Penguins-Stars preview

The Penguins will open the regular season tonight at 8:38 against Dallas at the American Airlines Center.

Some news and notes, numbers and quotes heading into that game:

*** Penguins winger David Perron will be appearing in his 500th NHL game.

*** The Penguins are 40-17-4 in October in the past five seasons and have won four season-openers in a row.

*** Center Sidney Crosby said he and right winger Phil Kessel have been developing chemistry, although it remains a work-in-progress. “We’re getting there,” Crosby said. “I think we’ve gotten more used to each other with time. It will be an adjustment and we’ll talk things out a lot, but I think the main thing is that you’re seeing improvement and you feel more comfortable out there. I think we’ll be at the point pretty soon where there shouldn’t be too much that we have to discuss, as far as where guys are going to be and things like that. We should have that down pretty quickly, I think.”

*** The Penguins have won a league-high 230 games over the past five regular seasons.

*** Defenseman Olli Maatta will be playing in a game for the first time since last Dec. 6. He conceded that he is “absolutely” nervous after being sidelined for so long after undergoing shoulder surgery.

*** Penguins winger Daniel Sprong is one of six 2015 draft choices who will begin the season in the NHL and will make his NHL debut this evening. “Sprong has his gear on, I think, 20 minutes before the morning skate,” Crosby said. “It’s fun to see that, as a teammate. We’ve all been there.”

*** Dallas has won three of its past four games against the Penguins and is 9-2-3 against them in Texas since the franchise relocated from Minnesota.

*** Dallas scored 257 goals, second-most in the NHL, last season, and added skilled winger Patrick Sharp during the offseason. “They are exceptionally dangerous when we’re carrying the puck through the neutral zone and they’re able to turn it over and go the other way,” Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy said. “They have so much speed and offensive talent that if we’re careless with the puck, they’re going to turn it the other way and finish all the time.”

*** Crosby noted that Dallas tends to start well at home, and said the Penguins can’t afford to be passive. “You can’t wait for things to happen out there,” he said. “We’re going to try to be on the attack and put them on their heels. Both teams want to play a fast game. It’s just a matter of who’s going to do it better.”

*** Four of the Penguins’ eight defensemen are 24 or younger.

*** Penguins coach Mike Johnston said, “I don’t anticipate there are going to be a lot of challenges” by coaches this season, even though they can request video reviews this season.

*** Sharp, on Kessel: “I’m a fan of Phil Kessel. I think he’s a great player. He’s fun to watch.” He added that Crosby and Kessel playing on the same line “will be pretty special to watch.”

*** The Stars are 14-3-4 in home openers since moving to Texas.

*** Stars coach Lindy Ruff: “The Penguins have a little different look with Kessel. They have another weapon that you have to be aware of.”