The Dallas Stars head into Tuesday’s matchup with the Colorado Avalanche trying to answer a bad taste left behind by Saturday’s shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They get the home-ice stage back in the Lone Star State for a game that feels like one of the bigger measuring sticks on the schedule.
Colorado brings the heavyweight feel every time these two get together, and that hasn’t changed in recent years. The rivalry has turned into one of the league’s more familiar grudge matches, with both teams living in the Cup-contender conversation and bumping into each other in multiple playoff series. Dallas’ most recent playoff series against Colorado ended with the Stars advancing, and Mikko Rantanen’s hat trick against his former team stood out as one of the defining moments of that matchup.
This meeting also comes with both clubs in important stretches of their seasons. Dallas is still looking to respond after last year’s first-round postseason exit, while Colorado could be without one of its biggest names, as Cale Makar is expected to be out of the lineup Tuesday.
For the Stars, the projected forward groups show Jason Robertson centered by Roope Hintz and Jamie Benn on the top line, with Matt Duchene Steel skating between Wyatt Johnston and Mikko Rantanen on the second. The third unit is expected to feature Fabian Hryckowian, Mavrik Bourque and Tyler Seguin, while the fourth line lines up with Colin Blackwell, Radek Faksa and Brendan Smith.
On the back end, Dallas’ expected pairings are Esa Lindell with Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley with Nils Lundkvist, and Lian Bichsel with Cody Ceci. Jake Oettinger is listed in goal.
Dallas Stars’ Expected Line Combinations vs. Colorado (Tuesday)
Robertson - Hintz - Benn
Steel - Johnston - Rantanen
Hryckowian - Hyry - Seguin
Back - Faksa - Blackwell
Lindell - Heiskanen
Harley - Lundkvist
Bichsel - Myers
Oettinger
In Other News...
Stars Loss To Colorado Exposed An Early Problem They Can't Ignore
The Stars 3-2 loss to Colorado still had a few encouraging individual takeaways, even if the final result exposed an issue they need to clean up quickly. Wyatt Johnston was out because of an illness, which pushed Sam Steel into a second-line role, and he handled the added responsibility well enough to keep Dallas forward mix functional in a tougher matchup.
Tyler Seguin was another bright spot, scoring on the power play and continuing to show how much he can still drive the offense when Dallas needs a lift. But the bigger concern was discipline, and one costly penalty undercut the kind of effort that might otherwise have earned the Stars something more from a game they were in right to the end. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Catch A Break In Dallas But Face A Bigger Concern
Wyatt Johnstons absence before puck drop gave Dallas a rare lineup wrinkle, and it came with immediate ripple effects. The Stars had to shuffle their forward group, moving Sam Steel to center and even turning to defenseman Kyle Capobianco in a forward role as they worked around the missing piece in the middle of the ice.
For Johnston, the bigger note is not just the disruption to Dallas plans but the end of a remarkable run that had held since his debut in October 2022. With other injuries and absences also affecting the broader matchup, the Stars are left balancing short-term lineup changes against the kind of availability questions that can change the look of a game in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Roope Hintz Sent A Message Stars Fans Wont Ignore
Roope Hintz brought a little extra edge to a familiar Central Division matchup Tuesday night, and it came in a way Stars fans do not often see from one of the teams quietest stars. The Dallas forward got involved in a second-period scrap with Nathan MacKinnon, adding a new layer to a rivalry that already had some history between the two players. For a Stars team that leans on Hintz for skill and composure, the moment stood out as much for its timing as for the message it sent.
Hintz followed it up with a goal in the third period, turning a chippy game into one that felt even more personal. Colorado had its own response, and the sequence only sharpened the stakes in a matchup between two contenders that rarely need extra fuel to get going. Between the fight, the scoring, and the reaction from both benches, this was the kind of night that reminded everyone these games can carry more than just points in the standings. [Read more 🡒]