Fiddler
• The Stars return home to face the Sharks tomorrow, puck drops at 7:00 pm

The Dallas Stars returned home tonight after a two game roadtrip where they went 1-1-0. Tonight for the second time this season they face the Nashville Predators. In the first game between these two teams it was a heated game in which Dallas ultimately could not keep their discipline and in the end it cost them the game in overtime. Tonight a lot of the same could be said as Nashville scored two powerplay goals which was more than enough as Pekka Rinne and the Predators blanked the Stars 4-0.

First Period

Dallas looked flat to begin the game as the offense could never get established in the Nashville zone. An early powerplay resulted in nothing for the Stars. The first goal of the game came at the 12:16 mark as Jamie Oleksiak tried to start an offensive rush, but instead ended up turning the puck over in the neutral zone to Matt Halischuk who passed to Nick Spaling who finished off the fast break with a wrist shot goal for his fourth goal of the year. The shots were pretty even in the first, 9-8 Predators, but Nashville had the Stars on their heels early and led the first period 1-0.

Second Period

Early penalty trouble cost the Stars in the second as Brenden Dillon took a tripping minor in the first two minutes of the period and it only took Nashville fourteen seconds on the powerplay to score as Shea Weber sent a backhand shot to the net and scored his fourth goal of the year. Dallas started to get the offense going more, but Pekka Rinne denied all Dallas shot attempts. A lapse in defense cost the Stars again as Jordie Benn took away a scoring chance from Richard Clune, and Clune was awarded a penalty shot in which Clune went five hole on Kari Lehtonen for his third goal of the season. Dallas put 15 shots on goal in the second but could not get a goal and trailed Nashville 3-0 after two periods.

Third Period

Dallas had two powerplay opportunities within the first ten minutes of the period, but they resulted in nothing for the Stars. Soon after frustration got the best of the Stars. At the 13:43 mark of the period,  Eric Nystrom grabbed Ryan Ellis after a hit and aggresively started a fight which got Nystrom an extra roughing minor. Then at the 14:25 mark after Mike Fisher made contact with Kari Lehtonen, Stephane Robidas and Mike Fisher got into a fight, as a mini-brawl ensued. Antoine Roussel fought with Shea Weber, and Brenden Dillon got tangled up with Bobby Butler. Soon after the fights Gabriel Bourque scored his seventh goal of the season making the game 4-0. Jamie Oleksiak was also ejected from the game early as Richard Clune drew him into dropping his gloves, causing the refs to give Oleksiak a 10 minute misconduct. The Stars returned home and got their four game homestand off to a bad start as they lose 4-0 to Nashville.

Game Extras

• Congratulations to Bill Guerin as he was announced as a member of the 20th anniversary all-time team.
• Ray Whitney returned after missing the past 16 games with a broken foot. Whitney looked good in his return playing 20 minutes.
• Tomas Vincour returned to the lineup after a month stint in the AHL with the Texas Stars.
• Pekka Rinne recored his league leading fifth shutout of the season.
• Nashville’s goals per game average is 2.08 which is last in the league, but in two games against the Stars, Nashville has scored 9 goals which is a 4.50 goals per game average.
• The Stars were without Brenden Morrow and Jamie Benn tonight, both out due to injury.
• Official three stars of the game: 1. Pekka Rinne 2. Richard Clune 3. Shea Weber
• The Stars take the ice Thursday as the Anaheim Ducks make their way to the AAC for the second of five games this season. Puck drops at 7:30.