Dallas Stars Daily Links: Predators Excited to Be Stars’ Winter Classic Opponent

Since it was announced that the Dallas Stars would be hosting the Winter Classic in 2020, we’ve heard nonstop about how amazing of an experience it will be for the Stars and their fans. But the game will also be incredibly important to the Nashville Predators, who will also be participating in their first Winter Classic:

“I’ve never played in one and I don’t think many of our players here have played in one, so I think it’s awesome,” said Nashville captain Roman Josi. “I think it will be a new thing for a lot of people.”

The Stars-Predators matchup is a little unconventional, considering they’re both southern markets that don’t draw as much national attention. But the game will have no shortage of superstars to showcase, such as Predators defenseman P.K. Subban:

“I think it’s going to be great,” said Subban. “I think these are two deserving teams. They’ve got a lot of great players on that team that deserve to be in a game like this, and so do we. The same with the City of Nashville and the City of Dallas. It’s good to get this kind of attention, I love it.”

You can read more in Mike Heika’s piece here.

More Stars News

Speaking of the Predators, they played the Stars last night and unfortunately won. Here’s Sean Shapiro with his 20/20 from the game: [The Athletic]

Here’s what Jim Montgomery had to say about the game:

And here’s what Anton Khudobin, AKA brick wall in net, had to say about the close loss:

Central Census

It was busy last night in the Central, as every team in the division took to the ice:

• The Chicago Blackhawks continue to make a late-season playoff push, winning their sixth straight by beating the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in overtime. [Second City Hockey]
• In a complete opposite case, the Colorado Avalanche lost 4-3 in overtime to the Washington Capitals, dropping their fifth straight. [Japers’ Rink]
• The Minnesota Wild failed to gain ground on the Stars for third place in the Central when they dropped a 4-1 decision to the Edmonton Oilers. [Copper and Blue]
• Elsewhere, the St. Louis Blues managed to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 1-0 in OT, and now they’re somehow in a Wild Card spot. [Raw Charge]
• Finally, the Winnipeg Jets also had a forgettable night, losing to the Montreal Canadiens 5-2. [NHL]

After years of failing to make it beyond the second round, it looks like it’s time to finally rebuild in Minnesota:

This makes me feel good right now. Let’s keep it that way:

And while we’re at it..

Around the League

Perhaps the most interesting part about the Auston Matthews extension was that it was for only five seasons, not eight. But should Matthews have taken even less term? [The Athletic]

Should the Stars consider trading for Artemi Panarin even if it’s just as a pure rental? If they want to make a serious Cup run, the answer might be yes:

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk promises he’ll spend to the cap once the team is finished rebuilding, but you should probably take that with a grain of salt: [Sportsnet]

Finally, the Philadelphia Flyers will probably still miss the playoffs, but at least they finally have competent goaltending: