Following the 4 Nations Face-Off, let’s hope the Devils return revitalized and ready to face the Dallas Stars. Let’s dive into the matchup in this game preview.
The Essentials
Matchup: Dallas Stars at New Jersey Devils
Date: February 22nd, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM ET
Broadcast: MSGSN, Victory+, ESPN+
Listen: Devils Hockey Network
The Last Devils Game: In their last game before the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Devils shut out the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 at the Bell Centre. Jake Allen had another fantastic game, saving 3.32 goals above expected. Allen saved all 34 shots he saw, including a penalty shot. Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist each, while Paul Cotter and Luke Hughes rounded out the scoring. Bratt extended his assist and point streak to eight games in the victory. If you missed the game, check out John’s recap.
The Last Stars Game: In the Stars’ final game before the break, they blew out the San Jose Sharks 8-3. Matt Duchene scored twice and added an assist. Jamie Benn, Wyatt Johnston, and Thomas Harley each had a goal and an assist. The Sharks scored twice early in the first period, including one from former Devil Fabian Zetterlund. Still, the Stars scored the following seven goals. Check out NHL.com’s recap of this game.
The Last Devils – Stars Game: This will be the first matchup between the Stars and Devils this season. New Jersey last played Dallas on March 14th, 2024. That game was Jake Allen’s debut with the Devils, and despite a rough start, it ended in a 6-2 victory for the good guys. Timo Meier, Dawson Mercer, and Erik Haula were some of the goal-scorers in that game, and hopefully, those guys will score a bunch more in tonight’s matchup. Wyatt Johnston and Craig Smith scored for Dallas. New Jersey chased Jake Oettinger in the second period after he allowed four goals on ten shots. Again, let’s hope for a similar result tonight. If you want to relive that 6-2 victory from last season, check out All About Jersey’s recap.
Recent Momentum: The Devils limped into the 4 Nations Face-Off break with a rash of injuries, having won five of their last eight games. Nico Hischier was desperately missed during these games, but more on the captain below. Dallas had won five straight games before a couple of hiccups prior to the break. The Stars won six out of their last eight games before the 4 Nations tournament.
Lineups
New Jersey Devils
Per James Nichols, here is how the Devils setup their lines and pairings in practice on Friday.
#NJDevils lines at practice:
Palat-*Dowling-Bratt
Meier-Hischier-Noesen
Mercer-Haula-Cotter
Tatar-Lazar-BastianDillon-Hamilton
Pesce-Kovacevic
Hughes-Nemec
MacDermid-Casey*Jack Hughes placeholder.
— James Nichols (@JamesNicholsNHL) February 21, 2025
Dallas Stars
Based on their game from February 8th, the Stars are projected to play the following lineup.
Forwards
Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Wyatt Johnston
Mason Marchment – Matt Duchene – Mikael Granlund
Jamie Benn – Mavrik Bourque – Evgenii Dadonov
Oskar Back – Colin Blackwell – Logan Stankoven
Defensemen
Thomas Harley – Esa Lindell
Lian Bichsel – Matt Dumba
Brendan Smith – Cody Ceci
Goaltenders
Jake Oettinger
Casey DeSmith
What to Watch For
Who’s Back and Who is Not?
The good news first…Nico Hischier has been practicing in full and is expected to start (per Amanda Stein)!
Sheldon Keefe says that the plan is for Nico Hischier to return to the #NJDevils lineup tomorrow.
Hischier says he’s feeling good and ready.
They’ll meet and check with training staff to get the full green light.
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) February 21, 2025
Jacob Markstrom also resumed skating and completed portions of the practices on Wednesday and Friday. Jake Allen has played incredibly well in Markstrom’s absence. Still, it will be great to have that 1A/1B goaltending tandem back again.
Jacob Markstrom is joining the #NJDevils on the ice this morning for just the early portion of practice.
He won’t take part in the full session, but will be out there for the first few drills.
All part of his scheduled rehab process. https://t.co/Lm5EtBAvyo
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) February 19, 2025
Two steps in the right direction.
Unfortunately, the Devils didn’t get the same good news regarding Jonas Siegenthaler. The New Jersey defenseman underwent a procedure during the break and will be re-evaluated in two or three weeks.
#NEWS: #NJDevils head coach Sheldon Keefe said defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler (lower-body injury) underwent a procedure during the break and will be re-evaluated in 2-3 weeks.
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) February 18, 2025
Stars of the Central
The Stars currently sit in second place in the Central Division, and for obvious reasons. They rank within the top ten in the NHL in a variety of categories. Their 72 points have them tied for third in the NHL. Dallas is tied for seventh in the NHL in goals with 180 and third in goals allowed, allowing only 138. The Stars average 30 shots per game, one of the best averages in the NHL. Dallas has the top penalty kill in the NHL, killing 85 percent of their penalties. Other than the power play, which is one of the few areas of the game Dallas has struggled with, you name it, the Stars are excelling at it. The Devils will have their hands full with the Stars’ offense without Siegenthaler. They must execute at peak levels to beat Jake Oettinger and a stingy Dallas defense.
Top Performers
Offensively, Dallas is led by Matt Duchene (55 points) and Jason Robertson (51 points). Duchene leads the team in goals with 22, while Robertson has tallied 20. The entire team is defensively responsible, but Duchene leads the forward group with a +/- record of +12. The Stars have a physical forward core, with Jamie Benn leading the team with 60 penalty minutes and agitator Mason Marchment in a distant second place with 37 penalty minutes.
Dallas’ current top defensive pairing is Thomas Harley and Esa Lindell after some key Stars defenders were injured. Harley stepped up for Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship on Thursday night in Josh Morrissey’s place. Harley has played most of his minutes this season with Ilya Lyubushkin, but Lyubushkin is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Lindell usually plays with either Nils Lundkvist or Miro Heiskanen, but both are currently on the injured reserve. Harley and Lindell lead the Stars in +/- and are a combined +48 this season.
Jake Oettinger made the 4 Nations Team USA roster for a reason. Oettinger has posted a save percentage of .911 at all strengths, which ties him for eighth in the NHL (amongst those with a minimum of 1200 minutes played). The Dallas netminder allows slightly over 2.3 goals per game while saving nearly ten goals above average. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the Otter is six foot six inches tall and over 220 pounds. Unfortunately for the Devils, he’s one of the tougher goaltenders to beat in the NHL.
Critical Component
Dallas is a good offensive team and the Devils are missing one of their best blueliners. How Dougie Hamilton and Simon Nemec perform tonight will set the tone for New Jersey. In Siegenthaler’s absence, the Devils will be relying on Hamilton more heavily for solid defense.
Your Thoughts
How are you feeling about the Devils coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break? How did you think Jack Hughes performed during that tournament? How do the Devils match up against a top contender in the West? Let us know in the comments section below. Thank you for reading, and GO DEVILS!!!