Going into the fifth season of ESPN and TNT splitting the national television rights for the NHL, the Dallas Stars were selected to play 16 of their 82 games in front of a national TV audience.
The Stars have been a consistent force in the Western Conference over the last three seasons and now boast one of the NHL's highest paid and most marketable player in Mikko Rantanen. The creators of the schedule look for that, among other factors, when choosing which teams to feature throughout the season.
No TV executive wants February and March to come around with primetime slots filled with teams that are obviously not going to make the playoffs. With Dallas, even factoring in the coaching change and departure of a few goal-scoring forwards, it is a pretty safe bet that the Stars will be deep in the heart of the playoff race come that time.
Other teams featured at least 16 times are Boston, Colorado, Detroit, Minnesota, the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh and Washington. That list is a who's who of hockey-crazed markets that will drive ratings up no matter whether the team is playing its best or not. To have Dallas in that list means that execs believe the Stars will provide consistent entertainment.
Among the top featured games on ESPN, Dallas will host Minnesota in the home opener. Later in the month, the Stars host Washington as part of a triple-header on Frozen Frenzy night, when every team plays on the same night and ESPN+ airs a "red-zone" type whip-around show. Finally, on Sat. April 4, Dallas hits network TV when they host the Colorado Avalanche on ABC.
ESPN+ will air a number of games for the Stars, including in October against the Los Angeles Kings. Two games, one in November and the other in March, against the Edmonton Oilers, will air on ESPN+. Jan. 27 and 29 will feature Dallas against St. Louis and Vegas, and the final ESPN+ contest will come against Minnesota in April.
TNT's coverage of the Stars starts Oct. 30 in Tampa. Then, the second game of a triple header on Dec. 23 will be Dallas heading to Detroit. In January, TNT has Dallas at Washington and Anaheim, and home to Boston. In February, the Blues come to Dallas for one of the last games before the Olympics break. Finally in March, TNT will air Dallas heading to Colorado for a juicy match-up.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Dallas Stars site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
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