When: Tuesday, October 15 at 7:00 PM CT

Where: American Airlines Center

TV: Victory+

Radio: The Ticket 96.7-FM, 1310-AM

Live Stats: NHL Game Center

Tickets: Single Game / Rentals

Local Parking: AAC Parking Options

Arena Bag Policy: Frequently Asked Questions

Party on PNC Plaza: 5:30 PM South Entrance

Five Points 5️⃣

• The Dallas Stars face the San Jose Sharks Tuesday night at American Airlines Center for the first time this season. Entering Tuesday’s match, the Stars are 3-0-0 while the Sharks are 0-1-1, kicking off the regular season.
• Dallas is 74-51-14 all-time vs. San Jose, including a 36-24-8 mark at home.
• A Stars victory would extend Dallas’ winning streak against the Sharks to four games, after the team went a perfect 3-0-0 against San Jose last season.
• Captain Jamie Benn enters tomorrow’s game riding a seven-game point streak against the Sharks that dates back to April 16, 2022, totaling 13 points (4-9—13) during that span. In all, Benn has 48 career points (19-29—48) against San Jose, which is the third-highest total of any active skater.
• Forward Wyatt Johnston has eight points (5-3—8) in six career games against San Jose, which includes scoring his first career hat trick and notching a career-high five points (3-2—5) on March 5, 2024 against the Sharks.

Stats Against Opponent ✍

Players To Watch

Forward Wyatt Johnston scored his first goal of the season in Sunday’s game against the Kraken to extend his point streak to three games (1-2—3). The goal made him the first Stars player age 21 or younger to begin a season with a point streak of at least three game since Mike Modano did so in 1991-92 according to NHL Stats.

Goaltender Jake Oettinger’s next shutout will be the 12th of his career, which will tie Jon Casey for the sixth-most in franchise history.

First Shift

The Stars are off to a great start, and the focus now rests on keeping it going.

After starting 3-0-0, Dallas has another full week on tap with a home game Tuesday against San Jose, a road game Thursday at Washington and a home game Saturday against Edmonton. While San Jose had the worst record in the NHL last season and Dallas went 3-0-0 against the Sharks, the challenge for the Stars is to keep the consistency of the early season sharp and build on it.

“That’s what you have to do, you have to build your game block by block and I think our group understands that,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “There are going to be some bumps in the road – this isn’t going to be 82-0, and we know that. I think our mentality is in the right place.”

The Stars have gotten better each game, beating Nashville in the opener 4-3, shutting out the Islanders, 3-0, and following that up with a 2-0 shutout of Seattle on Sunday. The shot differential has improved and details like faceoffs and the penalty kill also have gotten sharper.

“The PK was really good,” DeBoer said. “I think, like the rest of our game, we are trying to build it. In Nashville we really gave up a lot. A lot of shots and a lot of quality, and I know (assistant coach) Alain Nasreddine has been working with those guys every game here to try and shape that up. We got the benefit of that work tonight, and I thought it really grabbed momentum for us with those kills.”

The Stars made some of their biggest offseason moves on the penalty kill. They added defensemen Ilya Lyubushkin and Brendan Smith, as well as forward Colin Blackwell. Sam Steel said getting chemistry going with Blackwell on the fourth line has been key.

“I think we have just put a lot of emphasis, and the guys that are killing it have done a lot of talking between each other and with Coach Nasreddine to iron out all the little details,” Steel said. “At this time of year, if you are detailed you are going to have success. It has been good so far, but it could still be better.”

The details have been important for the Stars, as they have had some early season rust in handling pucks or taking too many penalties. However, the details and strong goaltending from Oettinger and Casey DeSmith have made it so Dallas has not yet trailed in a game.

“I think it’s just nice not having to play catch-up,” Steel said. “It’s only three games and there’s still a lot of improvement to be made, but for the most part we have been pretty solid.”

Key Numbers

1.00

Dallas ranks second in the NHL in GAA at 1.00 per game. San Jose ranks 27th in scoring at 2.00 goals per game and was shut out in its most recent game.

4

Logan Stankoven has four assists in three games and is tied for first in rookie scoring in the NHL.

9-1-0

The Stars are 9-1-0 in their last 10 home games against the Sharks. They have scored 4 or more goals in 6 of those games.

He Said It

“With Roope and Robo, those two have to drive that line, whoever we put there. Dadonov has had a great camp for a veteran guy. He’s 35 years old, but he skates like he’s 25 with his speed and how he’s moving. I wanted to reward him.”

– Stars coach Pete DeBoer on the decision to put Evgenii Dadonov on the top line with Roope Hintz and Robertson

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @MikeHeika.

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