The Dallas Stars return home for a Tuesday matchup against the Arizona Coyotes. The game marks the teams third straight game against a Central Division opponent. It’s also the first of five straight games at home after spending the better part of the last month on the road.
So far, so good in these divisional matchups. On Saturday, the Stars pulled out a 3-2 matinee win against the Winnipeg Jets. Standard game, slow start, push through the second period and then hold on for the one goal win. Sunday’s win over the Minnesota Wild was something completely different. Offensive pressure early led to the seasons first lead after 20 minutes. The 3-2 score at the end of the first didn’t reflect the Stars dominance. Special teams were key – seven of the eight goals. Wyatt Johnston took over the goals lead and Jason Robertson score two goals late – giving him three in the last two games, perhaps portending a long overdue hot streak.
A three game, regulation win road trip is something to celebrate. But it also could lead to a letdown as the team settles in for a homestand that will last through Thanksgiving. After Tuesday, the Stars don’t play again until Saturday. All of this should be flashing trap game warning signals.
Dallas Stars Lineup
Jason Robertson (21) – Roope Hintz (24) – Joe Pavelski (16)
Jamie Benn (14) – Wyatt Johnston (53) – Evgenii Dadonov (63)
Mason Marchment (27) – Matt Duchene (95) – Tyler Seguin (91)
Craig Smith (15) – Radek Faksa (12) – Ty Dellandrea (10)
Ryan Suter (20) – Miro Heiskanen (4)
Esa Lindell (23) – Nils Lundkvist (5)
Joel Hanley (44) – Jani Hakanpää (2)
Jake Oettinger (29)
Scott Wedgewood (41)
Thomas Harley took a violent crash into the boards against the Wild. He left the ice bleeding and didn’t return. He is now listed as day-to-day.
The Stars don’t have the Cap Space for a call up (in fact, there are only two Dallas roster players who can be sent to Texas without clearing waivers – one of the reasons that you haven’t seen the day-to-day player traffic between the NHL team and its AHL affiliate). Since Harley can’t go, Joel Hanley will get draw in for his second game of the year. The good news is that Lindell-Lundkvist and Hanley-Hakanpää have both been reliable pairings in the past.
Up front, its hard to mess with success – although Ty Dellandrea has been a healthy scratch ever since what was likely his best game of the year in the loss to the Boston Bruins. That marks the point when Faksa returned to the lineup, but based on performance, there is no reason why Dellandrea should consistently be the odd man out.
Arizona Coyotes Lineup
Clayton Keller (9) – Barrett Hayton (29) – Nick Schmaltz (8)
Matias Maccelli (63) – Nick Bjugstad (17) – Lawson Crouse (67)
Michael Carcone (53) – Logan Cooley (92) – Jason Zucker (16)
Liam O’Brien (38) – Alexander Kerfoot (15) – Travis Boyd (72)
J. J. Moser (90) – Sean Durzi (50)
Juuso Valimaki (4) – Matt Dumba (24)
Troy Stecher (51) – Joshua Brown (3)
Karel Vejmelka (70)
Connor Ingram (39)
Up front, the Coyotes roll three lines. The fourth line took a hit when Jack McBain took a hard hit to the boards, leaving him either day-to-day or week-to-week, depending on who you believe. With McBain out, the fourth line should see limited action.
Arizona’s top line is good, but not great – which means that they get overmatched head-to-head against most teams top lines. What make the Coyotes interesting is their middle six. The second line handles shut-down duties, but can still put up points. Meanwhile, each player on the third line has their own story. At center, Cooley is showing the creativity that made him the third overall pick in 2022. Carcone is that rare career AHLer, who in his later 20s becomes an NHL regular – somebody finally recognized that he just puts the puck in the net. Finally, Zucker ties things down with the veteran presence that is expected from guys who escape Minnesota.
Speaking of escaping Minnesota, Tuesday marks the return of Matt Dumba to the American Airlines Center, where he’s likely to receive the warm welcome that he deserves. The Coyotes top pair would be a solid second pair most places, and the rest of the defense is generally filled with journeymen. All in all, this defense is something that the Stars should be able to exploit.
In net, Arizona has been alternating starts for Vejmelka and Ingram. Their numbers are middle of the pack, the primary difference being that as the tandem alternates, Ingram appears to get all of the wins. If the alternating starts continue, it’s Vejmelka’s net against Dallas.
Keys to the Game
Fast Start. Ha. One game doesn’t make this go away, especially when the follow on contest could be viewed as a trap game.
Defensive Responsibility. Dallas has been giving up odd man rushes at a high rate. Goaltending has bailed them out to date. Against Arizona, the Stars should be able to generate offensive zone time, but if they get too many players too deep, the Coyote’s will counter-attack.
Jason Robertson. The weekend turned the “slow start” narrative into a 5G 8A 13P stat line. Robertson can score goals in bunches, with the added bonus of getting a kickstart to the Stars top line.