If you thought the 2025 portion of the Stars' schedule was tough, think again. The 2026 portion of the schedule is just as tough as the beginning. With Glen Gulutzan becoming the new head coach of the Dallas Stars, he won't have much time to get off to the races. With how good the Central Division is going to be this upcoming season, there isn't much room for error if the Stars want to return to the playoffs. Here are the important dates in 2026 for the Stars.
Dallas Stars Schedule: January 4th vs. Montreal Canadiens
The Stars return home from playing the Chicago Blackhawks on New Year's Day to take on the Montreal Canadiens for the first official home game of 2026. With the exciting rise of the Canadiens last season, I'm sure the Stars' fanbase will be attending this game to see defenseman Lane Hutson and others. Even though this isn't the first actual game of 2026, this feels like an important game to win at home to kick off the 2026 home game schedule.
Dallas Stars Schedule: January 29th at Vegas Golden Knights
This will be the first game against the Stars' newest rivals, the Vegas Golden Knights. Over the last three seasons, the games against both teams have been aggressive and exhilarating. You can tell the Stars are still mad from three seasons ago when the Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Stars from the Western Conference Finals. I love watching both of these teams go at each other as their rivalry blossoms. Think of this rivalry as a modern-day Stars-Avalanche rivalry.
Dallas Stars Schedule: March 6th vs. Colorado Avalanche
You can expect the Colorado Avalanche to be in the thick of things in the Central Division this upcoming season. A win here could help the Stars in case of a tiebreaker between both franchises. With five teams from the Central Division in the playoffs last season, the Stars' effort in this game could determine whether they take on a division foe or a wildcard team in the first round of the playoffs.
Dallas Stars Schedule: March 16th vs. Utah Mammoth
Another Central Division team to watch out for this upcoming season is the Utah Mammoth. They were busy in free agency over the summer and have put together a solid team that could be in the thick of things late into the season. Just because they moved from Arizona doesn't mean they are a stepping stone in the Central Division anymore. I don't think they are happy that the Stars won three of the four games they played last season. It could be an interesting game late into the season.
Dallas Stars Schedule: April 11th vs. New York Rangers
The Stars will wrap up their home schedule this upcoming season against the New York Rangers. It will be a good test before the Stars begin the Stanley Cup Playoffs next season. The Stars should have their playoff spot wrapped up by now, and it would be a good test before the first round begins, which is scheduled to start a couple of weeks after this game. The 2025-26 season will be a challenging season for the Stars, but if there's any team I know that will be able to ride the storm, it's them.