Dallas adjusts lines with Duchene back, Steel joining Johnston and Rantanen, to face Florida’s Bennett-Marchand-Verhaeghe trio.
The Dallas Stars, coming off the end of their historic road point streak with a 5-2 loss to Minnesota, return home for a high-stakes matchup against the back-to-back champion Florida Panthers. Florida has been hampered by injuries to key players Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and Dmitry Kulikov, creating an opportunity for Dallas to rebound.
The Panthers have won three of their last four games but continue to struggle defensively, allowing an average of 3.75 goals per game over their past 12 contests. Dallas, meanwhile, has been strong recently with 14 wins in their last 18 games and six victories in seven home matchups, setting the stage for a potential high-scoring showdown.
Lineup adjustments for Dallas include the return of Matt Duchene from a concussion and a shift in forward lines, with Sam Steel moving up alongside Wyatt Johnston and Mikko Rantanen. Jake Oettinger, who has been in excellent form, will face Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky in a marquee goalie matchup.
Florida will rely on a largely intact defense of Seth Jones, Gustav Forsling, and Aaron Ekblad, while their second line of Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Carter Verhaeghe has been red-hot. Historically, this matchup has favored Florida, who have won five straight meetings and five of their last eight trips to Dallas, with both teams consistently producing high-scoring games.
Stars Look To Rebound At Home Against Injured Panthers in Potential Stanley Cup Preview
The Dallas Stars, reeling from a road loss, host an injury-hit but dangerous Florida Panthers in a high-stakes matchup with a key goalie duel.
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Dallas Stars’ Expected Line Combinations vs. Florida (Saturday):
Robertson - Hintz - Benn
Steel - Johnston - Rantanen
Hryckowian - Duchene - Bourque
Back - Faksa - Blackwell
Lindell - Heiskanen
Harley - Petrovic
Kolyachonok - Capobianco
Oettinger
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