After a devastating double overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues in game six of the 2019 playoffs, the Dallas Stars look to redeem themselves and make their fans proud this year. October 3, 2019 marked the official return of the National Hockey League (NHL) to Dallas, Texas. 

During the preseason, the Stars acquired  Joe Pavelski (San Jose Sharks), Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks), and Andrej Sekera (Buffalo Sabres). Sekera brings maturity and experience to an already impressive line of young defensmen that includes Miro Heiskanen who participated in the 2019 NHL All-Star Game and had an astonishing season last year, leaving many under the impression that he is going to keep improving as his second season begins. 

With the addition of players like Pavelski, the Stars have given themselves the ability to create stronger, more diverse line combinations. Pavelski was placed in a line with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn which proved to be a successful group. In their final preseason game, all three players scored a goal, leading the team into overtime where they sealed their 4-3 win in a shootout against the Colorado Avalanche. 

The preseason has not gone without its fair share of injuries, with Corey Perry out for two weeks due to a broken foot and Jason Dickinson placed on a day-to-day status after an accidental in-game injury from teammate, Seguin. Martin Hanzal and Stephen Johns are  on injury reserve due to Hanzal’s back injury and Johns’ head injury. Julius Honka is now out of the lineup with no specifics or updates on his situation. 

The Stars started off the regular season against the Boston Bruins, with their matchup ending in a 2-1 and two more injuries added to the Dallas Stars’ roster with Roman Polak fracturing his sternum and Blake Comeau recieving a lower-body injury putting him out for 2-4 weeks. 

The Stars played against the reigning Stanley Cup champions and their division rivals, the St. Louis Blues, on Saturday, October 5, which proved to be a very physical and aggressive game. The Stars gained a 3-1 lead over the Blues with a power play goal but after a controversial call, the goal was disallowed since officials declared that Justin Dowling was offside. The Blues then tied the game two minutes and eleven seconds later and eventually gained a lead, ending the game with a score of 3-2. 

Dallas played against the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday, October 6 and was led in goals by Roope Hintz. Hintz scored two goals and Seguin scored one goal to give the Stars a total of three goals. The Stars could not seem to pull through with a win, falling to the Red Wings with Anthony Mantha scoring all 4 goals for Detroit. 

The Stars coaching staff and the players both  know what changes need to be made in order to generate more scoring opportunities and hopefully improve their record as the season continues.