Dallas Stars: Mats Zuccarello, Ben Lovejoy Making Debuts vs. Chicago

The Dallas Stars got an early jump on the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline, making two separate trades on Saturday to upgrade both their offense and defense. And with the team in Chicago on Sunday afternoon, the entire organization will get a first glimpse at the newest acquisitions.

It’s been a busy weekend for the Dallas Stars, and it only looks to be getting busier.

After securing a surprisingly dominant 5-2 win over a surging St. Louis Blues team on Thursday night, the Stars spent their Friday going through a relaxed practice as they prepared to wrap up a three-game homestand on Saturday afternoon against Carolina. Ben Bishop was ready to return to the lineup, the Stars had gained ground in the race for third place in the Central division, and they looked to have newfound momentum in their corner.

On Saturday morning, things got even more promising after Dallas traded Connor Carrick and a third-round pick to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenseman Ben Lovejoy. The veteran defender was acquired in an effort to round out a young Stars blue line with an experienced leader that can play heavy minutes and contribute on the penalty kill.

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But by early evening on Saturday, all of the momentum seemed to have disappeared. The Stars dropped an uninspiring and emotionless 3-0 loss to the Hurricanes to finish their homestand on a 1-2-0 note and reestablish the six-point gap between them and the Blues.

It was the third time in the past five games that the Dallas Stars had been shut out and the sixth time overall in their 2018-19 campaign. The loss further pried open the door for questioning the Stars’ legitimacy as a playoff contender and once again put their inconsistent offensive execution in the spotlight.

And so, GM Jim Nill made another move. Not even an hour after the final horn sounded in the game against Carolina, the Stars had acquired forward Mats Zuccarello from the New York Rangers in exchange for two conditional draft picks. Zuccarello has been a cornerstone in the Rangers’ offense for the past five seasons and is known for providing a consistent and sustainable spark in the offensive zone.

Two moves in 24 hours isn’t a typical occurrence for Nill, especially at the trade deadline. But it goes to show the seriousness of the situation. The Stars sit at 30-25-5 with 65 points on the season, are sitting in the first spot of a crowded wild card race, and have missed the playoffs in eight of the past ten seasons. The time for success is now, and Nill is willing to do what it takes with two trades trades that involve gambling the team’s future in exchange for present success.

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The next opportunity at that success comes on Sunday afternoon in Chicago. After a quick turnaround following Saturday’s contest, the Dallas Stars will square off with the Chicago Blackhawks at 2 p.m. at the United Center. But, unlike in Saturday’s contest, they will have their new recruits on hand for the action. Both Lovejoy (no. 21) and Zuccarello (no. 36) are expected to make their Dallas debuts against the Hawks.

It’s certainly a fitting time to get valuable reinforcements.

For one, Sunday will mark the second of four meetings between the Stars and Blackhawks this season. In the first matchup in Dallas on Dec. 20, a then-slumping Hawks team stomped the Stars in a 5-2 final. Chicago shredded the Dallas defense and penalty kill, stumped their offensive attack, and controlled the game. The Stars looked uninterested and unenthused for most of the game, and head coach Jim Montgomery even equated their performance to “pond hockey” in the postgame press conference.

This time around, Dallas will have new assets.

With Lovejoy, the Stars should see an upgrade in the defensive zone in terms of balance as well as a boost on their penalty kill. With Zuccarello, the Dallas offense should look faster, more creative, and should boast more depth for the scoring attack.

Here’s the projected lineup for the Sunday afternoon affair.

Jamie Benn – Roope Hintz – Mats Zuccarello

Mattias Janmark – Tyler Seguin – Alexander Radulov

Andrew Cogliano – Radek Faksa – Blake Comeau

Jason Dickinson – Jason Spezza – Brett Ritchie

Esa Lindell – John Klingberg

Miro Heiskanen – Roman Polak

Jamie Oleksiak – Ben Lovejoy

Anton Khudobin

With Zuccarello on the first line with Hintz and Benn, there seems to be a balanced mixture of speed, size, and offensive creativity leading the way for the Dallas offense. Meanwhile, Lovejoy will skate alongside Oleksiak and form a potential shutdown pair.

To top it all off, the Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks are battling for valuable points in the Central division race. Dallas currently sits in fourth place, while the Hawks sit in last. But, with only four points separating the two clubs, the opportunity is there for Sunday’s game to significantly shift the picture.

That’s why it is critical for the Stars to get going on the right foot. They have new additions to incorporate into their attack just in time for a big four-game road trip, and it all starts with a four-point game today against a Blackhawks team that is 8-3-0 in the month of February.

Nill made necessary moves in an effort to shore up his lineup and get it ready for the playoff push. Let’s see if there is an immediate payoff.