STARS NOTES
The Stars stumble into Thursday’s clash against the Islanders on a three-game losing skid, with the most recent a 6-4 defeat to the New Jersey Devils on home ice. This will be the first of a four-game road trip for Dallas.
The Stars (97 points) sit in second place in the Central Division, Western Conference and NHL. They only trail the Colorado Avalanche (104 points) for the league’s top spot.
Wyatt Johnston’s 40 goals are tied for third in the NHL, while Jason Robertson’s 39 goals is sixth. Johnston has four points (3G, 1A) in the last two games and ranks second on the team with 78 points (40G, 38A) in this campaign.
Robertson has also been on a heater with 11 points (5G, 6A) in his last seven games. He leads the Stars and ranks 10th in the league with 85 points (39G, 46A) through 71 games this year.
Miro Heiskanen has 18 points (2G,16A) in his last 17 outings, including 11 points (2G, 9A) in 12 games this month. Heiskanen ranks third on the team and eighth among NHL defensemen with 59 points (9G, 50A) this season.
Stars GM Jim Nill confirmed that Rantanen (lower-body, IR) is traveling with the team for their four-game road trip but hasn’t played since suffering his injury at the Olympics. Rantanen ranks third on the team with 69 points (20G, 49A) in 54 games this year.
Roope Hintz (lower-body) has not skated since Mar. 6 against the Avalanche and is not expected back until closer to the playoffs. Hintz is fifth on Dallas with 44 points (15G, 29A) this season.
Radek Faksa (lower-body) and Tyler Seguin (lower-body) on IR. Faksa (2G,15A) and Seguin (7G, 10A) both have 17 points for the Stars in the current campaign.
On Mar. 5, Dallas acquired Michael Bunting from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2026 third-round draft pick (via. SEA). Bunting has two points (1G, 1A) in nine games with the Stars, but 33 total points (14G, 19A) this season.
The Stars have the league’s 10th best penalty kill unit (80.9%) but the second ranked power-play (29.0%) this season. They have a power-play goal in each of their last three games.
