"Let's feel good about ourselves at the break," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. "We've put in a lot of work and the beer will taste a lot colder with a win and feeling good about ourselves going into the break. And I think we deserve to feel good about ourselves going into the break."
Dallas sits in first place in the Western Conference at 28-13-9, while New Jersey is fourth in the uber-tough East at 31-13-4. The Devils are coming off a 6-4 loss in Nashville on Thursday but have the best road record in the NHL at 18-3-2. They will provide a great challenge for the Stars.
"You're always worried about focus going into a long break like this," DeBoer said. "I think playing a team like New Jersey, a really good team, helps grab guys' attention. I think it makes it easier to focus on the game, with how good we're going to have to play."
Dallas beat the Devils 4-1 on Dec. 13 in New Jersey, and DeBoer said the team would like to replicate that type of effort.
"We have a good template of playing them in New Jersey," the coach said. "We did a really good job of shutting their skill and speed down and scoring enough to win, while playing really good defensively. We're looking at replicating that."
While the coaching staff has experimented with different lines since the return of Roope Hintz from a seven-game absence caused by an upper-body injury, it looks like they will go back to a top line of Hintz, Jason Robertson, and Joe Pavelski. This means Tyler Seguin will slide to the right wing on a line with Mason Marchment and Radek Faksa while Denis Gurianov will move to a fourth line with Luke Glendening and Joel Kiviranta. DeBoer has been looking for the right combination with his forward group.
They also will bring Nils Lundkvist back on defense after three healthy scratches. The 22-year-old defenseman simply needed a reset, the coach said.
DeBoer said he is hopeful the team will have strong focus before heading into the break.
"I think everyone needs time off," DeBoer said. "We try to maximize time away from the rink. I'm a big believer that you can get mentally fatigued just coming into the rink every day, even if you're not practicing. Everyone is looking forward to this. I think it's well-earned. I think we've had an above-average tough schedule to this point. It's been a grind and its starting to feel like a grind, so the break is coming at the right time."
Key Numbers
34.5
The Devils rank fourth in the NHL in shots on goal per game at 34.5. Dallas ranks 17th at 31.9.
14-3-2
The Devils are 14-3-2 against the Western Conference this season. Dallas is 13-5-6 against the East.
24
Stars forward Joe Pavelski has 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in 24 career games against the Devils.
He said it
"I think good teams find a way to win games. At the end of the day when you think about the teams that are left standing, they probably all have that ability over the length of a season that they're never out of the game, they always have the ability to fight back. I think that's just one of the traits of good teams."
- Stars coach Pete DeBoer on the fact Dallas (plus-28) and New Jersey (plus-24) rank second and third in third period goal differential.
Expected lineup
Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski
Benn-Johnston-Dellandrea
Marchment-Faksa-Seguin
Kiviranta-Glendening-Gurianov
Heiskanen-Miller
Lindell-Hakanpää
Suter-Lundkvist
Oettinger
Wedgewood
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.
