The NHL schedule release usually signifies the last bit of hockey news for a while as players don't usually start skating again for a little while and training camp is still a full two months away. The free agent frenzy is usually over other than an occasional straggler signing here and there.
Let's dive in and analyze what the Stars schedule has to offer over the 82 games, breaking it down 10 at a time until the final stretch of 12 games.
We first looked at the opening 10 games for Dallas, which might prove to be a tough start. Now, let's break down games 11-20, which range from Oct. 30 to Nov. 18.
The schedule left off with a very important home game against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, Oct. 28 as game number 10, and after that, the Stars head to Florida for the usual two-game Sunshine State swing.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are up first, and the Bolts always cause problems for Dallas in Tampa. After looking like they were on the decline from their Stanley Cup teams, the Bolts have done a good job of filling their lineup out a little bit more again and should prove to be contenders once again (as long as they don't play Florida in the playoffs again).
Then, exactly a year removed from the first of two games in Tampere, Finland against the Florida Panthers, the Stars face the Panthers in Sunrise. Dallas lost both games in Finland to the eventual Cup champions, and Florida looked great in those wins. Glen Gulutzan will have even more knowledge about the Panthers from back-to-back Cup Final losses against them while with Edmonton.
Speaking of Edmonton, Gulutzan faces his former team for the first time since being hired by Dallas at home on Tuesday, Nov. 4. It will be the first meeting since the fateful pulling of Jake Oettinger by former head coach Pete DeBoer. That game will undoubtedly be circled by players, coaches and fans alike.
Next up is the second of a two-game home series, this one against the re-tooled Anaheim Ducks. New coach Joel Quenneville, who led Chicago to three Stanley Cup championships, is coaching for the first time since the fallout from the Blackhawks organization scandal involving sexual abuse. The Ducks roster has been revamped, most notably trading Trevor Zegras to Philadelphia in an effort to find a playoff spot for the first time in a while.
The first day game of the season happens in Nashville for the first meeting against the Predators. The Preds had a disastrous season after acquiring Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skeji and will undoubtedly look to rebound from the bottom of the league. The game will be a 2:30 Saturday matinee on Nov. 8.
Dallas is then back home for the second back-to-back situation of the season. A 6 p.m. Sunday game against the Seattle Kraken will round out a busy weekend. At least Dallas will have a full 24 hours after the Nashville game ends to regroup.
Dallas is then back on the road for another set of two games in the same region, heading to Ottawa and Montreal on a Tuesday and Thursday split. Both of those Canadian teams ended up capturing the two Eastern Conference wild card spots in the playoffs last season, and both teams are expected to be on the rise this year. Montreal had what most believe to be the best free agency period this off-season.
To round out the final two games of this ten game stretch, Dallas heads back home for two more games. On Saturday, Nov. 15, Dallas plays Philadelphia, which is always a great draw for fans to watch a popular Eastern Conference team. The Flyers now have Rick Tocchet, formerly in Vancouver, as their head coach, and hope to accelerate a rebuild that looked pretty good but also very bad under John Tortorella, depending on the stretch of games.
Finally, after two nice days off, Dallas plays the New York Islanders on Tuesday, Nov. 18. The Stars had no issues with the Islanders at home last year for their home opener, posting a shutout. The Islanders were unimpressively average last year but got rid of Lou Lamiorello as the GM and are trying to breathe some fresh air into a middling squad.
This stretch of ten games is well-balanced between home and road games: two away, two home, one away, one home, two away and two home. The Stars can use that to get in a good rhythm before heading out on their first long road trip of the season right after this stretch. Getting off to a good start is imperative and being in a playoff spot come Thanksgiving is critical based on history.
A tough start might make it difficult, but this stretch of games with only one Central Division opponent needs to have more wins than losses if the Stars are set to compete for a top three spot in the division.
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