Dallas Stars vs. Toronto Maple Leafs: Game Info, Broadcast, Lines, Injuries

The Dallas Stars had their first real test of the season against the Jets and came out on top, but they’ve got another one tonight against the Maple Leafs.

The Leafs have improved by leaps and bounds in the past few seasons, and the Dallas Stars understand that.

Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and the other kids on the team have had a significant impact on their success. With the addition of John Tavares to the fold, they became even more of a threat and they’re looking like legitimate contenders.

They do have one glaring omission on their roster right now, as William Nylander is still missing.

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Nylander is still in contract negotiations with the Leafs after the end of his entry-level contract. He sat out the first two games of the season already with no one knowing if or when they’ll get a contract extension done.

He could get an offer sheet from another team, which is highly unlikely considering the required compensation and what his ask is, or be traded at some point. He’ll need to sign a deal before December 1 if he wants to play this year.

His absence is good news for the Stars, but the Leafs are still an impressive team without him. Matthews seems to be doing just fine without his winger for the moment, leading the Leafs with 5 goals and 8 points in three games.

One early concern for the Leafs so far this season is goaltending. Garret Sparks played the second half of their back-to-back games over the weekend and allowed 6 goals from the Blackhawks for an .806 save percentage. That’s awful, but he’s their back-up and it was one game. However, Frederik Andersen hasn’t had an outstanding year yet either, with an .898 over his two games. If the Stars can capitalize on that with their offensive skills, they’ll be in good shape to win.

Noteworthy for the Stars tonight is that it looks like Valeri Nichushkin will make his return to the line-up. It’ll be his first NHL game since the 2015-16 season and he’ll slot in on the fourth line for now in place of Jason Dickinson.

This will also be the first game for the third pairing of Connor Carrick and Roman Polak against their former team. Carrick in particular has had a great season so far, with 3 points and solid defensive work.

Game Information

Toronto Maple Leafs (2-1-0) at Dallas Stars (2-0-0)
7:30 PM CT – American Airlines Center – Dallas, TX
Home TV: FOX Sports Southwest (Josh Bogorad and Daryl Reaugh)
Away TV: TSN4 (Gord Miller and Chris Cuthbert)
Home Radio: Sportsradio 1310 AM and 96.7 FM The Ticket (Josh Bogorad and Daryl Reaugh)
Away Radio: Sportsnet 590 The Fan (Joe Bowen and Jim Ralph)
Online Streaming: NHL.tv, Fubo.tv
Last Season vs. Toronto: 0-1-1

Projected Dallas Stars Line-Up

Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Alexander Radulov
Mattias Janmark – Jason Spezza – Blake Comeau
Devin Shore – Radek Faksa – Tyler Pitlick
Valeri Nichushkin – Roope Hintz – Brett Ritchie

Esa Lindell – John Klingberg
Marc Methot – Miro Heiskanen
Connor Carrick – Roman Polak

Ben Bishop

Scratches: Jason Dickinson, Julius Honka, Gemel Smith

Dallas Stars Injury Report

Martin Hanzal: He’s still on injured reserve after his back surgery, with an expected return date of early December.

Stephen Johns: Johns is still out indefinitely with post-traumatic headaches.

Toronto Maple Leafs Injury Report

The Maple Leafs are without injuries so far this season.

The only roster player missing is Nylander as a result of the contract holdout.

Next. Don't Worry About the Depth Scoring Problems Yet. dark

With Nichushkin slotting back into the line-up on the fourth line, there’s good potential for the depth scoring to get started tonight as the Stars look to show Tavares exactly what he’s missing out on by choosing the Leafs.

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Dallas Stars vs. Toronto Maple Leafs: Game Time, Broadcast, Lines, Injuries

By Summer LeBel | Oct 9, 2018