A possible Stanley Cup Final preview will be on display Tuesday when the Florida Panthers visit the Dallas Stars in a battle of red-hot teams.
Only three points separated Florida (92) and Dallas (89) in the overall league standings entering Monday's NHL action, and both clubs are in top form. The Panthers are 17-3-0 in their past 20 games, while the Stars are on a season-best five-game winning streak.
If anything, the Panthers are looking even stronger with trade deadline acquisition Vladimir Tarasenko in the lineup. Saturday's 5-1 win over the Calgary Flames marked Tarasenko's second game since being acquired by the Ottawa Senators, and he recorded two goals and an assist for his first points in a Florida uniform.
Getting on the board early for his new team was "kind of a relief," Tarasenko said. "You understand your linemates more, the system and how the team plays. I feel like I felt [more] comfortable as the game went on."
While the Panthers are rolling, the Stars have become accustomed to tough competition. Since the All-Star break, Dallas played 17 games (12 on the road) over the course of a month, yet still emerged with a 10-4-3 record over that stretch.
Tuesday's game is the start of a five-game homestand for the Stars, who play 10 of their final 16 regular-season games in Dallas.
"We have set ourselves up with a good schedule over the next month with a lot of home games," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. "We've got to take advantage of that, but we've gotten through a gauntlet of a schedule here and I thought [we] battled through it pretty impressively."
The Panthers are 23-8-2 in away games, with an NHL-best 48 road points. Dallas has 47 away points and returns home after a 3-0-0 road trip against the three California-based teams.
The Stars have an eight-game (6-0-2) point streak over their past eight home appearances.
Jake Oettinger is expected to start in net for Dallas and is looking to break out of a string of inconsistent performances. Oettinger is 5-2-2 with a modest .871 save percentage and a 3.11 goals-against average in his past nine games.
By contrast, probable Florida starter Sergei Bobrovsky has been as sharp as ever. Bobrovsky is 10-2-0 with a .945 save percentage, 1.57 GAA and two shutouts in his last 12 games.
Second-year forward Wyatt Johnston has 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) over the Stars' past 13 games.
Jason Robertson leads the Stars in assists (43) and points (65). The forward has eight of those points (three goals, five assists) over the course of his ongoing six-game point streak.
Gustav Forsling has six points (one goal, five assists) during a four-game point streak. It has been a standout week on and off the ice for Forsling, as the Panthers defenseman signed an eight-year, $46 million contract extension on Thursday.
Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad is out at least two weeks with a lower-body injury, while forward Evan Rodrigues is questionable after leaving Saturday's game early.
Rodrigues had four points (two goals, two assists) in the first meeting of the season. Rodrigues' big night helped lead the Panthers to a 5-4 victory over the Stars on Dec. 6 in Sunrise, Fla. For Dallas, Mason Marchment and Thomas Harley each posted a goal and an assist.
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