On Wednesday, the Dallas Stars will complete the second half of a back-to-back, coming off a 3–2 overtime loss to the New York Rangers the night before. After wrapping up in New York, they head to New Jersey to face the Devils, who have dropped five of their last eight contests.

Dallas enters the matchup as one of the league’s hottest teams, having surged past Colorado since late October and posting an impressive 14-2-4 record since October 25. New Jersey will have its hands full against a Stars squad that’s been rolling and is eager to rebound from Tuesday’s setback.

The one major concern for Dallas is the absence of longtime forward Tyler Seguin. Seguin, who returned late last season after hip surgery to repair a labral tear and femoral acetabular impingement, exited Tuesday’s game in the first period with a lower-body injury. The Stars will now aim to regroup and respond without one of their most seasoned leaders, who joins the long list of injured Stars in Matt Duchene, Thomas Harley, Lian Bichsel and Nils Lundkvist.

Lineup Storylines

With Seguin out, head coach Glen Gulutzan will need to adjust the lineup. Sam Steel will jump to the first line to join Wyatt Johnston and Mikko Rantanen while captain Jamie Benn will drop back into Tyler Seguin's vacant position on the second line, where he'll join Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson. 

Seguin had been putting up solid numbers recently, recording 13 points in 20 games, even though he was in the middle of a three-game drought that will be put on hold due to his injury. 

The lineup could lead to an important opportunity for Bastian to make an impact. He has been rotating in as an extra forward along with the injured Adam Erne and has appeared in ten games this season. Throughout his career, Bastian has mostly served as a depth option, never exceeding 61 games in a season and typically producing between 10 and 15 points. If he cannot contribute, his time with the Stars could be limited as he is on a one-year deal and will soon be seeking his next contract. If Bastian plays Wednesday it'll be against his former team in the Devils, who have been experiencing injury trouble themselves lately. 

New Jersey is still dealing with the loss of superstar Jack Hughes, who is out with an off-ice injury, and the team has gone 4-5-0 since he was sidelined. In his absence, the new top line has taken charge, with Nico Hischier leading the way by scoring seven goals and adding six assists for 13 points over the nine-game span. Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier are close behind with ten and eight points respectively.

The trio has combined for 15 of the Devils’ 24 goals during this stretch, doing everything possible to keep the offense moving. Even so, the team’s scoring has dipped to 2.67 goals per game since Hughes went down, compared to their earlier mark of 3.35 goals per game, which ranked eighth in the league. If the Stars can capitalize on this decline, they may be able to shut down New Jersey offensively and secure a much-needed bounce-back win. 

Player & Betting Trends (Presented By BetMGM)

DAL ML (-105) | NJD ML (-115)

DAL -1.5 (+220) | NJD +1.5 (-278)

O/U 6.0 Goals 

The Stars have consistently held the upper hand in this rivalry in recent years, claiming eight wins in their last 11 matchups. Many of these contests have been high-scoring, with the past four meetings each producing six or more goals. This game presents an ideal opportunity for center Roope Hintz to get back on the scoresheet after his five-game point streak ended on Tuesday. 

During that streak, Hintz found the net in four consecutive games and added two assists in the fifth. He has historically excelled against the Devils, highlighted by a three-point performance in their last encounter, where he scored once and set up two more. Over his last ten games against New Jersey, Hintz has amassed six goals and five assists for a total of 11 points.

The Devils, meanwhile, will look to counter with Jesper Bratt, who has been a key contributor on New Jersey’s top line in the absence of Jack Hughes. Bratt enters the matchup riding a five-game point streak against Dallas, tallying one goal and six assists during that span.

Make Sure You Bookmark THN's Dallas Stars site For The Latest News, Exclusive Interviews, Breakdowns, And So Much More.  

Goalie Matchup

Dallas: Jake Oettinger (Season: 10-4-2 record, 2.86 GAA, .898 SV% | VS NJD: 0-2-1 record, 4.18 GAA, .839 SV% in three games)

New Jersey: Jacob Markstrom Expected (Season: 7-4-1 record, 3.60 GAA, .874 SV% | VS DAL: 8-4-3 record, 3.20 GAA, .889 SV% in 17 games)

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Follow Taylor Newby on Twitter: @THN_taylor

Follow Jake Tye on Twitter: @JakeTye10