The unbeaten Dallas Stars look for their fourth consecutive win Thursday night when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are coming off a loss.
“We’re just getting started here,” new coach Pete DeBoer said after the Stars’ 4-1 home win over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. “We’ve got a long way to go. We had a good start. We needed a good start. We talked about it right from Day One of camp. We’re just getting going on the climb of the mountain. We’re starting the climb.”
The Maple Leafs, who lost 4-2 to the Arizona Coyotes on Monday night on two late goals, are completing a four-game homestand.
Toronto’s second loss in four games had coach Sheldon Keefe contemplating adjustments.
“We’ll talk about it, but I would think we could find some changes to make, for sure,” Keefe said.
One change will be on defense after Jake Muzzin (neck) was put on injured reserve Wednesday and defenseman Filip Kral was recalled from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.
Victor Mete, who has yet to play a game this season, was paired on defense with Mark Giordano at practice on Wednesday.
In another change at practice, Nick Robertson replaced Denis Malgin on a line with John Tavares and William Nylander. Robertson also was used Wednesday on the No. 2 power-play unit.
Auston Matthews, who scored 60 goals last season, has a goal and an assist in the first four games this season and did not register a point on Monday.
“Our elite players couldn’t play like elite players, couldn’t make a difference,” Keefe said. “That’s the way it goes when those guys don’t make the difference that they can.”
The Stars have scored at least four goals in each of their first three games. After playing two games in a row at home, Dallas starts a four-game road trip Thursday.
Their top line of Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski carried the team last season and remains a force this season. The line combined for eight points, including three goals, Saturday in a 5-1 home victory over the Nashville Predators.
The Stars want to spread some of the offense around this season.
“I felt that we could be more than, and we would have to be, more than a one-line team, which is essentially the tag that was hung on them last year, probably warranted,” DeBoer said. “I think we’re getting depth scoring. I think just about every line has chipped in now, so far through three games. We want to continue to do that.”
Tyler Seguin, Jani Hakanpaa, Joel Kiviranta and Miro Heiskanen scored for the Stars on Monday and goaltender Jake Oettinger made 23 saves.
DeBoer has said that he wants to keep the defensive structure that former coach Rick Bowness used, but with an injection of more offense.
“Our opportunities feel a little different, a lot more on rush, just playing a lot quicker,” Seguin said. “Our D are really moving that puck up quick, and our forwards are getting open. It’s hard to stop. Our starts here in Dallas over the years, they haven’t been great. We’ve been chasing the ball all the way to American Thanksgiving, sometimes out of playoffs just fighting for our lives. We wanted to come off to a good start. Three is good.”
–Field Level Media
