The Dallas Stars continue their road-heavy March with their first trip to Toronto to face the Maple Leafs in over two years. Currently, the Stars sit one point out of a playoff spot with four games in hand on the Vegas Golden Knights above them.
Robertson vs Robertson
You do not have to search far for the top story in tonight’s game. For the first time in their careers, brothers Jason Robertson and Nick Robertson will face each other in an NHL game.
Related: Stars’ News & Rumors: Goaltending Chaos & Studenic
Jason, 21, has established himself as an elite player in the NHL. In less than two seasons, he has emerged as one of the Stars top scorers and continues his current rise up the NHL’s offensive leaderboard. In his first 101 games, he tallied 100 points.
“That’s crazy,” Nick said. “I’m not surprised at the same time. I know how good he can be. When he is confident, he gets the looks and the opportunities, and I know he seizes it. Hopefully, I can follow in his footsteps with that production and I look forward to playing against him tonight.”
Nick, 20, on the other hand, has been battling to earn a spot on a talented Leafs roster. The young forward made his NHL debut in Jan. 2020 but has only played 12 games since. Recently, he has been in the lineup often, including scoring his first career goal against the Vancouver Canucks on March 5.
“We had that connection playing hockey,” Jason said. “Having the same goal for 15 years, really.”
When asked about the rivalry between the two, Jason laughed it off saying that they are very close and love to support each other’s careers…but there will certainly be a rivalry once they hit the ice.
“I wouldn’t really say there’s a rivalry,” Jason said. I’d say it’s competitive obviously because we’re brothers. Certainly, on the ice, it’s going to be really competitive. So for sure, that’s going to be intense but it’s all fun and I am glad that we have each other.”
Maple Leafs Scouting Report
The Leafs, as a team, are in a bit of a slide as of late. They are 5-3-2 in their last 10 but have lost four of their last six. The main reason for their recent struggles: goaltending. After having arguably the best goaltending in the NHL last season and early in 2021-22, they have seen Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek struggle as the team has allowed four or more goals in 10 of the last 12 games. In their most recent game, they held brief leads of 1-0 and 2-1 before Buffalo took control of the game in front of nearly 24,000 fans at Tim Horton’s Field.
Not in a slide and currently leading the NHL with 45 goals in 56 games, Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews will not be available for tonight’s game. Matthews was suspended two games for cross-checking Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in the head on Sunday during the Heritage Classic.
“You’re just battling in front of the net,” Matthews said after the game. “I felt like I kind of rode up his shoulder and his shoulder pack rolled up a little bit. That’s hockey; you’re competing out there.”
Lineup Updates
- Jake Oettinger will start in goal
- Braden Holtby remains out–Adam Scheel will back up
- Marian Studenic is likely to make his Stars debut
He Said It
“It’s huge for us,” Roope Hintz said about the importance of the upcoming road trip. “We’ve been good on the road lately so we just have to keep playing there like we’ve been doing. It’s a good opportunity for us to get some points and climb the standings.”
Projected Lines
- Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski
- Benn-Seguin-Radulov
- Raffl-Faksa-Gurianov/Peterson
- Kiviranta-Glendening-Studenic
- Harley-Klingberg
- Suter-Hakanpaa
- Hanley-Lindell
- Oettinger
- Scheel