Watch Gameday Preview: Dallas Stars @ Minnesota Wild. Dallas Stars have life, and now is the Chicago Blackhawks, who will watch on television to see how their fate is decided. Detroit Red Wings played a game quite amazing and bent but not broken. Stars fans owe them a debt of gratitude, if distasteful the idea may be.

I spent the better part of two hours of the morning thinking about what I put here in this space would have been a result of a little 'less than favorable. We were going to say, "Well, enjoy this the last game, because there will no longer be completed until October," and so on. We were getting around the big picture stuff and try to focus on tonight. Tomorrow should be the best time to begin the autopsy. Now, however, we have the most significant game in our hands by May 2008.

The autopsy was postponed temporarily, but could be back with something small that a regulation or overtime win. Their fate is still at the tip of a knife, and the task is daunting: to win your fifth straight game. They made a couple of times already this season. Can they do it again?

Minnesota is a pushover this year. Stars are 3-0 against Minnesota and have outscored them 12-3 margin in total including two shutouts. Their last Xcel Energy Center was a 4-0 shutout at the beginning of January, with Jamie Langenbrunner's first game back in the lineup.

Dallas won both games is Xcel Energy Center from a disastrous 2001-2002 season, as far as Minnesota has allowed itself to be kicked in Dallas, have defended their home ice reasonably well.

The Stars finished the season in Minnesota last year, so a 4-3 victory shootout with Jamie Benn get the winner. Not going today, and a draw could result in delays in decisions crazy enough before Marc Crawford ...

We've talked about this week, but if the stars are reflected in the extra time, which probably will make the decision to withdraw its goal Kari Lehtonen in a position of strength again. It is a low percentage game, and a show, but it must be done, because to reach the playoffs eliminates the shooting star and would be a bitter pill to swallow bitter after today's events in Chicago.

The stars have many things in his favor that could help avoid the situation.

Jose Theodore started in net. He is 3-11-4 against the Stars in his career with an average of 3.48 and a save percentage of .886. It looks promising, but never underestimate the ability to make goalies on a game unexpectedly.

Then there is the injury situation, which will sit Martin Havlat game with an upper part of body injured, and Cam Barker will be. Center John Madden is questionable. Still Miko Koivu, who scored twice against the Stars, December 4, and a complete list of names to recognize, unlike Colorado, the other night.

Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen
Pierre-Marc Bouchard - Kyle Brodziak - Cal Clutterbuck
Brad Staubitz - Eric Nystrom - Colton Gillies
Matt Cullen - Carson McMillan - Chuck Kobasew

Brent Burns - Greg Zanon
Drew Bagnall - Maxim Noreau
Jared Spurgeon - Clayton Stoner

Jose Theodore

There's one name on there that should scare the excrement right out of you, and that's Andrew Brunette. He has 34 career points against Dallas and every one of them has been of the devastatingly clutch variety. He is the Shane Doan and Milan Hejduk of his team, and someone we all need to keep an eye on tonight. Beware.

The Dallas lineup is expected to be the same as the last two games, so if Nicklas Grossman returns, it will be in the (potential) playoffs.

In quirky meaningless stats, Sunday on the road has been a good situation for Dallas this year. They've defeated St. Louis, Minnesota, Detroit and Anaheim on the road on Sunday afternoons. No losses. Sunday at HOME has produced only losses (Columbus, Kings, Phoenix).

So that's it. We'll see you on the other side with a game recap and then tomorrow with a whole new world of possibilities or...the other thing.

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