We’re now only a month away from Thursday, October 12th.
Then, finally, the Dallas Stars begin their 2024 season.
Everybody, from fans to analysts, are predicting Dallas to make the playoffs.
Come summertime, the postseason could mean so much more than that.
Before we start talking April through June, we will highlight the most anticipated games before we start the season.
Divisional Clashes
On December 29th, the Stars will most likely be getting their first look at the super-hyped rookie Connor Bedard when Dallas hosts the Chicago Blackhawks. Barring an injury, Bedard will be a Blackhawk all NHL season. It’ll be the first of four meetings between the teams. The second of those meanings will be on December 31st. So the Stars will see the latest sensation in the NHL twice in three days.
Come April 7th, the Stars will be in Colorado to take on the Avalanche. By then, the teams will be nearing the end of the season and looking to fight for playoff positioning. Both teams are not only highly likely to make the playoffs but figure to be fighting for that central division crown. Last year, that right came down to game number 82 for Colorado, with one point separating them and Dallas in the standings.
Matchups vs. Eastern Powers
On October 26th, the Stars will be hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs. It will be an Eastern Conference power vs. Western Conference power early in the year.
Two teams looking to get over a hump and into that final round. For the Stars, they will be looking to make a second finals appearance in five years.
It’ll also be former rental player/fan favorite Max Domi returning to Dallas. Much like John Klingberg, though, he’ll be playing on the other side of the ice, just like how Klinger has done so already twice (with the Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild).
Even when these former Stars play against Dallas, they’ve left their mark on the franchise and the hearts of fans from their past play.
About a week or two from March’s trade deadline, the Stars will be traveling to Raleigh and taking on the Carolina Hurricanes on February 24th. It’s another matchup of contending teams looking to break through the spring and into the summer.
Both teams finished in the semi-finals of their conferences and are looking for more in 2024.
The Wild Wild West
Game number 18, the Stars will be in the same setting as how their 2023 season ended. On November 22nd, Dallas will be hosting the Vegas Golden Knights. After Vegas closed out their season last time in Dallas, expect the Stars to come out firing for this game.
On April 13, on a Saturday afternoon, the Stars will be hosting the Seattle Kraken. Not only is it nationally televised, it’s going to be a matchup between two teams who went seven games in the second round this past season. It was also one goal that separated a tightly contested playoff matchup. It’s sure to be another exciting matchup as the Stars continue to make friends out west.
Playoff rematches, rivalries, Stanley Cup contenders, and playing Bedard. There is much for Stars fans to get excited about come October.
As we go through the season, which will bring many surprises, there will surely be games not listed here that Stars fans will be talking about for years to come.
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