Four Straight Against Winnipeg, Lindell Out, Capobianco In: The Stars Chase a Fourth Straight Win Tonight Against Kyle Connor's Jets

By Nolan Frost, RF Sports Radio Stars voice

Stars Nation, Tuesday was the Mikko Rantanen show. Tonight is about whether the whole team can stack another one. Winnipeg is in town, losing streak and all, and the Stars have owned this matchup lately.

The facts

The Stars (5-3-1) host the Winnipeg Jets (4-3-2) tonight, Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. Central at American Airlines Center, on Amazon Prime and FOX 4, per the Stars' game-day guide. Dallas has won three straight and has won its last four games against Winnipeg. The Stars swept all four meetings last season and scored 16 goals, per Field Level Media via CBS Sports. It is the first of four meetings this season.

The Jets have lost three straight (0-2-1), all by one goal, and seven of their nine games have been one-goal games. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck remains under a team-imposed suspension that is slated to end Friday, per multiple reports cited by FLM, so Stuart Skinner (3-1-2, 2.65 GAA) is the likely starter. Kyle Connor leads Winnipeg with eight goals and 11 points and has 35 career points in 33 games against Dallas.

Dallas will be without defenseman Esa Lindell, out a week or more with a lower-body injury, per DallasStars.com's Mike Heika. Kyle Capobianco steps into a bigger role. "The pace doesn't get to him," coach Glen Gulutzan said. "He's a very skilled defenseman and very competitive." The Stars' penalty kill is third in the NHL at 90.6% after killing all four Boston chances Tuesday. Rantanen leads the team with 11 points, and Jake Oettinger is 4-2-1 with a 1.13 goals-against average and .945 save percentage. "He's just a beast," Wyatt Johnston said of Rantanen.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: this is a classic trap night. Dallas is feeling great after a big overtime win, Winnipeg is desperate, and the Jets play nothing but one-goal games. Desperate teams that stay close are dangerous in the third period, and you know my complaint from Tuesday: two shots in the third against Boston is not good enough.

Lindell's absence is the real test. He is the steady, quiet guy who kills penalties and makes the first pass. Without him, the penalty kill has to prove it is a system, not one player. Capobianco's legs and puck-moving help at five-on-five, but Miro Heiskanen is going to log a lot of minutes.

The matchup I want is Rantanen against Connor. Both are scoring at a point-a-game pace. Whoever wins that battle probably wins the night.

My call: Stars 3, Jets 2, and Dallas makes it four straight. That is a prediction, not a report.

What to watch next

Puck drop is 7 p.m. Central on Prime and FOX 4. Watch third-period shots, the penalty kill without Lindell, and Connor's line. The Islanders visit Sunday at 5 p.m. For Rantanen's overtime hat trick, read our Oct. 21 Stars column on Rantanen's overtime hat trick, and follow the Dallas Stars page.

Radio question: who matters more tonight with Lindell out — Miro Heiskanen or Jake Oettinger?

Sources: DallasStars.com — Game Day Guide: Jets vs. Stars; CBS Sports / Field Level Media — Jets visit surging Stars looking to snap three-game skid.