Winnipeg @ Dallas preview

Winnipeg at Dallas

Last Meeting ( Feb 29, 2024 ) Winnipeg 1, Dallas 4

First place in the Central Division will be on the line for the host Dallas Stars when they welcome the Winnipeg Jets to town on Thursday night.

A win in any fashion for Dallas (50-20-9, 109 points) would ensure it clinches first place in the Central.

"Me personally, no," said Stars forward Mason Marchment when asked if he has been paying attention to the race for first. "I try not to worry about that stuff and let it take care of itself. ... We're rolling really good right now and everyone is pulling their weight."

Marchment made those comments after a 3-2 home win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, setting a franchise record for most comeback wins in a season with 25 -- half of the Stars' victories this season.

"It's a testament to our character and our leadership that we can recover," Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said. "It also is a little bit of a red flag that we're behind in games like that early. ... We give up the first goal quite a bit, so that's something we've got to fix come playoff time."

The Stars have given up the first goal in 40 of the 79 games they have played so far this season.

The goaltending matchup on Thursday night is also intriguing, with Dallas' Jake Oettinger and Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck potentially starting at opposite ends.

Over his past eight games, Oettinger is 8-0-0 with a pair of shutouts. He has posted a 1.63 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage during that span.

Hellebuyck is also heating up at the right time, going 3-0-0 over his past three starts with a 2.31 GAA and a .935 save percentage. He most recently made a season-high 45 saves in a 4-3 overtime victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.

Beyond their security between the pipes, the Jets (48-24-6, 102 points) are still looking to sort out their top six. Repeated shuffling continued on Tuesday after some puck management issues saw Nikolaj Ehlers moved down. Kyle Connor was reunited with Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi on the top line after Connor spent the past four games on the second line.

"Yeah, I liked that," said Jets coach Rick Bowness when asked about the move. "Things weren't going our way, so we always have that in our back pocket that we're going to make some adjustments for the first couple of lines. And we did."

While catching the Stars might be mathematically far-fetched -- down seven points on Dallas with four games left -- Winnipeg only trails the second-place Avalanche by two points, putting it within striking distance.

The Jets play Colorado on Saturday.

"We're going to fight for home ice and the division until we can't no more," Winnipeg defenseman Dylan DeMelo said. "A huge game obviously against Dallas and, I'm not looking too far ahead, but obviously a big one against Colorado.

"We want home ice, there's no doubt about it. The ability to sleep in your own bed, less travel and be able to get matchups, that's a big thing. That matters. It's not everything, but if we can get it, we'll try to get it."

Jets forward Nino Niederreiter will miss Thursday's game but could return against Colorado.

--Field Level Media