Dallas @ Anaheim preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 24, 2019 ) Anaheim 1, Dallas 2

The surging Dallas Stars on Thursday try for their sixth straight victory when they visit the struggling Anaheim Ducks. Dallas began its four-game road trip with a 2-1 victory over Los Angeles on Wednesday - moving into a tie for second in the Central Division with the Avalanche - as back-up goaltender Anton Khudobin earned wins in consecutive starts while allowing No. 1 Ben Bishop to take a break.

Anaheim has lost four of its last five games following a 4-3 setback to Columbus on Tuesday, leaving the Ducks with the second-fewest points in the Western Conference. Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf has a goal and four assists in his last two games after missing the scoresheet in his previous eight contests. Thursday's game was to be Corey Perry's first in Anaheim since he left the Ducks and signed with Dallas during the offseason but the owner of 375 career goals is serving a five-game suspension for his illegal hit to the head of Nashville's Dan Ellis on Jan. 1. Perry, who is allowed to travel with the team, told the Dallas Morning News that missing his return to Anaheim was disappointing "but you move on, you get over it. I was looking forward to it. It was exciting for myself, my family to go back there. I’ll have to wait ’til April.”

TIME: 10 p.m. ET. TV: FS Southwest, Prime Ticket

ABOUT THE STARS (25-14-4): Bishop (14-9-3, 2.33 goals-against average, .926 save percentage) is expected to be in goal Wednesday, which would be his first action since he made 31 saves in a 4-2 victory over Nashville in the Winter Classic on Jan. 1. Jamie Benn on Wednesday scored his third goal in the last seven games, giving him 10 this season and 11 straight double-digit campaigns to begin his career. Esa Lindell recorded two assists against Los Angeles and has seven of his 14 this season in the last four games while Tyler Seguin extended his team-high point total to 33 with an assist.

ABOUT THE DUCKS (17-21-5): Jakob Silfverberg, who has a team-high 15 goals, left Tuesday's game in the first period with an upper-body injury. Rickard Rakell, whose 25 points are third on the club behind Getzlaf (30) and Silfverberg (28), returned Tuesday after missing six games with a wrist injury and was a minus-2 with four shots. John Gibson (13-16-3, 2.95, .906), who backed up Ryan Miller versus Columbus, has surrendered four goals in each of his last three games.

OVERTIME

1. Dallas is 4-for-9 on the power play in its last three games.

2. Anaheim averages 2.53 goals per contest - third-worst in the league behind Detroit and Los Angeles.

3. The Stars prevailed 2-1 on Oct. 24 behind Denis Gurianov's first career two-goal game.

PREDICTION: Ducks 3, Stars 2