Dallas Stars Welcome New Jersey Devils To Kick Off 2019 Play

The Dallas Stars will open up their 2019 slate tonight with a matchup against the New Jersey Devils. It’s another home game against a team riding a recent hot streak and another chance to gain ground in an ever-tightening playoff race.

Wednesday night will serve as the halfway point of the 2018-19 campaign for the Dallas Stars. It’s game 41 and, as always, the stakes are high.

The Stars will square off with the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night. It’s the second and final meeting between the two teams this year, with the Devils claiming the first one by a score of 3-0 back in October. But this time around, there’s a new weight to the game.

It’s the halfway point of the season in the NHL. Teams are beginning to take on their own specific identities and show the rest of the hockey world just what kind of group they are. Subpar teams are beginning to sink down the standings and true Stanley Cup challengers are surging at the top. But in the middle, there are a handful of teams still making a last ditch effort to go one way or the other.

That’s where the Stars and Devils sit. Dallas is 20-16-4 (44 points) and currently possesses the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Devils sit 15-16-7 (37 points) and are a threatening 10 points out of the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. It’s not an impossible gap to close with half of the season to go, but there’s no time to delay.

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At the moment, the Stars may look to be in the better position. They seem to be trending upward while the Devils have a long ways to go if they want to catch up with a rolling Eastern Conference. And yet, that’s all the more reason to pay attention to tonight’s game.

The Devils are in a position where it’s make-or-break time. They are a humbling 4-12-3 on the road this year and are second-to-last in their division. Their defense is giving up 3.29 goals per game while the offense is scoring 2.97. Their penalty kill (84.8 percent) is one of the best in the NHL while their power play (19.5 percent) is middle-range.

And yet, they are in a seriously deep hole in the standings. Part of this has to do with the fact that a good chunk of teams in the East have surged through the first half of the season. But, another half has to do with the fact the Devils were in last place in the Eastern Conference at the end of November. Had it not been for a 6-5-2 performance in December, they could very well still be at the bottom. Heck, only three points separate them from the spot right now.

But a late surge to close out the year did the Devils good and helped them hop up the ladder. They are currently riding a three-game win streak and are 4-1-0 in their past five contests. Not only that, but they have outscored their past three opponents (Boston, Carolina, and Vancouver) by a score of 11-2. That includes two shutouts for rookie Mackenzie Blackwood.

Blackwood, 22, made his NHL debut on Dec. 18, 2018. With Cory Schneider on injured reserve, the rookie stepped in and took on a big role. And so far, the results have been admirable.

The young goaltender is 3-1-0 in six appearances this season and owns a .962 save percentage and 1.25 goals against average. He’s done his part in not only holding down the fort in Schneider’s absence, but also picking up important points for the Devils.

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That’s a major point of emphasis to watch for in tonight’s game. The Dallas Stars are coming off of a 3-2 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens in which they took 47 shots but ultimately came up short at the hands of Antti Niemi. The Dallas offense has looked better in recent games, but will face another tough test tonight.

“This goalie is seeing the puck really well for two games in a row, so we have to get to the net front,” said head coach Jim Montgomery. “Things that we’ve been working on, and we have gotten better offensively. Even though maybe the results aren’t there yet on the scoreboard, we have become a better offensive team from our own end right through to the offensive end.

“So, hopefully we can continue getting rebound chances like we have lately. That’s how you get through to a goaltender that’s really hot and a team that is playing real good team defense.”