The Stars kick off a busy February with a three-game road trip starting in Buffalo
The All-Star Break is over, and it's time for the Dallas Stars to get back to business.
With the exception of Jake Oettinger, who was busy leading Team Matthews to the championship during All-Star Weekend, players got a nine-day break to refresh aching bodies and refocus mentally. Matt Duchene, Mason Marchment, Tyler Seguin, Wyatt Johnston and several other players took a trip to Mexico. Coach Pete DeBoer managed to slip in a trip to Vegas for a U2 concert.
The team must now switch gears from relaxation to full-fledged hockey mode, and it starts with a road matchup against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center.
The Sabres are 6-4 in their last 10 games, and sport a 22-23-4 record coming out of the break for 48 points, good for sixth place in the Atlantic Division.
Buffalo takes a two-game winning streak into tonight's matchup, with their last win coming in a 5-2 win over the San Jose Sharks January 27. JJ Peterka led the way with two goals, while Alex Tuch, Jordan Greenway and Dylan Cozens each chipped in with a goal apiece.
The Stars also played their last game January 27, a 4-3 OT victory against the Washington Capitals. Thomas Harley had two goals including the overtime winner. Wyatt Johnston, Marchment and Matt Duchene had a goal apiece.
Prior to the game, Duchene was honored for playing in his 1,000th NHL game, a feat he accomplished in the first matchup between the two teams December 7 in Washington. Dallas won that game 5-4 in a shootout, with Duchene recording an assist on a Marchment goal in the second period.
It's been a while since Dallas and Buffalo squared off. The teams are meeting for the first time this season, with the Stars going 1-0-1 in the two meetings in 2022-23.
In their win in Buffalo, the Stars scored 10 goals, tying a team record (1993-present) for most goals in a game. Nine different Stars skaters scored goals, with forward Radek Faksa being the only one to record two. The Sabres victory also came on the road, 3-2 in overtime.
What to Watch:
- Defenseman Thomas Harley has scored the game-winning goal in the last two games heading into the All-Star Break, both coming in overtime. He's the second player in franchise history to accomplish the feat.
- Dallas is 3-0-1 in their last four meetings against the Sabres, the last two coming in Buffalo.
- Stars goalie Jake Oettinger is coming off his first All-Star campaign, leading Team Matthews to the championship. He's won five of his last six starts with a .899 save percentage.
- JJ Peterka has scored two goals in the Sabres' last two games before the break, upping his team-leading total to 18 for the season.
- Dylan Cozens has a four-point streak in Buffalo's last four games, with three goals and four assists during that span.
Projected lines:
Robertson-Hintz-Johnston
Marchment-Duchene-Seguin
Benn-Steel-Pavelski
Smith-Faksa-Dadonov
Harley-Heiskanen
Suter-Lundkvist
Lindell-Hakanpaa
Oettinger
Wedgewood
The game with Buffalo is the first of a back-to-back for the Stars, who will next travel to Toronto to face the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. Dallas will wrap up the trip Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.
February will be a busy month for the Stars. Of the 13 games, only four will be at home. Nine of the 13 will be against playoff-contending teams, including Edmonton, Boston, the New York Rangers and a pair of games against Carolina.
Puck drop for the Sabres game is at 6 PM CST and can be seen on Bally Sports Southwest.
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