The Dallas Stars return home from a four-game road trip to face the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.
Dallas finished the road trip with a 2-1-1 record and sits in third place in the Central Division after responding to a 5-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers with three consecutive quality outings.
“I thought our response was what I expected it to be,” Stars head coach Pete DeBoer told the media on Thursday morning. “I think we’ve been a very good response team all year. It was probably our worst game of the year in Philly, but the rest of the trip, we were good. … We responded the right way to a really poor effort, which I’ve expected all year, and that’s what we got.”
One of Dallas’ best performances came on Tuesday night in Detroit when the Stars erupted for four goals in the second period en route to a 5-4 win, the 10th in the last 11 meetings with the Red Wings.
“I think we’re, at the end of the day, happy with the trip compared to how it started and how it finished,” forward Tyler Seguin said, “and excited to be back home.”
The Stars close out January with home games against the Ducks and the Washington Capitals (22-18-6) before taking an extended break for the All-Star Game.
Despite only having two games remaining before the long break, defenseman Miro Heiskanen is expected to return to the lineup on Thursday after a three-week absence.
“We want him back, but we also wanted to make sure we were cautious, especially with the All-Star break this close,” DeBoer explained. “We’ve been conservative. It didn’t make sense to rush him back unless he was healthy and comfortable, and I think that’s the case.”
Heiskanen leads all Dallas defensemen with 37 points this season, and while Dallas has managed to stay afloat without him, his return strengthens the lineup.
“He brings so much to our lineup, and just kind of pushes down our depth as well and makes us a deeper team,” Seguin elaborated. “Obviously, a guy like that can win games on his own. He makes our first power play [unit] even better, and we’re excited to have him back.”
Heiskanen, Seguin, and the Stars (28-13-6) will begin their brief homestand against the Ducks (16-30-1) at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday.
