Series Overview – Nashville Predators vs Dallas Stars

This matchup is more than just a 1st-round battle—it's a collision of contrasting styles and narratives. The Nashville Predators enter the playoffs on fire, thanks in large part to a mid-season goalie acquisition and elite top-end performances. The Dallas Stars, despite some question marks in goal, boast one of the deepest forward units in the NHL and have also won 13 of their last 16 games.

The twist? Nashville swept the regular-season series, winning all 4 games, including a final tune-up just before the playoffs began. That gives the Preds a mental edge right out of the gate.

Offense

Nashville Predators
The Predators rely heavily on their top line of Anze Kopitar (45-52-97) and Tyler Seguin (40-49-89), both of whom had excellent seasons. However, their scoring depth is a concern, and they may need Gustav Nyquist (29-47-76) or Clayton Keller (30-38-68) to overperform again to keep pace. Rounding out the top six for Nashville are Mikeal Backlund (24-37-61), Martin Necas (22-30-52) and Vladimir Tarasenko (22-29-51). Offense has not been a concern for the Predators as they have the 3^rd best offense in the league.

Dallas Stars
Dallas’ forward group is stacked. All six players in the top two lines have significant offensive upside. Panarin’s resurgence since the trade deadline adds another layer of danger that wasn’t there earlier in the season. Dallas finished with the 4^th best offense in the league, matching the Predators in every way. The team is led by William Nylander (37-42-79) and Jesper Bratt (23-56-79). There is a lot of depth in the top six with the addition of Artemi Panarin (18-21-39) who has 21 of his points since joining Dallas. Rounding out the top six is Steven Stamkos (33-40-73), Elias Lindholm (29-34-63) and Mark Scheifele (19-36-55).

Advantage: Even

Defense

Nashville Predators
Nashville’s defense is top-heavy, relying heavily on John Carlson (12-54-66) to move the puck and contribute offensively. If he gets neutralized, it could expose the team’s lack of puck-moving depth. Nick Leddy (2-39-41) has done a solid job at being a second option, but the rest of the lineup’s main focus is on defense. Ben Chiarot (7-22-29) and Erik Gudbranson (4-23-27) will be relied upon to shut down the Stars offense.

Dallas Stars
Dallas has a deeper and more balanced defensive corps, with several capable of playing big minutes and contributing on both ends. Cam Fowler (19-54-73) gives them their own version of Carlson, but with more support around him. Supporting Fowler is Hampus Lindholm (11-34-45), Brett Pesce (8-30-38) and Alec Martinez (11-26-37). They aren’t as strong defensively as Nashville, but can be relied upon as a secondary source of offense.

Advantage: Even

Goaltending

Nashville Predators
This is a wild card. Nashville’s main weakness all season has been between the pipes. Filip Gustavsson (36-12-5, 2.90, .903%) just couldn’t be relied on to get the job done. At the deadline, Sheds made a bold move by acquiring Laurent Brossoit (13-1-1, 1.63, .939%). Brossoit has been the leagues hottest goaltender since the trade and could be the difference maker in this series.

Dallas Stars
Igor Shesterkin (42-21-8, 2.87, .907%) is capable of brilliance, but this year he’s been average at best, and his workload is a serious concern. If he falters, Dallas doesn’t have a reliable backup option ready to step in. Shesterkin will have to be on his game for Dallas to win. Goaltending will prove to be very important in this series.

Advantage: Even

By The Numbers

Nashville Predators
These two teams are so similar, yet so different. While Nashville has the edge in goal differential (2^nd best in league vs 9^th best in league), Dallas has been a different team since the deadline. One weakness for Nashville is their special teams. Their Power Play ranks 15^th best and their Penalty Kill ranks 14^th best. They need to clean this up if they want a deep playoff run. The season series was swept by the Nashville Predators, winning all four games this season, including the final game which they took it to the Stars with a 4-1 victory.

Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars went on a run to end the season to finish securely in a playoff spot. At the halfway point of this season, Dallas was on the outside looking in but were able to turn it around, thanks in large part to the additions of Artemi Panarin and Ian Cole. Igor Shesterkin looked much better to end the season. Dallas’ Power Play ranks first overall in the entire league and that could be a key to victory for them. Their Penalty Kill only ranked 17^th though. The fact they got swept in four games by the Predators once already this season doesn’t bode well for them.

Predictions
While on paper, this looks like the most evenly matched series, the results during the Regular Season show the exact opposite. You have one team who took a weakness (goaltending), and secured it with a trade deadline acquisition, and then you have another team who struggled offensively, and fixed it with the addition of Artemi Panarin. I’m going to go with the Regular Season results and pick the Nashville Predators to win this series in six games.