The Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars will face off against each other in the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars are bound to battle each other in the Winter Classic next year. But first, they have to meet in the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With the Predators getting the upper hand against the Stars this regular season by winning three of the five games they played against each other, Dallas should be getting used to Nashville’s playing style.
This is not the first time the Stars and Predators played each other in the playoffs. The first time was in 2004, the same year the Preds drafted current Dallas Star Alexander Radulov. Games 1, 2, 5 (if necessary) and 7 (if necessary) will be in Nashville. Meanwhile, Games 3, 4 and 6 (if necessary) will be in Dallas.
Predators
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The Predators (47-29-6) are looking to start the playoffs with three key things – production from the new additions, good goaltending, and physicality. At the trade deadline, Nashville did not shy away from trading big pieces away to gain assets like Brian Boyle, Wayne Simmonds, Cody McLeod, and Mikael Granlund. Most of these players are not long-term pieces, but they should help the Predators to win now.
Nashville always seems to have spotty goaltending from Pekka Rinne in the playoffs. What they need is for him to be lights out and have no collapses like he has shown in years past. It is crucial that Jusse Saros is ready to play if he needs to.
When the Predators brought in McLeod, Boyle, and Simmonds, they pretty much set the tone saying that they are not going to be pushed around. It was easy to see in last year’s playoffs that the Winnipeg Jets bullied the Predators physically. Nashville is hoping their new gritty additions will pay off.
Besides goaltending being a little uneasy, the Predators’ third defensive pairing needs to be flawless. The third line defensive pairing has been unreliable and has been a revolving door with players coming in and out of the pairing the whole season.
Stars
As for the Stars (43-32-7), they are sitting in a good situation going into Wednesday’s Game 1. Although they lost three out of five games to the Predators, they lost and won most of them with their backup goalie Anton Khudobin. With Ben Bishop healthy and a healthy top two offensive and defensive lines, the Stars have a chance to beat the Predators.
Dallas has vastly improved since the start of the season all the way from their play to the new roster additions. Gaining a player like Mats Zuccarello is crucial for the Stars not only to compete but for their special teams (which is tremendously better than Nashville).
Although Dallas did bring in Zuccarello, they kept the rest of their lineup relatively the same. While some may see that as a disadvantage, it could be crucial to the Stars winning games against Nashville. Dallas has become comfortable and used to one another’s playing style since they have played together for a while, whereas Nashville has a new lineup that seems unable to gel and find their role.
With all this being said, Dallas’ key components will be: to play their game, control pace of play, utilize special teams and be prepared to turn to both Bishop and Khudobin. If the Stars can utilize all of these key components, they will be very successful against Nashville.
For more 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage, be sure to check out our Stanley Cup Playoffs page.