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Dallas Stars Daily Links: The Battle for the Top Spot in the Central Division Continues

Posted on by Melissa Flandreau

On Tuesday, for the fifth time in six games, the Stars walked away with a win. Meanwhile, in St. Louis, the Blues notched their fifth straight victory. Mark Stepneski takes a look at the battle for the No. 1 spot in the #MDK.

Both the Stars and Blues have identical 46-22-9 records but the Stars still hold first place in the Central Division and Western Conference based on their 44-41 advantage in the regulation/overtime wins (ROW) tiebreaker. That’s where we stand with five games remaining in the regular season.

And just how does that affect the Stars’ potential first-round opponent?

Here’s a look at the Stars most likely first round opponents, according to Sportsclubstats.com. Right now, the three most likely possibilities are:

Minnesota (46.9%): Stars were 4-1-0 in season series.

Chicago (36.8%): Stars were 4-1-0 in season series.

Nashville (14.5%): Stars are 3-1-0 in season series, one game remaining

For more on the Stars and the Blues down the stretch, head to the link. [Stars Inside Edge]

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Tonight, the Stars host the Coyotes at the AAC at 7:30 p.m. [Stars Inside Edge]

Coming soon to a Stars Insider near you…

Niklas Hansson will mostly likely make his AHL debut this weekend, and he’s ready for the opportunity to adjust to life with the Texas Stars. [Wrong Side of the Red Line]

Tyler Seguin chatted yesterday with The Ticket and you can catch up at the link. Warning, there’s a lot of Justin Bieber talk. [BaD]

Kari Lehtonen took over Stars’ Twitter yesterday and answered all your burning questions, including where he’d most like to travel.

Here are 12 of the things that we’ve so far from the recently released NHL emails. [Puck Daddy]

Senators forward Mark Stone will remain in Winnipeg to be monitored for a chest injury after a hit by Dustin Byfuglien. [The Score]

From what’s going on with Nail Yakupov to Vincent Lecavalier‘s future, Elliotte Friedman shares his latest 30 Thoughts with you. [Sportsnet]

The Predators‘ Jimmy Vesey saga continues, with Vesey’s reps saying that Nashville did know that he wouldn’t commit to signing with the Perds. [On the Forecheck]

A lengthy suspension for Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith seems inevitable.

Kerry Fraser breaks down the Duncan Keith hit on Wild forward Charlie Coyle and what he thinks about a potential suspension. [TSN]

In other disciplinary news, Canucks forward Jake Virtanen has been suspended two games after his blindside hit on Sharks defenseman Roman Polak. [ESPN]

Eric Staal says thank you to the Hurricanes and their fans after spending 13 years in North Carolina. [The Players’ Tribune]

With Vincent Trocheck out for the remainder of the season (and potentially into the postseason), the playoff-bound Panthers will have to rely on a few new faces. [The Hockey News]

Flyers captain Claude Giroux is the latest player to dazzle in NHL After Dark.

Get to know goalie Charlie Lindgren, who the Canadiens signed to a two-year contract after placing Ben Scrivens on waivers. [Habs Eyes on the Prize]

In light of the news that Nail Yakupov would like a ticket out of Edmonton, Sean McIndoe breaks down what other first overall busts have fetched on the trade market. [The Hockey News]

From Kevin Hayes to Torey Krug, a look at other notable college free agent signings. [Sportsnet]

After being seriously injured—and almost losing her life—in a car wreck, Notre Dame forward Lisa Marvin has fought to get back onto the ice. [Sports Illustrated]

And finally, if you’re going to tonight’s game, don’t forget that the Stars will be in white.

Talking Points