Maple Leafs at Stars preview

MAPLE LEAFS (2-1-0) at STARS (2-0-0)
8:30 p.m. ET; FS-SW, TSN4, NHL.TV

The Game

The Dallas Stars will try to match their best start in eight seasons when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs at American Airlines Center on Tuesday.
Following wins against the Arizona Coyotes and Winnipeg Jets under first-year coach Jim Montgomery, the Stars can begin a season 3-0-0 for the first time since 2010-11, when they got off to a 4-0-0 start.
Toronto has scored 13 goals and allowed 13 goals following its 7-6 overtime win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.
The third Stars defense pair played for Toronto last season; Roman Polak signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract July 1, and Connor Carrick was acquired in a trade Oct. 1. Carrick has three assists and is plus-3 in two games.

Players to watch

Center Auston Matthews has eight points (five goals, three assists) in three games; he can become the sixth player in Maple Leafs history to score a goal in each of the first four games of the season and first since Clarke MacArthur in 2010-11.
Stars goalie Ben Bishop (0.50 goals-against average, .984 save percentage) has allowed one goal and made 62 saves in two games.

They said it

"He opens up a lot of space with his speed. Not a lot of guys can fly like him." -- Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews on Kasperi Kapanen, who remains on Matthews' line after moving there Sunday
"I think Connor's stalking me. I don't know why. I can't shake him." -- Stars defenseman Roman Polak on defenseman Connor Carrick rejoining him in Dallas last week

Maple Leafs projected lineup

Patrick Marleau -- Auston Matthews -- Kasperi Kapanen
Zach Hyman -- John Tavares -- Mitchell Marner
Par Lindholm -- Nazem Kadri -- Connor Brown
Josh Leivo -- Frederik Gauthier -- Tyler Ennis
Morgan Rielly -- Ron Hainsey
Jake Gardiner -- Nikita Zaitsev
Travis Dermott -- Igor Ozhiganov
Frederik Andersen
Garret Sparks
Scratched:Andreas Johnsson, Justin Holl
Injured: None

Stars projected lineup

Jamie Benn -- Tyler Seguin -- Alexander Radulov
Mattias Janmark -- Jason Spezza -- Blake Comeau
Devin Shore -- Radek Faksa -- Tyler Pitlick
Valeri Nichushkin -- Roope Hintz -- Brett Ritchie
Esa Lindell -- John Klingberg
Marc Methot -- Miro Heiskanen
Connor Carrick -- Roman Polak
Ben Bishop
Anton Khudobin
Scratched: Julius Honka, Gemel Smith, Jason Dickinson
Injured:Stephen Johns (headaches)

Status report

Nichushkin will make his season debut after sustaining a lower-body injury during the preseason. … Lindholm moves to the third line for the Maple Leafs, replacing Johnsson, and Gauthier will make his season debut on the fourth line.

Stat pack

Tavares, who has four points (four goals), had a hat trick Sunday. … Benn has five points (two goals, three assists) in two games. … Marleau is two assists from 600 in the NHL. … Andersen is one win shy of 150 in the NHL.