Carolina is good, but on the road, maybe not so much, as the Canes are just 10-11-2 away from Raleigh. It's also been a lot of back-and-forth for Carolina the past two months, not notching three straight wins since mid-November. They do own a 6-4 win over Dallas back on November 25, a result that sticks in the craw of the Stars after they surrendered five goals in the 3rd period after building a 3-1 lead. Dallas restored order on the weekend with a 4-1 win over Detroit, their ninth in twelve games. Note Jake Oettinger is 6-1-0 with a1.83 GAA and .932 saves this month, and C Roope Hintz expected available after missing the last three games. Play Stars on Puck Line

Could we be seeing a Stanley Cup Final preview tonight in Dallas? I don't think so but it doesn't change the Star power (pun intended) on display here. Carolina is on the 2nd of a back to back, needing OT to sneak by Chicago while Dallas enters with a rest advantage. Carolina is top 5 in the league in expected goals against over their L5 across all situations. Both teams are killing penalties at an elite level which also bodes well for keeping goals off the scoreboard. Combine that with the continued absence of Stars' leading goal scorer Roope Hintz and we have a lot of key factors lining up for a lower scoring game tonight