An early-season clash marks a big test for the Dallas Stars as they take on the first-place Winnipeg Jets. With both teams eager to make a statement, Saturday’s matchup will offer the Stars a chance to gauge their standing in the NHL through the first month of the season.
Dallas has won eight of their first 12 games while getting key contributions from a pair of veteran forwards. Meanwhile, Winnipeg sits atop the Western Conference with a league-leading 26 points and features one of the NHL’s best goaltenders and a balanced scoring attack.
How to watch: The 2 p.m. CT puck drop at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg will be broadcast on Victory+, and you can hear the radio call on The Ticket.
Stars’ veteran duo
The best line this season for the Stars has featured Matt Duchene and Tyler Seguin, usually paired with Mason Marchment but the winger missed his last game with an undisclosed injury. Marchment did practice Friday and looks to be ready for Saturday.
Duchene and Seguin are setting the pace offensively for this team, accounting for 35 percent of the team’s goals and nearly half their power-play goals—mostly from the second unit.
Seguin is near the top of the NHL in shooting percentage at 42.9 percent in eight games this season. Duchene is not far behind at 35 percent in 12 games. This veteran duo faces a daunting challenge Saturday against one of the league’s best.
How good are the Jets?
The Jets have blasted through the first 14 games this season, losing just once while outscoring opponents at a plus-33 goal differential. The Jets are only the second team in NHL history to notch 13 wins in their first 14 games of a season, along with the 2007-08 Senators.
Of course, it starts with all-universe goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. The Michigan native is coming off back-to-back shutouts this week, which includes blanking the Avs on Thursday in a 35-save performance for his 40th career shutout. The matchup with the Stars has all the makings of a low-scoring goalie duel.
The Jets are also getting a boost in secondary scoring in 5-on-5 play from the likes of Nino Niederreiter, Adam Lowry and Mason Appleton. The usual suspects of Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele on the Jets’ top line are both averaging over a point per game. Add in Danish winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who earlier this month became the highest-scoring Demark player in NHL history, and the Jets now feature balanced scoring to compliment outstanding goaltending.
Dallas Stars Lineup
Jason Robertson (21) – Roope Hintz (24) – Evgenii Dadonov (63)
Mason Marchment (27) – Matt Duchene (95) – Tyler Seguin (91)
Jamie Benn (14) – Wyatt Johnston (53) – Logan Stankoven (11)
Sam Steel (18) – Mavrik Bourque (22) – Colin Blackwell (15)
Miro Heiskanen (4) – Matt Dumba (3)
Esa Lindell (23) – Nils Lundqvist (5)
Thomas Harley (55) – Ilya Lyubushkin (46)
Jake Oettinger (29)
Casey DeSmith (1)
Winnipeg Jets Lineup
Kyle Connor (81) – Mark Scheifele (55) – Gabriel Vilardi (13)
Cole Perfetti (91) – Vladislav Namestnikov (7) – Nikolaj Ehlers (21)
Nino Niederreiter (62) – Adam Lowry (17) – Mason Appleton (22)
Morgan Barron (36) – Rasmus Kupari (15) – Alex Iafallo (9)
Josh Morrissey (44) – Dylan DeMelo (2)
Dylan Samberg (54) – Neal Pionk (4)
Logan Stanley (64) – Colin Miller (6)
Connor Hellebuyck (37)
Eric Comrie (28)
Things to Watch
Logan Stankoven
The Stars winger leads all rookies in scoring with 12 points (two goals and 10 assists) in 12 games. Stankhoven scored an empty-netter on Thursday against the Blackhawks, while adding an assist, and went plus-2 in Thursday’s 3-1 win over Chicago.
Jets PP vs Stars PK
When two of the league’s best units square off, something’s got to give, right? Winnipeg boasts the most efficient power play unit in the league, converting at an NHL-best 42.1 percent, while the Stars are killing penalties with a top-5 PK at 86.8 percent.
Esa Lindell
The game could turn into a defensive battle, where the best defenders shine. Lindell has been nothing short of that for the Stars again this season. Watch this brilliant play he made on Connor Bedard in Thursday’s win over the Blackhawks.