The Dallas Stars are set to play their regular-season home opener at American Airlines Center on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. against the Minnesota Wild.
Dallas enters the home opener 2-0 after solid wins over the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche, earning five points in each contest.
The victories are notable given that both the Jets and Avalanche finished among the NHL’s top teams last season, combining for a 105-51 record.
Dallas now gets a brief home stretch before returning to the road, starting with Tuesday’s opener followed by a matchup with the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Entering the season, Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said the team “might as well get at it” and take on the challenge headfirst, noting that every team will have a difficult stretch at some point during the season.
“You gotta go through it. Whether you’re trying to win this time of year or trying to win at the end of the year, you have to go through the best to get it done. You might as well do it early and test yourself,” he explained, per NHL.com.
Dallas’s strong start comes despite the absence of captain Jamie Benn, who is expected to miss at least five more games following surgery to repair a collapsed lung, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Meanwhile, Stars forward Radek Faksa expressed excitement about the upcoming homestand, saying that the first home matchup of the season has a different energy than the rest of the year.
“I always remember that opening night is special. The building is buzzing, and the fans are excited for the new season. There are big expectations, so everyone is really excited,” he added, per NHL.com.
Picking up victories during these home matchups will be important for a Stars team that is expected to make a deep run in the playoffs, as the team currently has the fourth-best odds of any team in the NHL to win the 2025 Stanley Cup.
According to ESPN Bet, the Stars have +900 odds to win the Stanley Cup — fourth-best in the league behind the Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, and Carolina Hurricanes (each at +800).