The Vancouver Canucks (43-27-4) wrap up a three-game home stand tonight when they host the Dallas Stars (36-29-10) at Rogers Arena. With Calgary's loss in Minnesota last night, the Canucks magic number for clinching a Pacific Division playoff spot has been reduced to 6 (any combination of Vancouver victories and outright losses for the Flames).

The Canucks are looking to get back on track after a 4-1 loss to Colorado on Thursday night. That loss snapped a three-game win streak. Yannick Weber scored the lone Vancouver goal – and the defenseman has now scored in three straight games and has three goals and two assists for five points on a four-game point streak. Five of Weber's nine goals on the season have come in the past 14 games. Alex Edler has a goal and three assists on a four game streak.

The production from the defensemen has helped the Canucks power play score once in each of in the past four games – going 4/10 in that span. Weber's third period power play goal on Thursday was the Canucks 39th PPG of the season matching the team's total from last season.

While the blue line and power play are heating up, a handful of Canucks have gone cold offensively -- Alex Burrows has 2 goals in his past 15 games, Shawn Matthias has just a pair of empty net points in his last 12 outings, Linden Vey is without a point in his last nine games and Jannik Hansen has one goal in his last 8 contests. Even the Sedins have just one non-empty net goal between them in the past 11 games. As a team, the Canucks have a total of 20 non-empty net goals in their past 10 games.

First period offense remains an issue for the Canucks who have one first period goal in their past six games and just four first period goals in their last 12 games. The Canucks are now 27th in the league in first period goals with 45 ahead of only Buffalo, Florida and Montreal. At the other end of the spectrum, the Stars are tied for the league lead with the NY Rangers. Both teams have struck 71 times in the opening period of hockey games this season.

However, Dallas didn't score in any period last night in a 4-0 loss in Edmonton. The Stars surrendered the first goal to Jordan Eberle just 33 seconds after the opening face-off and then gave up three third period goals. Kari Lehtonen allowed four goals on 28 shots.

The loss snapped a four-game win streak and is just the second Dallas defeat in the past nine games – both losses have been shutouts (3-0 vs STL and 4-0 vs EDM).

The Stars are the second-highest scoring team in the NHL (3.04 goals per game) but are 26th defensively allowing 3.16 goals per game.

Victoria's Jamie Benn starts the day sixth in NHL scoring with 27+44=71. John Klingberg is the highest-scoring rookie defenseman in the league with 10+27=37 two points ahead of Florida's Aaron Ekblad.

The Stars have won the two previous meetings between these teams this season including a 2-0 shutout victory at Rogers Arena on December 17th. Dallas, Tampa Bay and Nashville are the only teams in the league the Canucks have not defeated this season.

It's expected that Eddie Lack and Kari Lehtonen will get the starts in goal tonight.