A lot of the focus this weekend has been on the offensive explosion in the third period Friday night against the NY Rangers. Yet the thing to remember is how close the game really was until late in the second period when the Stars killed off a lengthy 5 on 3 and Mike Ribeiro scored shortly after to give the Stars a 4-2 lead.
The Stars showed character and resiliency by responding immediately after NY went ahead a goal and then cut the lead to 3-2 early in the second. The Stars peppered the net from the start of the game and seemed determined to bounce back from a disappointed loss to Colorado the night before. The Stars now look to continue their climb up the Western conference standings and in prime position to build a buffer over those below them.
The Nashville Predators are a run themselves, winning 5 of their last 6 games to put themselves back in the race for the playoffs. Dan Ellis stopped all 22 shots he faced Friday night in a 2-0 shutout of Minnesota. They have won four straight and are now just 2 points back of the 8th spot in the West.
Key injuries:
Nashville: RW Jordin Tootoo (hand) is questionable. RW Wade Belak (shoulder) and C Scott Nichol (concussion) are out.
Dallas: LW Fabian Brunnstrom (ankle) is questionable. RW Landon Wilson (ribs) is out.
Stats comparison, via NHL.com:
 | 2008-2009 Team Stats |  |
| 53 | Points: | 57 |
| 25 | Wins: | 25 |
| 7 | Shutouts: | 2 |
| 28 | Power Play Rank: | 20 |
| 6 | Penalty Kill Rank: | 26 |
| 1.000 | Win % When Leading After 1: | .867 |
| .875 | Win % When Leading After 2: | .864 |
| .133 | Win % When Trailing After 1: | .320 |
| .100 | Win % When Trailing After 2: | .059 |
This is an open thread to discuss the game.