The Dallas Stars opened the second half of the 2023-24 NHL season with a three-game road trip at the Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Montreal Canadiens. Here’s what you need to know.
Tuesday, February 6
The Dallas Stars took on the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night. The Stars’ reported goal was to get going in the first two back-to-back road games. Stars head coach Pete DeBoer told NHL.com, “Right into a back-to-back and two extended road trips … The good news is we’re coming out of the break healthy and energized.”
The Stars edged the Sabres 2-1 at the KeyBank Center. Dallas improved to 31-13-6, while Buffalo fell to 22-24-4.
The Stars’ starting lineup featured Miro Heiskanen, Sam Steel, Jamie Benn, Thomas Harley, Joe Pavelski, and Jake Oettinger. Oettinger stopped a whopping 47 saves on 48 shots for a win. Meanwhile, Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 28 saves in a losing effort.
Tage Thompson took a costly penalty, a minor against Joe Pavelski, at 2:34 of the opening period. Matt Duchene picked up where he left off and capitalized on the man advantage with a wrist shot for a 1-0 lead at 3:58. Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment collected the assists on Duchene’s 18th of the season.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen denied Roope Hintz from point-blank range late in the period.
The Stars maintained a 1-0 lead at the end of the first. Buffalo outshot Dallas 16-8 after 20 minutes.
The Sabres got on the board after Roope Hintz was called for roughing against Alex Tuch at 4:39 of the second period. Tage Thompson capitalized on the man advantage with a slap shot to tie the game 1-1 at 5:53. Rasmus Dahlin and Jeff Skinner collected the assists on Thompson’s 15th of the season. The Stars regained the lead when Sam Steel deflected in a shot to make it a 2-1 game at 9:04 of the second period. Radek Faksa and Craig Smith collected the assists on Steel’s sixth of the season.
The Stars brought a 2-1 lead to the locker room at the end of two periods. Buffalo outshot Dallas 32-12 through 40 minutes.
The Stars maintained a 2-1 lead in a penalty-filled third period with one Stars penalty to Matt Duchene and four Sabres penalties to Jordan Greenway, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Henri Jokiharju, and Connor Clifton.
The Stars won 2-1 in regulation. Buffalo outshot Dallas 48-30 after a full 60 minutes.
Wednesday, February 7
The Dallas Stars traveled north of the border to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second of two back-to-back road games. The Stars lost 5-4 to the Maple Leafs at the Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday night. Dallas fell to 31-14-6, while Toronto improved to 26-15-8. Maple Leafs starting goaltender Ilya Samsonov made 27 saves for a win.
The Stars’ starting lineup featured Miro Heiskanen, Tyler Seguin, Mason Marchment, Matt Duchene, Thomas Harley, and Scott Wedgewood. Wedgewood made 26 saves in a losing effort.
The first period was essentially a tale of two halves. Joel Hanley was called for high-sticking against Nicolas Robertson, younger brother of Jason Robertson, at 5:31. William Nylander capitalized on the man advantage with a slap shot for a 1-0 lead at 6:34. Morgan Reilly collected the lone assist on Nylander’s 24th of the season. Tyler Bertuzzi was called for high-sticking against Miro Heiskanen at 14:44. Stars captain Jamie Benn capitalized on the man advantage with a wrist shot to tie the game 1-1 at 14:52. Joe Pavelski and Jason Robertson collected the assists on Benn’s ninth of the season. The Stars took the lead 2-1 at 17:23 when Evgenii Dadonov fired a wrist shot into the Maple Leafs’ net. Ty Dellandrea and Ryan Suter collected the assists on Dadonov’s 11th of the season.
The Stars led 2-1 at the end of the first. Dallas outshot Toronto 11-4 after 20 minutes.
The Maple Leafs opened the second-period scoring, while the Stars allowed three power-play goals in a row. Tyler Seguin was called for hooking against Maple Leafs captain John Tavares at 3:35. Tavares capitalized on the man advantage and tied the game 2-2 at 3:40. William Nylander collected the lone assist on Tavares’ 15th of the season. The Maple Leafs regained the lead midway through the second period. Miro Heiskanen was called for hooking against Pontus Holmberg at 11:55. Auston Matthews capitalized on the man advantage and tipped in a shot for a 3-2 lead at 12:37. John Tavares collected the lone assist on Matthews’ 41st of the season.
The Stars trailed the Maple Leafs 3-2 at the end of two periods. Dallas outshot Toronto 23-16 through 40 minutes.
The third period was interesting, to say the least. Evgenii Dadonov received a penalty shot and succeeded at scoring a game-tying goal, his 12th of the season and second of the game, to tie the game 3-3 at 11:05. The Maple Leafs regained the lead and took the game’s largest lead with two goals just 20 seconds apart. Mitch Marner fired a wrist shot into the Stars’ net to put the Maple Leafs up 4-3 at 11:37. Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies collected the assists on Marner’s 22nd of the season. William Nylander capitalized on the man advantage and added a wrist shot to extend the Maple Leafs’ lead to 5-3 at 11:57. John Tavares collected the lone assist on Nylander’s 25th of the season and second of the game. The Stars breathed some life into the game, but it was too little, too late. Wyatt Johnston made it a one-goal game, 5-4, with a wrist shot at 18:35. Miro Heiskanen and Mason Marchment collected the assists on Johnston’s 15th of the season.
The Stars lost 5-4 to the Maple Leafs in regulation. Shots were tied 31-31 after a full 60 minutes.
Saturday, February 10
After two much-needed days off, the Dallas Stars concluded the three-game road trip by taking on the Montreal Canadiens in a Saturday matinee in Montreal and celebrating with a Black-Owned Business Market and a Watch Party in Fort Worth. The Stars held on for a 3-2 win over the Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Dallas improved to 32-14-6, while Montreal fell to 21-22-8.
The Stars’ starting lineup featured Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, Jamie Benn, Evgenii Dadonov, Wyatt Johnston, and Jake Oettinger. Oettinger made 18 saves for a win, while Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault made a whopping 36 saves in a losing effort. In addition, Craig Smith played in his 900th NHL game Saturday.
The two teams exchanged penalties in the first period but neither capitalized on the man advantage. Tanner Pearson was called for interference against Wyatt Johnston just six seconds into the first, and Ryan Suter was called for tripping against Josh Anderson at 3:48.
The Stars and Canadiens were scoreless at the end of the first. Shots were tied at six apiece after 20 minutes.
Although Montreal got on the board first, Dallas quickly tied the game and took the lead in the second period. Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki fired a wrist shot into the Stars’ net for a 1-0 lead just 38 seconds into the second. Cole Caufield and Mike Matheson collected the assists on Suzuki’s 16th of the season. Thomas Harley responded with a wrist shot into the Canadiens’ net to tie the game 1-1 at 3:51. Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson collected the assists on Harley’s 13th of the season. Tyler Seguin blasted a snap shot to give the Stars a 2-1 lead at 4:15. Matt Duchene and Mason Marchment collected the assists on Seguin’s 18th of the season. Seguin followed up with a wrist shot goal to extend the Stars’ lead to 3-1 at 17:45. Duchene and Marchment collected the assists on Seguin’s 19th of the season and second of the game. The Canadiens made it a one-goal game when Juraj Slafkovsky scored a wrist shot goal to cut the Stars’ lead to 3-2 at 18:37. Nick Suzuki and Mike Matheson collected the assists on Slafkovsky’s tenth of the season. The Stars got a late power play after Jayden Struble was called for holding against Mason Marchment, and 1:52 of a 5-on-4 power play carried over into the third period.
The Stars held a 3-2 lead at the end of two periods. Dallas outshot Montreal 27-14 through 40 minutes.
The third period was full of penalties, penalty kills, and power plays, but no scoring plays. Tyler Seguin was called for cross-checking against Jake Evans at 1:48, Ryan Suter was called for hooking against Tanner Pearson at 7:21, and Jake Evans was handed double-minor after being called for high-sticking against Joe Pavelski at 13:50.
The Stars held on for a 3-2 win over the Canadiens in regulation. Dallas outshot Montreal 39-20 after a full 60 minutes.
Up Next
The Stars will return home to host the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, February 13, at 7:00 p.m. Central.
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