Dallas @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 23, 2019 ) Pittsburgh 3, Dallas 2

The Pittsburgh Penguins have bolted out of the blocks with four straight wins while the Dallas Stars have limped out of the gate with four consecutive losses and seven in their first eight games overall. The Penguins aim to continue their winning ways at the expense of the slumping Stars on Friday when the clubs meet at PPG Paints Arena.

Superstar captain Sidney Crosby extended his season-long point streak to seven games (four goals, eight assists) by scoring a highlight-reel goal in Pittsburgh's 3-2 overtime victory over Colorado on Wednesday. "Our effort and our work ethic has got to be there," the two-time Hart Trophy recipient said of his injury-riddled club. "If it's not, we're a much different team. I think we all understand that. Guys are really playing the right way. It's showing up." While the Penguins are scoring an NHL second-best 4.00 goals per game entering Thursday's play, Dallas resides at the other end of the spectrum with a league-low 1.88 per contest as well as a 1-for-24 power play. "The stats are the stats, right?" Stars coach Jim Montgomery said following Wednesday's 3-2 setback at Columbus. "We've just got to keep putting pucks on net. We've got to keep going to those dirty areas, and, hopefully, a puck will go off someone's shoulder or knees sooner or later and people start relaxing."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN-Plus, FS Southwest (Dallas), AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh

ABOUT THE STARS (1-6-1): Five-time 30-goal scorer Joe Pavelski and captain Jamie Benn, who has reached that plateau on four occasions, each have just one tally in eight games this season. His team's offensive troubles aside, goaltender Ben Bishop isn't allowing Dallas' dismal start to the season get the better of him. "As frustrated as we are right now, I think we still have 90 percent of the season left," the 32-year-old Bishop said. "There's still time to fix this ship. It's got to be more urgency from everybody."

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (5-2-0): Jake Guentzel has hit the ground running after scoring a career-best 40 goals in 2018-19, as the 25-year-old has highlighted his six-game point streak with five goals in his last four contests. Guentzel scored and set up a goal in Pittsburgh's 5-1 romp over Dallas on Nov. 21 and also tallied in a 3-2 win over the Stars on March 23. Brandon Tanev, who signed a six-year, $21 million contract, was credited with his first goal of the season at 3:57 of overtime on Wednesday after his shot caromed off the stick of Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog and into the net.

OVERTIME

1. Dallas has allowed the first goal in six of its eight games this season.

2. Penguins C Jared McCann (lower body), who returned to practice on Thursday, scored twice in the most recent meeting with the Stars.

3. Stars RW Corey Perry registered one shot in 13:55 of ice time on Wednesday in his season debut after breaking his foot in training camp.

PREDICTION: Penguins 4, Stars 2