Early look The full preview opens on Wednesday 3 March, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Dallas Stars at Detroit Red Wings: game preview

Puck drop6 Mar · 7:00 PM ET
VenueLittle Caesars Arena
All-time meetings136 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty points apart last season

Dallas finished last season 3rd in the league on 112 points. Detroit finished 16th on 92.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 137

Across 136 completed games, Detroit lead the head-to-head 74-44-18.

All-time record74-44-18Detroit's record in the series
Meetings played136This is number 137
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Dallas
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
14 Mar 2026DET 2 – DAL 3 OT——DAL
23 Dec 2025DAL 3 – DET 4 OT——DET
14 Apr 2025DAL 4 – DET 6——DET
19 Jan 2025DET 1 – DAL 4——DAL
23 Jan 2024DAL 5 – DET 4——DAL
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateDallasDetroit
23 Dec 202525-7-6 · 56 pts2nd22-13-3 · 47 pts5th
14 Mar 202642-14-10 · 94 pts2nd36-23-8 · 80 pts11th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 23 Dec 2025, Dallas were 2nd in the league and Detroit 5th. By 14 Mar 2026 it was 2nd and 11th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Dallas out-attempted Detroit 120 to 103

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Dallas Stars

120 att · 46 on goal · 6 G · 13.0%
Crease10 att · 0 G
Slot49 att · 5 G
Wing44 att · 1 G
Point14 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G

Detroit Red Wings

103 att · 49 on goal · 6 G · 12.2%
Crease8 att · 3 G
Slot32 att · 2 G
Wing42 att · 1 G
Point14 att · 0 G
Neutral zone7 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Dallas have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

DallasDetroit
3.08xG for per game3.23
2.44xG against per game2.85
55.8%xG share53.1%
−3.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals−2.7
+1.3GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.6

This season: 3 games for Dallas, 3 for Detroit. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Dallas

Small sample
Power play · 2026-270.0%
Power play · 2025-2628.6% · 2nd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2777.8%
Penalty kill · 2025-2680.3% · 13th
Faceoffs · 2026-2755.1% · 86/156
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (3.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Detroit

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2622.6% · 12th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2761.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.1% · 23rd
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.6% · 97/181
Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
14Jamie Benn31120.67
96Mikko Rantanen31120.67
21Jason Robertson31120.67
93Alex DeBrincat32241.33
23Lucas Raymond30331.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
57Tyler Myers30000.00
23Esa Lindell30000.00
72Justin Faulk31120.67
53Moritz Seider30110.33
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 5 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 4 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Dallas crease

DAL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 3 Mar

Jake Oettinger.9432 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx +2.0
Casey DeSmith.9231 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Detroit in the last meetings.

Detroit crease

DET · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 3 Mar

John Gibson.9033 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Dallas in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 5.9 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

14 Mar 20265 · DET 2–3 DAL
23 Dec 20257 · DAL 3–4 DET
14 Apr 202510 · DAL 4–6 DET
19 Jan 20255 · DET 1–4 DAL
23 Jan 20249 · DAL 5–4 DET

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Dallas2.002.003.402.76
Detroit2.332.672.943.15

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest5.9Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings7.2Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

11 on the injury lists

Dallas · injuries

Cameron HughesUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Harrison ScottUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct
Luke KrysUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Matt DucheneLower BodyIRReturn25 Oct

Detroit · injuries

Carter BearUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Chase StillmanUndisclosedIRReturn9 Oct
J.T. CompherUndisclosedOutReturn9 Oct
Jacob Bernard-DockerUpper BodyIRReturn9 Oct
Marco KasperUpper BodyIRReturn20 Oct
Mason AppletonUndisclosedIRReturn13 Oct
Simon EdvinssonContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct
5 Oct · DAL

Assigned D Cameron Bertucci to Texas (AHL).

1 Oct · DAL

Placed F Matt Duchene on long-term injured reserve retroactive to Sept. 29. Recalled Fs Arttu Hyry and Colin Blackwell from Texas (AHL).

30 Sep · DAL

Signed G Casey DeSmith to a two-year contract.

2 Oct · DET

Placed F Dylan Larkin on the non-roster injured reserve.

25 Sep · DET

Assigned Fs Ondrej Becher, Cameron Butler, Sheldon Dries, Noah Dower Nilsson, Dylan James, Jesse Kiiskinen, John Leonard, Sutter Muzzatti, Theo Rochette, Dominik Shine and Wilmer Skoog, Ds Ronnie Attard, Jacob Bryson, Shai Buium and William Lagesson and Gs Trey Augustine and Michal Postava to Grand Rapids (AHL).

20 Aug 2026 · DET

Acquired F Sutter Muzzatti from Nashville Predators for future considerations.

Injury report
#59Jakub VanecekRound 2 · Tri-cityD
#155Ryan BrownRound 5 · LondonLW
#187Anton Emil Wilde LarsenRound 6 · FrederikshavnG
#197Jasper KuhtaRound 7 · OttawaC
Full draft
#23Jeffrey (JP) HurlbertRound 1 · KamloopsLW
#47Victor PlanteRound 2 · Usa U-18LW
#79Michal OrsulakRound 3 · Prince AlbertG
#108Adam LevacRound 4 · PeterboroughC
Full draft

Updated after every final