Dallas @ Nashville preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 10, 2019 ) Dallas 3, Nashville 2

Having already stolen home-ice advantage in their Western Conference first-round series, the Dallas Stars have an opportunity to take a commanding lead in their best-of-seven set when they visit the Nashville Predators for Game 2 on Saturday night. Dallas, seeded seventh after claiming the top wild card, overcame an early deficit to post a 3-2 win in Wednesday's series opener.

While the Stars lost three of five meetings to the Predators in the regular season, Wednesday's matchup marked their third victory at Bridgestone Arena, but overconfidence is not an issue for the players. "The emotions are incredible," defenseman Ben Lovejoy said. "You win one game, you feel like you're winning a Stanley Cup. You lose one game you feel like you're going to get swept and the series is over. ... We need to be even keel." Nashville was bounced in the second round last season after winning the Presidents' Trophy but advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals two years ago by winning three road series, so the team is not overreacting to one defeat. "It feels like it's five losses in a row right now, but it's just the first game of the playoffs," forward Colton Sissons said. "There's areas that we can clean up and be better at, and we'll do that. We know exactly what we need to do."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, CNBC, Sportsnet, TVAS2, FS Southwest (Dallas), FS Tennessee (Nashvile)

ABOUT THE STARS: Although a league scoring change one day later denied him a second goal, rookie defenseman Miro Heiskanen, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 NHL draft, was the unquestioned star of Game 1. "I am not surprised anymore, but it is truly impressive," goaltender Ben Bishop said of the 19-year-old. "He plays like he has been in the league 10 years. He just goes about his business quietly, efficiently. This guy is going to be a star in this league for a long time." Bishop also stood tall by making 30 saves in his first playoff game in three years.

ABOUT THE PREDATORS: One of the major concerns entering the series for Nashville is a power play that finished the regular season with a league-worst 12.9 percent success rate, and it remained an issue after the Predators came up empty on all four chances in Game 1. "That’s going to be one thing that we’re going to want to improve on next game," defenseman P.K. Subban said. "I think we just got out of our groove a little bit and just didn’t put the puck in the right places." Both goals in Game 1 came from defensemen as Roman Josi and Subban each scored.

OVERTIME

1. Nashville is 0-9 in playoff series after losing Game 1.

2. Stars F Alexander Radulov was the beneficiary of the scoring change, giving him six goals in his last seven games.

3. Predators G Pekka Rinne has lost five of his last six playoff starts at home.

PREDICTION: Predators 3, Stars 2 (OT)