Vegas @ Dallas preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 15, 2019 ) Vegas 2, Dallas 1

Their baffling start to the season is long forgotten now and the Dallas Stars look to continue a prolonged surge when they complete a four-game homestand Monday night against the scuffling Vegas Golden Knights. The Stars, who lost eight of their first nine games (1-7-1), have won six straight contests and boast at least a point in 11 in a row (10-0-1) after Saturday’s 2-1 shootout victory over Chicago.

“It’s a division rival, and I don’t think we were on top of our game like we have been, and we still found a way,” Dallas coach Jim Montgomery told reporters. “We are managing games. We are finding ways to win even when we are not playing at our best, and we are not beating ourselves right now.” The Stars sit three points behind first-place St. Louis in the Central Division and hope to change their fortunes against the Golden Knights after losing the last four meetings, going 1-5-0 in the all-time series. Vegas has not been at its top form of late, though, as the Golden Knights own two wins in their past nine games (2-5-2) after suffering a 4-2 loss to Pacific Division-leading Edmonton on Saturday at home. “It was disappointing from the start right to the finish,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant told reporters after the loss. “The execution wasn’t there tonight, but it’s gotta start with competing and battling and winning those battles. Get your nose dirty a little bit. … We just didn’t have any push back and that’s what disappoints me with our group.”

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Vegas), FS Southwest (Dallas)

ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (11-10-4): William Karlsson (team-high 23 points) was kept off the scoresheet for the third straight game Saturday and did not have a shot on net against Edmonton while fellow forward Max Pacioretty (22 points) has been blanked in the last two. Center Cody Eakin has come through with all three of his goals on the season in the past four games and defenseman Shea Theodore scored Saturday for his fourth point in five contests. Veteran center Paul Stastny is slated to play his 900th NHL game Monday and remains two points shy of 700 - one of which came in his past 12 outings.

ABOUT THE STARS (14-8-2): Versatile forward Roope Hintz returned to the lineup Saturday after missing seven games because of a lower-body injury and recorded his team-leading 10th goal - the fourth in his last four contests. Defenseman John Klingberg had an assist on the Hintz goal after sitting out the previous six contests with a lower-body injury, but forward Justin Dowling left the game with an upper-body ailment and his status is uncertain. Anton Khudobin got the victory in net Saturday and that should mean Ben Bishop (8-5-1, .926 save percentage) will be back Monday to go for his sixth straight victory.

OVERTIME

1. Vegas G Marc-Andre Fleury (11-6-2, .919 SP) is 11-5-0 with a .926 SP in 16 career games against the Stars.

2. Dallas C Tyler Seguin had eight of his team-high 19 points in four games before being blanked Saturday despite six shots on net.

3. The Golden Knights were eighth on the power play and fourth in penalty killing entering Sunday’s games.

PREDICTION: Stars 3, Golden Knights 2