The Dallas Stars will open the NHL Playoffs on Wednesday evening as they travel on the road to Bridgestone Arena for a Western Conference showdown against the Nashville Predators.

Watch Live Now::



The Predators surprised everyone by stealing the Central Division crown away with the Winnipeg Jets in the final days of the regular season. Nashville finished with 100 points by going 7-2-1 over their final 10 games, while the Jets went 4-5-1 over their final 10 contests and finished with 99 points — which was tied for second-place with the St. Louis Blues. Meanwhile, Dallas earned the top Wild Card spot in the West thanks to some stellar defense and goaltending down the stretch of the year.Dallas closed the regular season with a 3-0 victory over the Minnesota Wild to win for the fifth time in their last seven games and clinch the top Wild Card slot in the Western Conference. Tyler Seguin scored twice and Ben Bishop stopped all 24 shots to finish off the regular season with a shutout victory.The Stars played four games against Nashville during the regular season, finishing 2-1-2 in those contests. Offense has been hard to come by for the Stars this season, but rookie head coach Jim Montgomery has them playing a tough-checking defensive structure that has worked for the most part. Dallas has also benefited from spectacular goaltending between Bishop and backup Anton Khudobin.Bishop is scheduled to be between the pipes for the Stars first game of their opening round series against the Predators. The 32-year-old goaltender is coming off one of his most impressive seasons to date, compiling a 27-15-2 overall record to go along with a stingy 1.98 GAA and a .934 save percentage in 45 starts this year. Bishop is among the year-end candidates to take home the Vezina Trophy, especially after leading the NHL in GAA and guiding the Stars to the postseason. He made only one start versus the Predators this season, allowing five goals on 34 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss to Nashville on Nov. 10.Dallas has scored only 2.55 goals per game this season (tied for 28th in the NHL), but they rank near the top of the NHL in almost every other major statistical category. The Stars have allowed only 2.44 goals per contest (5th in the NHL) and they will have the advantage in this series on special teams, where they have converted on a healthy 21.0 percent of their power play opportunities and killed off 82.8 percent of their total penalties for the season (82.8 percent).Nashville finished off the regular season in style, winning five of their last six games to stave off the surging St. Louis Blues and overtake the struggling Winnipeg Jets for the Central Division crown. The Predators ended the year riding a three-game winning streak after overwhelming the Chicago Blackhawks in a 5-2 victory in the regular season finale. Nashville rallied from down two goals in the first period, scoring five unanswered goals, including three in the third to clinch the division for the second straight season. Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg were among the five players that scored for the Predators, while Pekka Rinne stopped 31 of 33 shots on the night to come away with a victory.Rinne is expected to patrol the crease for Nashville in Game 1 of their first-round matchup against the Stars. The 36-year-old cruised through the regular season, finishing with a 30-19-4 overall record to go along with a 2.42 GAA and a .918 save percentage in 55 starts. He made three starts against Dallas this year, going 1-2 with a 2.77 GAA and a .916 save percentage in those matchups.Nashville has scored 2.88 goals per game (19th in the NHL) this season and allowed only 2.59 goals per contest (tied for 3rd in the NHL). The Predators’ power play was tough to watch this season though, as they converted on a paltry 12.9 percent of their opportunities with the man advantage (31st in the NHL), while killing off 82.1 percent of their total penalties for the year (6th in the NHL).