The Dallas Stars head to Buffalo to play the Sabres in the first of a two game road trip.
When the Stars hit the ice against the Sabres Tuesday, a familiar head coach will be behind the bench for Buffalo.
Former Dallas Stars head coach Lindy Ruff is back for his second stint with the Sabres after being let go by New Jersey in the middle of last season. Dallas hired Ruff in 2013 when he was let go after a 16 year stint in Buffalo, which included a Stanley Cup Final appearance against Dallas in 1999. Now, Ruff has been tasked with getting the Sabres back to the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
Dallas heads to Buffalo on a two-game road trip that finishes in Boston on Thursday. The Stars had a two day break after playing six games in nine days to open the season. They are coming off a 4-1 win over Edmonton at home Saturday afternoon. Dallas has only lost one time this year, a 3-2 defeat on the road in Washington.
The Buffalo Sabres also had a two-day break after beating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 on Saturday night. Buffalo has had a very rough start to the season, losing both games in Prague to begin the season against the New Jersey Devils. They are currently 2-4-1, and are looking for some early season confidence to prove to themselves and the fans that this year will finally be the year they get back to the postseason.
The Stars have won four of the past five against Buffalo and eight of the past ten games in Buffalo. For a while now, it has been considered somewhat of a must win when playing the Sabres, because they are usually out of contention and struggling against good teams. Even though Buffalo has increased their firepower and have brought in lots of young talent over the past couple years, the team still hasn't fully reached their potential, and the signs look alarming early on this season that it could be more of the same.
What to watch for:
- Evgennii Dadonov has 21 points in 21 career games against the Sabres, including 8 goals and 13 assists. This point per game mark is his best against any NHL team.
- Matt Dumba is reactivated off the injure reserve. The right shot defenseman was injured back in the second game of the season and was replaced by Brendan Smith for the past four games. Dumba was paired with Miro Heiskanen for the preseason and in the first two games, but Heiskanen reunited with Thomas Harley in his stead.
- Tyler Seguin and Sam Steel have also gotten the green light to get back into the starting lineup, so the Stars will have their full complement of players for the first time this season. Brendan Smith and Oskar Back will be healthy scratches. It is unfortunate for Back, who has been the surprise of the early season on the fourth line, coming very close to scoring his first NHL goal in the past two games.
- With Mavrik Borque staying in and Back coming out, it will be interesting to see who takes a spot on the fourth line. Despite having an impact on the top two lines, Dadonov could slot down to the bottom line.
Puck drop is at 6 p.m. CDT and can be seen on Victory+ locally and ESPN+ in out of market areas.
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