It’s the first of four matches for the #MurderDeathKill Division rivals this season. (Scary vibes intensify.)
It doesn’t take a statistician to see that the Dallas Stars have gotten off to a much better start than the Chicago Blackhawks in 2024-25. The Stars are a top-three team in the Central Division who have yet to lose two games in a row. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks languish near the bottom of the #MDK and are running two places behind the team that used to be the Arizona Coyotes.
But if the scary season has taught us anything, it’s that you never know when it’s your turn to run afoul of the axe murderer. The Blackhawks have suffered less from lack of opportunity than from sloppy execution so far this season. It could be a matter of time before their cylinders line up, too.
In other words: trap game? Trap game.
That said, there are signs that the Stars aren’t taking anything for granted. Their victory in Boston on Thursday showcased their uptempo style at its near-best, with a few major errors offset by a relentless push for advantage at every turn.
The Stars drew five shots at the power play during the tilt in TD Garden. Even better, they delivered on them, with the reanimated power play accounting for three of their five goals.
This will be the Stars’ last game before they decamp to Finland, where the NHL Global Series and a confrontation with the reigning Stanley Cup champions await. If the Finnish Mafia can make a statement before their double-header with the Florida Panthers…well, that’d be great.
Dallas Stars Lineup
Jason Robertson (21) – Roope Hintz (24) – Logan Stankoven (11)
Mason Marchment (27) – Matt Duchene (95) – Tyler Seguin (91)
Jamie Benn (14) – Wyatt Johnston (53) – Evgenii Dadonov (63)
Mavrik Bourque (22) – Sam Steel (18) – Colin Blackwell (15)
Miro Heiskanen (4) – Matt Dumba (3)
Thomas Harley (55) – Ilya Lyubushkin (46)
Esa Lindell (23) – Nils Lundqvist (5)
Jake Oettinger (29)
Casey DeSmith (1)
Chicago Blackhawks Lineup
Nick Foligno (17) – Connor Bedard (98) – Teuvo Teravainen (86)
Taylor Hall (71) – Philipp Kurashev (23) – Tyler Bertuzzi (59)
Ilya Mikheyev (95) – Jason Dickinson (16) – Ryan Donato (8)
Pat Maroon (77) – Lukas Reichel (73) – Craig Smith (15)
Alex Vlasic (72) – Seth Jones (4)
Wyatt Kaiser (44) – Connor Murphy (5)
TJ Brodie (75) – Nolan Allan (42)
Petr Mrázek (34)
Arvid Söderblom (40)
Likely scratch: D Alec Martinez (lower-body injury)
What To Watch
Special teams power – activate!
The power play clicked into place in a big way in Boston, and it sounds as if the team is breathing a little more deeply as a result. Is this the positive regression they’ve wanted? We’ll probably get more chances to find out: The Stars and the Blackhawks are both taking around 3.5 penalties per game this season.
Connor Bedard.
The 2023 first-overall pick is working a point-per-game scoring pace this season, even if his goal-scoring is taking a few games to warm up. No matter what kind of way you feel about the ’Hawks, it should be a pleasure to watch him play.
Logan Stankoven.
Stanky himself has needed a few games to get to the back of the net. It’ll be interesting to see if the goals start falling like rain now that he has his first tally of the season.
But you’ll never believe how he’s making his Calder Trophy case. Hockey pundits hate this one simple trick!
How To Watch
This isn’t one of the Stars’ 14 national broadcasts this season, so Victory+ is your way in. As always, The Ticket will carry live play-by-play on the radio.
Last Thing
This game is effectively the Stars’ annual Halloween celebration – so don’t forget to dress appropriately, even if you’re watching at home. Enjoy.