<p>Nashville is a place where the fun and unexpected happens. On Thursday night, a familiar face to the Music City unexpectedly had fun.</p>



<p>The Nashville Predators welcomed the Dallas Stars to town, and the Stars slapped the home team around, winning 9-2. In the victory, former Predator Matt Duchene continued his hot streak, scoring a pair of goals, giving him six points in three games.</p>



<p>On top of that, Duchene had a little extra excitement after the game. He hit up Broadway, performing a set at Tootsies, a popular establishment just across the street from Bridgestone Arena. </p>



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Now performing: Matt Duchene 🎸🎶 <a href="https://t.co/eRcvl96AbB">pic.twitter.com/eRcvl96AbB</a></p>— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) <a href="https://twitter.com/DallasStars/status/1758358882374516938?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



<p>Duchene’s love for country music came from following his dad, Vince, to a number of gigs during his childhood, with Matt taking up playing as he grew older. His love and passion for the genre was bolstered when he signed a seven-year contract with the Predators in July 2019. He has rubbed shoulders with many country music stars, befriending Jake Owen and Thomas Rhett.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="168"></div>



<p>Thursday night was also a revenge game for Duchene. His time in Nashville was rocky, as the team struggled to find past success while paying his $8 million cap hit. Duchene was eventually bought out after the 2022-23 campaign, just one season removed from scoring 86 points. He talked about how tough it was to leave a team that played in a city he enjoyed living in <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/frankly-speaking-matt-duchene-on-the-emotional-side-of-leaving-a-place-you-love?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=twitter">during a recent episode of Frankly Speaking</a>.</p>



<p>The Haliburton, Ontario native signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Stars, and has played like his former self with a team looking to make a deep run in the playoffs. Through 53 games, Duchene was scored 21 goals and 31 assists, second on the team in scoring behind Jason Robertson.</p>



<p>In 1,029 games, Duchene has scored 337 goals and 459 assists, including 25 points in 32 games. </p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="144"></div>



<p>The Stars (34-14-6) have maneuvered their way to first in the Central Division, four points ahead of the Colorado Avalanche.</p>
