Predators seek to rebound vs. Stars

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Some coaches will implore their teams to take the memory of a bad loss and toss it in the trash, preferring to focus on the next game.

Not Nashville Predators coach Peter Laviolette, not after Saturday's 7-4 loss to the Florida Panthers that featured numerous defensive breakdowns, a spate of penalties and arguably their least-inspired game of the year in Bridgestone Arena.

"I don't want us to throw this game in the trash can," Laviolette said. "I want them to go home and wrestle with it all night."

Nashville won't have to wrestle with it for long, as it plays its last game before a five-day bye Sunday when it hosts the Dallas Stars.

At 26-21-8, the Predators remain tied with the Los Angeles Kings for the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. They'll face a team that is in desperate straits and played like it Saturday.

Dallas (22-24-10), which won the Central Division last season and will need a huge finish to earn a playoff spot, took baby steps in that direction by stopping Carolina 5-2 Saturday in Dallas. The Stars took a 3-0 lead just over six minutes into the game and cruised from there, with Patrick Eaves netting a pair of goals to give him a team-high 21.

How stunning is that performance? Coming into the season, Eaves' prior career high was 20 as a rookie in 2005-06 with Ottawa. In his last 10 seasons, he's managed no more than 14 goals in a season and entering 2016-17 with 99 goals for his career.

"He deserves a lot of credit," said linemate Jamie Benn. "He has put in a lot of work this year, saves all his energy for games. He's a hard-working guy and people don't see what he does on his days off, but it's paying off, so it's good to see him scoring goals."

The result snapped a four-game skid for Dallas, which even with the victory trails Nashville and Los Angeles by six points for a wild-card spot. To keep from being sellers at the March 1 trading deadline, it will need a long points streak.

The Stars own wins in two of their previous three games with the Predators, edging them 2-1 on Oct. 18 in Nashville and routing them 5-2 on Dec. 8. Kari Lehtonen has backstopped both wins, but also played Saturday, meaning that Antti Niemi (10-8-4, 3.20 goals-against average) could get the call on Sunday.

It's not known who will start for the Predators on Sunday. Pekka Rinne (21-15-6) allowed four goals on 16 shots in Saturday's loss, a 180-degree turn from his 1.83 goals-against average and .939 save percentage since Jan. 1. Juuse Saros played the last 32 minutes and saved 18 of 20 shots.

Neither goalie got much help from their teammates, which hemorrhaged giveaways and penalties. Nashville hacked up the puck 11 times, with at least two leading directly to goals, and took 26 minutes of penalties while giving Florida six power plays.

"It was gross," Laviolette said of his team's play. "We didn't play with any purpose ... there was no passion, no effort."