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Red-hot Lehtinen leads Stars vs. inconsistent Predators

Feb 23, 2008 - 2:52 PM Dallas (38-22-5) at Nashville (32-23-8) 8:00 pm EST

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) - The Dallas Stars have been on fire lately and at least part of their success can be attributed to the return of Jere Lehtinen.

Lehtinen and the Stars look to continue their winning ways on Saturday when they visit the Nashville Predators.

The 34-year-old Lehtinen scored two power-play goals to help Dallas claim a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday - their 10th win in their last 12 games.

Lehtinen, who has 10 goals and 19 assists, missed 33 games earlier this season after suffering an abdominal injury that required surgery. The three-time Selke Award winner, who missed just 11 total games over Dallas' previous two seasons, has four goals and six assists in 11 games since returning.

The Predators are trying to bounce back from a 3-2 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. Nashville tied a team record with 51 shots on goal, but only Jason Arnott and Marek Zidlicky found the back of the net with both goals coming on the power play.

Despite posting just a 2-1-2 record over their last five games, Nashville has won both meetings against Dallas this season after losing six of the previous seven in the series.