February 28, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson (21) celebrates with teammates after scoring the game-winning goal against the Nashville Predators during overtime at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Image The Dallas Stars brought home a team-record 10th straight win Friday as they began a six-game homestand with the Colorado Avalanche, the only team above them in the NHL standings.
This is the first time the Central Division teams have met since the opening week of the season, when the Stars skated to Denver with a 5-4 shootout win.
Considering Colorado has held the NHL’s best record virtually all season, Friday’s game serves as an important checkpoint for the Stars. Especially considering these teams could meet in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“You know, I’m paying attention to this (trade) deadline just like everyone else, but man, I’ve been paying attention to this game against Colorado since the last time we played Colorado,” Stars coach Glenn Gulusan said Thursday. “So that’s where my focus is.”
Dallas has continued its winning streak since play resumed after the Olympic break, despite missing several key players. The Stars should get one back on Friday, as Gulutzan said Roope Hintz “would be nice to have.” The Finnish striker has missed the last four games due to illness.
The Stars may find themselves juggling more lineups with the acquisition of Tyler Myers from Vancouver on Wednesday. Gulujan considered Myers a “50-50” shot for Friday’s game because the 6-foot-8 defenseman wasn’t expected to report to the team until late Thursday.
Even without Hintz (15 goals, 29 assists in 52 games) and Mikko Rantanen (20 goals, 49 assists in 54 games), the Stars have been shining brightly recently. Their last two games, on back-to-back road trips to Vancouver and Calgary, have both ended 6-1.
Jason Robertson, who leads the team with 34 goals and 72 points, has scored 2 points in each of the last 3 games (2G, 4A). Wyatt Johnston, second on the team with 33 goals and third with 65 points, has three 2-pointers (4G, 2A) in the last four games.
Avalanche knows how high the stars are riding, and then some. Two months ago, Colorado became the fourth NHL team to achieve two 10-game winning streaks in the same season. The team has won three games in a row and is in the early stages of the third leg. The Avalanche traveled to Southern California earlier this week, beating Los Angeles 4-2 on Monday and then defeating Anaheim 5-1 the following night.
Colorado not only has the league’s best record, but also boasts the league’s best offense with 3.82 goals per game and the best defense with 2.40 goals per game. Nathan MacKinnon, who leads the league with 41 goals and is second with 100 points, has recorded 7 points (1G, 6A) since play resumed a week ago. Martin Necas, who is tied for 8th place in the league with Robertson and three others (72 points), has five goals and five assists in five games since the break.
The trip to California ended with three games in four days for Colorado, but Friday’s game against the Stars kicks off five games through March 14. After traveling to Dallas, the Avalanche return home to play two games against Minnesota and Edmonton before hitting the road again.
After the win over Los Angeles, Colorado coach Jared Bednar said the team would stay in California one more day before heading east. Bednar said that with the exception of Friday’s pregame skate, only goalies and some injured players will be allowed on the ice for extended periods of time.
“We’re going to try to be as energetic and ready to go for Dallas as possible,” Bednar said. “That’s our focus.”
–Field level media
