Colorado Avalanche (34-20-5, third in the Central Division) vs. Dallas Stars (32-16-13, first in the Central Division)
Dallas; Saturday, 3:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Dallas Stars host the Colorado Avalanche after Roope Hintz recorded a hat trick in the Stars' 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Dallas has a 32-16-13 record overall and a 12-3-4 record in Central Division play. The Stars have a 27-6-5 record in games they score at least three goals.
Colorado is 34-20-5 overall and 12-4-1 against the Central Division. The Avalanche have a +25 scoring differential, with 186 total goals scored and 161 conceded.
The teams meet Saturday for the third time this season. The Avalanche won 3-2 in a shootout in the previous matchup. Nathan MacKinnon led the Avalanche with two goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jason Robertson has 35 goals and 39 assists for the Stars. Wyatt Johnston has one goal and five assists over the last 10 games.
MacKinnon has 24 goals and 49 assists for the Avalanche. Mikko Rantanen has seven goals and four assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Stars: 4-3-3, averaging 2.7 goals, four assists, 2.7 penalties and 5.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
Avalanche: 7-2-1, averaging 3.8 goals, six assists, four penalties and 10.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.
INJURIES: Stars: Joel Kiviranta: out (lower body), Luke Glendening: out (lower body), Scott Wedgewood: day to day (undisclosed).
Avalanche: Kurtis MacDermid: day to day (concussion), Cale Makar: out (concussion), Pavel Francouz: out (lower body), Erik Johnson: out (ankle), Gabriel Landeskog: out (knee), Darren Helm: out (lower body).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press