Early look The full preview opens on Saturday 24 October, 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

New Jersey Devils at Dallas Stars: game preview

Puck drop27 Oct · 8:00 PM ET
VenueAmerican Airlines Center
All-time meetings57 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-five points apart last season

New Jersey finished last season 21st in the league on 87 points. Dallas finished 3rd on 112.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 58

Across 57 completed games, Dallas lead the head-to-head 29-23-5.

All-time record29-23-5Dallas's record in the series
Meetings played57This is number 58
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Dallas
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
24 Mar 2026NJD 6 – DAL 4——NJD
3 Dec 2025DAL 3 – NJD 0——DAL
4 Mar 2025NJD 3 – DAL 4——DAL
22 Feb 2025DAL 4 – NJD 2——DAL
14 Mar 2024NJD 6 – DAL 2——NJD
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNew JerseyDallas
3 Dec 202516-10-1 · 33 pts9th18-5-5 · 41 pts2nd
24 Mar 202636-32-2 · 74 pts21st43-17-11 · 97 pts2nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 3 Dec 2025, New Jersey were 9th in the league and Dallas 2nd. By 24 Mar 2026 it was 21st and 2nd.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

New Jersey out-attempted Dallas 116 to 109

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

New Jersey Devils

116 att · 55 on goal · 6 G · 10.9%
Crease10 att · 1 G
Slot43 att · 3 G
Wing36 att · 1 G
Point21 att · 0 G
Neutral zone6 att · 1 G

Dallas Stars

109 att · 55 on goal · 7 G · 12.7%
Crease4 att · 1 G
Slot44 att · 5 G
Wing33 att · 1 G
Point26 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

New Jersey and Dallas are level on 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.

New JerseyDallas
3.52xG for per game3.08
3.01xG against per game2.44
53.9%xG share55.8%
−4.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals−3.2
−4.0GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.3

This season: 3 games for New Jersey, 3 for Dallas. 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

New Jersey

Small sample
Power play · 2026-277.1%
Power play · 2025-2622.0% · 13th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2762.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2679.3% · 17th
Faceoffs · 2026-2747.5% · 87/183
Drawn · 2026-2714 (4.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

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

Skaters

Skaters to watch

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

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
86Jack Hughes31120.67
63Jesper Bratt30220.67
14Jamie Benn31120.67
96Mikko Rantanen31120.67
21Jason Robertson31120.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
43Luke Hughes31010.33
47Declan Chisholm30110.33
57Tyler Myers30000.00
23Esa Lindell30000.00
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 24 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 25 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

New Jersey crease

NJD · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 24 Oct

Jake Allen.8752 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.7
Nico Daws.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.5

No appearances against Dallas in the last meetings.

Dallas crease

DAL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 24 Oct

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

No appearances against New Jersey 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

24 Mar 202610 · NJD 6–4 DAL
3 Dec 20253 · DAL 3–0 NJD
4 Mar 20257 · NJD 3–4 DAL
22 Feb 20256 · DAL 4–2 NJD
14 Mar 20248 · NJD 6–2 DAL

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
New Jersey2.004.332.803.10
Dallas2.002.003.402.76

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 meetings6.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

New Jersey · injuries

Connor BrownLower BodyOutReturn12 Oct
Johnathan KovacevicKneeIRReturn10 Oct
Jonas SiegenthalerUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct
Nick BjugstadPectoralIRReturn19 Jan
Seamus CaseyKneeIRReturn21 Nov

Dallas · injuries

Cameron HughesUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Harrison ScottUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct
Luke KrysUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Matt DucheneLower BodyIRReturn25 Oct
27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers.

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers. Placed C/RW Marc McLaughlin, LD Vladislav Kolyachonok, G David Rittich, LW Riley Tufte, LD Topias Vilen, and C/RW Colin White on waivers.

25 Sep · NJD

Assigned Ds Mikael Diotte, Ethan Edwards, Jeremy Hanzel, Etienne Morin and Anton Silaev, Fs Josh Filmon, Lenni Hameenaho, Shane Lachance, Matyas Melovsky, Xavier Parent, Cam Squires and Ben Steeves and G Jakub Malek to Utica (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Utica Ds DJ King, Charles Leddy and Eamon Powell, Fs Tristan Ashbrook, Zachary Gallant, Gabe Klassen, Jack Malone, Justin Pearson, Ryan Schmelzer, Cristophe Tellier and Jermey Wilmer and Gs Jeremy Brodeur and Seth Eisele.

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.

Injury report
#12Alexander CommandRound 1 · Orebro Jr.C
#37Matias VanhanenRound 2 · EverettLW
#44Nikita ShcherbakovRound 2 · Ufa Jr.D
#119Lavr GashilovRound 4 · Yekaterinburg Jr.C
Full draft
#59Jakub VanecekRound 2 · Tri-cityD
#155Ryan BrownRound 5 · LondonLW
#187Anton Emil Wilde LarsenRound 6 · FrederikshavnG
#197Jasper KuhtaRound 7 · OttawaC
Full draft

Updated after every final