Game Day Guide: Stars at Ducks

When: Friday, December 19 at 9:00 p.m.

Where: Honda Center

TV: Victory+

Radio: The Ticket 96.7-FM, 1310-AM

Live Stats: NHL Game Center

Five Points 5️⃣

• The Dallas Stars face the Anaheim Ducks Friday night for the second of three matchups this season. The two teams will face each other for a final time this season on Jan. 13 in Anaheim.
• Dallas is 84-41-15 all-time vs. Anaheim, including a 33-27-9 mark on the road. The Stars' 84 wins all-time against the Ducks rank first among all NHL teams.
• The Stars have won 11 of their last 15 games against the Ducks (11-4-0) dating back to Oct. 24, 2019. Dallas has also won five of their last seven games played vs. Anaheim at Honda Center (5-2-0).
• Forward Mikko Rantanen has registered 16 points (5-11—16) in his last 10 games played vs. Anaheim, dating back to Jan. 26, 2023, including putting up three points (1-2—3) in Dallas’ last game against them on Nov. 6. In all, Rantanen has totaled 36 points (16-20—36) in 31 career games against the Ducks, averaging 1.16 points per game.
• Defenseman Miro Heiskanen has 10 points (2-8—10) in his last five games played vs. Anaheim, including putting up four assists in his last outing against them on Nov. 6 which tied his single-game career high (also: March 5, 2024, vs. SJS). In all, Heiskanen has tallied 17 points (4-13—17) in 16 career games played against the Ducks, carrying a plus-minus rating of +5. Heiskanen’s 24:41 time on ice per game played against Anaheim ranks seventh in the League among active NHL defensemen.

Players To Watch 👀

Stars forward Justin Hryckowian had a career-high six hits in Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings, which ties for the eighth-most by a rookie in a single game this season. His 51 total hits this season rank third among Stars skaters and eighth among all NHL rookies entering play Thursday. Hryckowian has totaled eight points (3-5—8) through 33 games played this season. His 56.7 face-off win percentage ranks third among Stars skaters and third among all NHL rookies to have taken more than 10 face-offs this season. Hryckowian played in his first career game against Anaheim on Nov. 6 where he registered 11:18 of ice time and tallied one hit, one takeaway and went 2-for-4 at the face-off dot.

Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier has collected 36 points (18-18—36) through 34 games this season, ranking second on the team in scoring. Gauthier leads Anaheim skaters in goals (18), even-strength scoring (14-14—28) and shots taken (127) while tying for the lead in game-winning goals (3). In his career against Dallas, Gauthier has registered five points (3-2—5) in four games played, earning points in all but one of those games. His 1.25 points per game against the Stars rank eighth among active NHL skaters who have played Dallas at least three times in their career.

First Shift 🏒

It’s pretty easy to find good stats about the Dallas Stars.

After all, they have the best regular season record in the league since the start of the 2022-23 season at 171-75-34 (.671) and rank fourth in goals for and fourth in goals against. Pretty high cotton.

But as spectacular as some of these numbers are, they pale in comparison to the team’s performance on the second night of a back-to-back. Facing one of the greatest challenges an NHL team can, the Stars have been beyond impressive.

Since the start of last season, the lads in Victory Green are 12-2-1 on the second night of a back-to-back. That’s the best mark in the league. Want more? Dallas also has a 1.73 GAA in those games, tops in the NHL, and a .947 save percentage, also best in that situation.

“It’s probably the biggest part,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said of the goaltending. “Certainly, your goaltender coming in on a back-to-back is big. And then, the little things like specialty teams can be big.”

Casey DeSmith has drawn the majority of these starts and will get the call again on Friday in Anaheim. DeSmith has been one of the best road goalies in the league since joining the Stars last season. He has a 14-5-3 record away from home with a 2.23 GAA and .926 save percentage.

He often gets the hardest starts, but also comes up with some gutty performances.

“He’s so mentally tough,” Gulutzan said. “Nothing seems to bother him.”

Both DeSmith and Jake Oettinger have been instrumental in giving their team confidence by keeping them in every game. That’s huge when you might be tired after playing the night before.

“They always give us a chance in every game we’re in,” said forward Johnston. “I think if we start slow or we’re just having trouble, the goalies are there for us. That’s huge.”

Of course, the team is also pretty good at this – as they are at a lot of things.

“I just think the coaches do a great job and we try to play smart hockey,” said forward Sam Steel. “I think that’s been big for us in a lot of games.”

Key Numbers 🔢

3.44

Anaheim is second in the NHL in goals per game at 3.44. Dallas ranks fifth in GAA at 2.59.

572

Anaheim ranks second in the NHL in shots that miss the net at 572. Dallas ranks 32nd at 370.

.333

Dallas is tied for the league lead in wins when trailing after two periods with 4. Their .333 points percentage (4-5-3) is best in the NHL.

He Said It 📢

“Primarily, we worry about getting the right D matchup. We’ve got three lines that can play pretty good defensive hockey, so then we try to make sure we have the right D matched up against the best players in the league.”

-Stars coach Glen Gulutzan on whether he worries about line matching on the road

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 X @MikeHeika.