The Stars could clinch the Central Division as early as Tuesday night with a win over the Sabres.
The Dallas Stars host the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday night at American Airlines Center in the first of a four-game homestand to close out the 2023-24 regular season. It will be the final meeting between the two clubs this season.
The Stars (49-20-9), 107 points) lead the Central Division by five points over the Colorado Avalanche. Dallas could clinch their first division title since the 2015-16 season if one of the following three scenarios occur Tuesday:
- They defeat Buffalo in any fashion.
- The Avs lose to the Minnesota Wild in regulation.
- The Winnipeg Jets lose in regulation to the Nashville Predators.
The Stars are coming off a split of their final two road games of the season, falling 3-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday afternoon but picking up a big 7-4 win over Colorado Sunday night in Denver. They're also in the driver's seat for the top spot in the Western Conference with a three-point lead over the Vancouver Canucks, and trail the New York Rangers by three points in the President's Trophy race.
In their only other meeting with the Sabres this season, Dallas picked up a 2-1 victory at KeyBank Arena in Buffalo February 6. Forwards Matt Duchene and Sam Steel each scored goals, and Jake Oettinger stopped a season-high 47 saves on 48 shots faced. The Stars have taken four of the last five contests against Buffalo.
The Sabres (37-36-5, 79 points) sit in sixth place in the Atlantic Division, falling five points out of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference after falling 3-1 Sunday to the Detroit Red Wings, who moved into that final wild card spot. Buffalo now must jump five teams with four games remaining to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Consistency has been a problem for the Sabres this season. While they have won consecutive games seven times since January 1, they've been unable to string together more than three wins in a row.
Despite battling a wrist injury most of the season, center Tage Thompson leads the Sabres with 29 goals, followed by JJ Peterka (28) and Jeff Skinner (24). Wyatt Johnston and Roope Hintz are neck-and-neck for the Stars' top spot. Johnston has 31 goals followed by Hintz's 30.
The Stars' power play unit has been on a roll recently, scoring three goals on three attempts in the second period Sunday against Colorado. They're currently ranked fifth in the NHL at 24.8%, while Buffalo is 28th at 16.7%.
Things to Watch for:
- Jamie Benn continues to have the hot hand. The Stars captain has 15 points (10-5-15) over his last 10 games, and 25 points (12-13-25) over his last 17.
- Tyler Seguin leads all active Stars with 30 points and shares the lead in goals (13) in a team-high 34 career games against the Sabres.
- Oettinger is riding a seven-game winning streak coming into Tuesday's game with a 1.58 goals-against average and .943 save percentage and two shutouts. In four appearances versus Buffalo over his career, he is 3-0-1 with a 2.49 GAA and .930 SVP%.
- Alex Tuch has eight points (1-7-8) over his last five games. A point on Tuesday would give him a four-game point streak.
- A goal in Tuesday's game would give Tage Thompson a four-game goal streak, which would match the longest of his career. His previous high was December 13-19, 2022.
Projected Lines:
Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski
Marchment-Duchene-Seguin
Benn-Johnston-Stankoven
Steel-Faksa-Smith
Harley-Heiskanen
Lindell-Tanev
Suter-Lundkvist
Oettinger
Wedgewood
Defenseman Esa Lindell left during the second period of Sunday's game against Colorado with an apparent lower-body injury. X-rays were negative, however, and he returned to the game. He also participated in Tuesday's morning skate and should be ready to play, per coach Pete DeBoer.
Forward Evgenii Dadonov (lower-body fracture) and defenseman Jani Hakanpaa (lower-body injury) could practice with the team as early as Wednesday, according to DeBoer.
Fans attending Tuesday's game can get their own Jason Robertson bobblehead by going to the distribution points located in Sections 101, 113 or 108.
Puck drop is at 7:00 Pm and the game will be televised on Bally Sports Southwest.
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