The Dallas Stars continue a five-game homestand on Thursday night against the New Jersey Devils,
Dallas’ Tuesday loss to the Florida Panthers snapped a five-game winning streak, and taking on a New Jersey team that has been fading fast and making drastic changes could be an excellent chance to get back on track. However, head coach Pete DeBoer is warning his team not to overlook the Devils, especially after the emotions of Tuesday’s game.
“Any of these young teams that still have some playoff life left in them that are still scratching and clawing this time of year, especially with Jack Hughes in the lineup, is a dangerous team,” DeBoer explained after Thursday’s morning skate. “We had a real emotional game against Florida and didn’t come out on the right end of it. My concern here tonight is that we get our emotional level back to where it needs to be to win a game.”
Hughes, the No.1 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, leads a talented young core for New Jersey, along with his brother, Luke, forward Nico Hischier, and others. The group is facing significant adversity, having lost five of its last six games and seeing head coach Lindy Ruff lose his job a mere 10 days ago.
Still, the Devils are vying for a playoff spot, trailing the New York Islanders by six points for the final wild-card berth with 17 games remaining.
Dallas is comfortably in the Western Conference playoff field, barring a complete catastrophe. The Stars enter Thursday’s game in third place in the Western Conference despite critical injuries to the lineup.
Most significantly, Dallas’ second line has been missing forward Tyler Seguin for nearly three weeks. The line has not produced at the same rate in his absence, but DeBoer believes the situation has provided the team with an opportunity to test some different lineups and prepare for potential injuries in the postseason.
“It’s inevitable that [on] either one of the lines or one of the d[efense] pairs — someone’s going to to be missing a partner or a linemate that they have good chemistry with,” DeBoer told the media. “Someone’s got to jump in there and fill that spot. It’s also good, from a coaching perspective, to try some different people in those spots and see how they react. … Can they play with those types of players and complement them, or are they better in different parts of the lineup?”
DeBoer also told the media that Seguin is close to returning. However, he will miss Thursday’s game and likely Saturday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Kings following the unveiling of a statue depicting long-time team captain Mike Modano outside the American Airlines Center.
The Stars (40-18-9) and the Devils (31-30-4) are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday.
