While the regular season schedule is still under wraps, the Dallas Stars announced their slate of preseason games this morning. The preseason will get underway at home on September 18.
The Dallas Stars will play seven preseason games again this year, with three at home, three on the road, and the previously announced game against Florida at a neutral site in Tulsa.
While the preseason may not count for anything in the standings, the release of the preseason schedule is a precursor to the release of the regular season schedule, which will happen next week if the league continues to follow the pattern of the last few years.
Preseason is used by the team management as a way to test out borderline players and whittle down their roster before opening night. For fans, the preseason is a great time to get an in-person look at prospects and up-and-coming players who haven’t broken into the NHL yet.
More from Blackout Dallas
- Dallas Stars Traverse City Tournament: Who had great performances?
- Grushnikov and Stankoven lead Dallas Stars to 6-3 win over Columbus
- Dallas Stars prospects look to wrap up tournament with a win
- Burn the tapes: Dallas Stars prospects lose 5-1 to Toronto Maple Leafs
- Dallas Stars look to continue success today against the Maple Leafs
In addition to giving fans a chance to watch prospects in action, preseason will also be their first opportunity to see how any off-season acquisitions fit in with the team. The Stars will be looking to add a new back-up goalie, as well as replacing departing players
The first big change the Dallas Stars made this off-season was the addition of Jim Montgomery as the new head coach. He’ll be joined behind the bench by another new hire, Todd Nelson. Preseason will be their first chance to prove themselves.
The match-ups on the preseason schedule will look familiar to fans, as the Dallas Stars face the same three Central Division teams from the 2017-18 preseason. However, this year they added the Florida Panthers to the mix, another common preseason opponent for the Stars.
Tuesday, Sept. 18 Dallas vs. St. Louis 7:30pm
Thursday, Sept. 20 Dallas at Minnesota 7:00pm
Saturday, Sept. 22 Dallas vs. Florida (in Tulsa) 7:00pm
Monday, Sept. 24 Dallas vs. Minnesota 7:30pm
Wednesday, Sept. 26 Dallas at Colorado 6:00pm
Friday, Sept. 28 Dallas at St. Louis 7:00pm
Sunday, Sept. 30 Dallas vs. Colorado 5:00pm
(All times are in Central Time.)
Before preseason gets started, the Dallas Stars will hold their annual training camp. This has been held in Austin for the past three years at the H.E.B. Center where the Texas Stars play. This year, training camp will be in Boise for the first time at the home of the Stars’ ECHL affiliate, the Idaho Steelheads. Training camp runs from Sept. 14-16.
Next: Texas Stars Defy Expectations Yet Again, Force Game Seven In Toronto
Looking forward to next week, fans can likely expect to see the regular-season schedule release before the draft gets underway at the American Airlines Center on Friday, June 22. The Dallas Stars have opened at home every year since 2011-12, but this year could be different.