The Dallas Stars released their 2019-20 regular season schedule on Tuesday afternoon. With that being said, here are some important tidbits and notable dates to mark on your calendar.
It’s June 25, 2019. That means there are exactly 100 days separating the Dallas Stars from their 2019-20 regular season opener against the Boston Bruins at the American Airlines Center.
But it’s not just opening night that fans can look forward to now. On Monday morning, the NHL released the rest of the 2019-20 regular season schedule for all 31 teams. And with the Stars getting the opportunity to reveal the 82-game set on social media, they did it in the most Stars’ way possible: with creativity and flair.
We're going to crush it this season.
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) June 25, 2019
We've just announced our 2019-20 regular season schedule! #GoStars pic.twitter.com/c6Z6EVq7RG
The video gives Stars fans an up-close and exciting view of some key dates and matchups during the 2019-20 season, using a “crush the competition” theme to drive home the entertainment factor.
In addition to the big and noteworthy games, though, what else is there to take note of on the 2019-20 regular season schedule? Let’s break it down.
First off, let’s point out the obvious. Dallas will play 82 games during the 2019-20 season, with 40 being played at the AAC, one being played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, and 41 being played away from home. The Stars will visit each of the 30 opponents in the NHL at least once and each of the 30 NHL teams will play in Dallas at least once.
Of the 82 games, 32 will be played against the Eastern Conference. The Dallas Stars will play one home game and one road game against each of the 16 teams in the East.
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Of the remaining 50 games on the schedule, the Stars will play against a Pacific division opponent 24 times, leaving three games for each Pacific opponent. Dallas will travel to Anaheim, Arizona, Los Angeles, and San Jose twice while being visited by them once and will host Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Vegas twice while visiting them once.
The remaining 26 games will be played within the Central division. Games within the Central serve as some of the most important matchups on the schedule and can serve as the difference in making and missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Dallas Stars will play three home games and two road games against the Winnipeg Jets, two home games and three road games against the St. Louis Blues, and evenly split two home games and two road games against the Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, and Nashville Predators.
The longest homestand of the 2019-20 season is four games, and it will happen on four separate occasions (Oct. 21 – Oct. 29, Nov. 19 – Nov. 25, Dec. 5 – Dec. 13, March 7 – March 14). On the flip side, the longest road trip is also maxed out at four games and will happen on three separate occasions (Oct. 14 – Oct. 19, Nov. 10 – Nov. 16, Jan. 8 – Jan. 14).
The team will have an extended break in January as they have for the past few years. Following their game against the Wild on Jan. 18, the Stars have eight consecutive days off before returning to the ice on Jan. 27 to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. That break includes the CBA-mandated break and the 2020 NHL All-Star Weekend.
The Stars’ busiest month will be February when they play 15 games over a span of 29 days (don’t forget the Leap Year in 2020). They will also play 14 games in the months of October and March.
Dallas will face a total of 15 back-to-back situations during the 2019-20 regular season, with nine of them being away-away, four of them being home-away, and two of them being away-home.
While opening night against the Bruins and the Winter Classic against the Predators have been hyped up as the “must-see games” of the 2019-20 season, here are some other games that could carry some significance:
Oct. 3 vs. Boston – Opening Night
Oct. 5 @ St. Louis – First Stanley Cup Playoffs rematch with Blues
Oct. 8 & 12 @/vs. Washington – Two games in five days against Capitals
Oct. 24 vs. Anaheim – Devin Shore‘s first return to AAC
Nov. 29 vs. St. Louis – Black Friday game, Blues’ first visit to AAC, and playoff rematch
Dec. 22 vs. Calgary – Last game before five-day NHL Holiday Break
Dec. 29 @ Arizona – Final game of 2019 calendar year (no NYE game due to Winter Classic)
March 20 vs. Philadelphia – Tyler Pitlick‘s first return to AAC (assuming he is still with Flyers)
April 1-4 @ Anaheim, San Jose, and Los Angeles – Final road trip and week of season
There’s a lot to take in with the 2019-20 slate. It’s an exciting day for fans as they plan out which home games they want to be at and any potential road trips they may take. It’s also an important day for the organization and players as they scan the calendar and look for any special dates (including trips to their hometowns or games against former teammates or friends).
All in all, the 2019-20 schedule provides another intriguing test for the Dallas Stars as they look to take the next step after an encouraging 2018-19 campaign.