The Dallas Stars will try to extend their home winning streak to nine games when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. With the playoffs approaching, the Stars are hoping to start gelling with new additions for a post-season run.
The Stars have been dominant at the AAC this season, posting a 25-6-1 record on home ice (tied with Winnipeg for the most home wins in the West). That surge continued Tuesday night when Dallas rallied for a 4-3 overtime win against the Ducks to extend their home winning streak to eight games – their longest since early 2006.
Mikael Granlund sealed the victory 2:32 into overtime with his second goal of the night. Thomas Harley added a goal and two assists, while Wyatt Johnston also scored. Jake Oettinger made 22 saves as Dallas maintained its stronghold at the AAC. The Stars last lost on home ice back on Jan. 21 against Carolina.
Seeing Granlund, acquired in a February trade with San Jose, score twice is a positive sign for the Stars. The 33-year-old’s overtime goal marked his 600th career point. Granlund has been playing on the second line alongside Mason Marchment and Matt Duchene, and that trio should generate plenty of scoring chances for Dallas.
Mikko Rantanen, another key addition added in a blockbuster trade deadline move, has fit in seamlessly on the top line with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz. Although his return to Denver on Sunday didn’t result in a win, Rantanen assisted on Robertson’s goal to open the scoring and added two shots in the 4-3 overtime loss to the Avs. He has recorded four points in his first five games with the Stars.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is coming off a 2-0 win over Philly on Monday where Andrei Vasilevskiy recorded his sixth shutout of the season after stopping 21 shots. Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel scored for Tampa Bay.
How to watch: You can watch the puck drop at 7 p.m. from AAC on Victory+. As always, catch the radio call on The Ticket.
Is Heiskanen in or out?
A lot of publicity was made this week about Miro Heiskanen’s status for the first round of the playoffs, after coach Pete DeBoer said it’s possible Heiskanen could miss the opening round.
Heiskanen has been out since Jan. 28 after injuring his knee in a collision with Vegas’ Mark Stone. The Stars’ regular season will end on April 16 with the first round of the playoffs starting a few days later. The 25-year-old defenseman is a key part of the team’s blueline and the Stars’ hopes for a deep playoff run.
DeBoer clarified Wednesday that Heiskanen’s status is still very much unknown and that his comment “has taken on a life of it’s own, somehow.”
“Of course it’s a possibility he’s not ready,” said DeBoer after practice Wednesday. “But it’s also a possibility he is ready.”
Dallas Stars Lineup
Jason Robertson (21) – Roope Hintz (24) – Mikko Rantanen (96)
Mason Marchment (27) – Matt Duchene (95) – Mikael Granlund (64)
Jamie Benn (14) – Wyatt Johnston (53) – Mavrik Bourque (22)
Oskar Bäck (10) – Sam Steel (18) – Colin Blackwell (15)
Thomas Harley (55) – Ilya Lyubushkin (46)
Esa Lindell (23) – Cody Ceci (44)
Lian Bichsel (6) – Matt Dumba (46)
Jake Oettinger (29)
Casey DeSmith (1)
Stars lineup notes: Per Bruce Levin, Tyler Seguin was seen on the ice Thursday morning. Seguin last played in December after having hip surgery. He slated to return before the end of the regular season.
Tyler Seguin on the ice shooting warmup shots at Jake Oettinger,
— Bruce LeVine (@BruceLeVinePuck) March 20, 2025
Great to see pic.twitter.com/bY3lAPrlen
Tampa Bay Lightning Lineup
Brandon Hagel (38) – Anthony Cirelli (71) – Nikita Kucherov (86)
Jake Guentzel (59) – Brayden Point (21) – Yanni Gourde (37)
Oliver Bjorkstrand (22) – Nick Paul (20) – Gage Goncalves (93)
Zemgus Girgensons (28) – Luke Glendening (11) – Mitchell Chaffee (41)
Victor Hedman (77) – J.J. Moser (90)
Ryan McDonagh (27) – Erik Cernak (81)
Emil Lilleberg (78) – Nick Perbix (48)
Andrei Vasilevskiy (88)
Jonas Johansson (31)
Players to watch
Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith
DeSmith will start in goal tonight for the Stars. The 33-year-old netminder has won his previous six starts dating back to January, posting a 2.01 GAA and .931 save percentage during that time. He’ll face a high-scoring offense in Tampa Bay that’s among the league leaders in goals per game (3.51).
Stars forward Roope Hintz
Hintz set up Wyatt Johnston’s power-play goal to start the scoring and Granlund’s overtime winner to seal the victory against the Ducks on Tuesday. Since returning from a facial injury, he has three assists in two games, showing no signs of rust. The 28-year-old center now has 25 goals, 30 assists and a plus-15 rating through 61 games. This marks his fourth straight season with at least 30 assists, and a strong finish could see him hit the 30-goal mark as well.
Lightning center Brayden Point
Point has struggled to find the back of the net since returning from the 4 Nations break, but it’s unlikely the slump will last much longer. The 29-year-old center has just one goal in his last 12 games, yet he’s still put up 32 goals and 34 assists this season. Don’t be surprised if he breaks out soon.