Dallas @ Vegas preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 9, 2018 ) Dallas 2, Vegas 4

The Vegas Golden Knights expected to have a tough time matching the stunning run to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season, but they showed at Monday's trade deadline that they are not content to take a step back. Vegas made a blockbuster trade to acquire Mark Stone, who could make his debut when the Golden Knights host the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night.

Stone, arguably the No. 1 prize on the trade market, agreed to an eight-year contract extension after he was acquired from Ottawa for top prospect Erik Brannstrom, forward Oscar Lindberg and a 2020 second-round draft pick. “He should definitely bring a lot of energy to our room,” coach Gerard Gallant said. "He’s a great all-around player. He’s definitely going to help us.” While Stone provides an immediate spark for Vegas, the Stars must regroup from one of their trades that went awry as Mats Zuccarello suffered a broken arm in his first game with the club. Dallas squandered a three-goal lead before squeezing out a 4-3 win at Chicago on Sunday to maintain its hold on the top wild card in the Western Conference.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, FS Southwest (Dallas), AT&T Sportsnet-Rocky Mountain (Vegas)

ABOUT THE STARS (31-26-5): Zuccarello, acquired from the New York Rangers for a pair of draft picks, will undergo surgery Tuesday and is expected to be re-evaluated after four weeks. "It's a surgery to put a plate in place. It just helps it to heal faster. It's nothing major," Dallas general manager Jim Nill said. "It was a very clean break and the surgery makes sure it stays in place so it heals faster." Captain Jamie Benn, second on the team in goals (21) and third in points (41), had to exit Sunday's game due to an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day but Nill had no update on his status.

ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (32-26-5): Stone is considered one of the league's top defensive forwards but he will be counted on to put a jolt in the offense after scoring a career-high 28 goals to go with 34 assists in 59 games with the Senators. The 26-year-old Stone has scored at least 20 goals in five consecutive seasons and is just three points shy of eclipsing his career high of 64 set in 2014-15. “Hopefully, it gives us a boost,” Golden Knights forward Reilly Smith said. “We haven’t been playing our best hockey as of late. He’s a talented player who works hard so he should be a good addition to our team.”

OVERTIME

1. Vegas has lost seven of its last eight (1-6-1) at T-Mobile Arena.

2. Stars F Alexander Radulov has scored in back-to-back games and needs one point to reach 50 for the third straight season.

3. Stone has two goals and nine points in nine games versus Dallas.

PREDICTION: Golden Knights 3, Stars 2