The Dallas Stars get the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday in Dallas, then see them again Wednesday in Denver, a two-game stretch that turns a routine schedule note into an early measuring stick for both teams. Glen Gulutzan thinks the timing could not be much better.
“I honestly think where our team is at, it’s perfect,” Gulutzan said, adding that Dallas has not played its best hockey and that a strong opponent can bring it out. “We’re going to face them twice. I think this comes at a great time to get us into our best game.”
The search interest around Avalanche Vs Stars comes with more than just the calendar. Seguin is coming off his first goal of the season, a tying strike against the Pittsburgh Penguins that was his 49th career game-tying goal. He has 312 goals and 706 points with Dallas, including 10 overtime goals and 55 game-winning goals, and he has been productive against Colorado as well, with 49 points in 43 career games and 10 points in his last seven meetings dating back to March 4, 2023.
MacKinnon brings his own pace into the series. He scored twice in Colorado’s last game against the Toronto Maple Leafs and has 10 points through five games this season. Against Dallas, he has 53 points in 48 career games and a 10-game point streak dating back to Jan. 4, 2024.
That history matters because Dallas is trying to steady itself after a slow start. The Stars opened the season with two losses, beat San Jose and Buffalo, then dropped a 2-1 shootout decision to the Pittsburgh Penguins to fall to 2-2-1. They finished third in the NHL and second in the Central Division last season before losing in six games to the Minnesota Wild in the first round, and they went 2-1-1 against Colorado along the way.
There is still a gap between the big-picture confidence and the recent results. Gulutzan says the matchup is exactly the kind that can sharpen Dallas, but the Stars are still searching for a full 60 minutes after a start that has included two losses, a pair of wins and a shootout defeat. Colorado, meanwhile, arrives with MacKinnon producing at a high rate and with enough recent punch to make the back-to-back set feel less like a preview and more like a test.
For Dallas, Tuesday is the first chance to set the tone before the teams turn around and meet again in Denver on Wednesday. If the Stars are going to use this stretch the way Gulutzan hopes, the answer starts now.
