DALLAS — In the latter half of their four-game road trip, the Detroit Red Wings home to score some points in the second half of a back-to-back when they visit the Dallas Stars on Sunday night.

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After a huge statement win over the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers to kick off the road swing through the Sunshine State, the Red Wings received a little slice of humble pie on Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Detroit fell behind early to their Atlantic Division rivals and were unable to recover, losing 5-1.

The defeat gives the Wings two losses in their last three games, also falling to the San Jose Sharks in the final game of their most recent four-game homestand last Tuesday. Detroit still sits seventh in the Atlantic Division, four points back of the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Stars are trying to do everything they can to avoid being in the Wild Card conversation. With the Colorado Avalanche nipping at their heels, Dallas is hanging onto third place in the Central Division, though the Avs closed the gap with a victory over the Stars on Saturday night.

With losses in three of the team’s last four games, Dallas is third in the Central, eight points back of the first-place Winnipeg Jets.

Sunday marks the first of two meetings this season between the former division rivals. The Stars have won nine straight meetings dating back to the 2021 season.

NHL HOCKEY

Detroit Red Wings (21-20-4) vs. Dallas Stars (28-16-1)

When: Sunday, January 19

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Where: American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas)

Channel: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit

Stream: FuboTV (Free Trial), DirecTV Stream

Check out the NHL standings and results on NHL.com

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First Shift 🏒

The Stars have leaned on their AHL affiliate a lot this year.

A franchise that has been relatively healthy the previous two seasons has three key forwards out of the lineup in Seguin (hip surgery), Mason Marchment (facial surgery) and Roope Hintz (upper body). As a result, recalls have been made for Matěj Blümel, Arttu Hyry and Justin Hryckowian, and those players have had to take on key minutes at an important time of the year.

“Every organization, you get to this point of the season and your depth gets tested,” said Stars coach Pete DeBoer. “So those guys have to come up and contribute. We have a good American League team and the guys we have called up have done a good job. The list is long and we’ve gotten a lot of contributions from that group of guys.”

Blümel is the most recent call-up and maybe one of the most interesting. A fourth-round draft pick by Edmonton in 2019, he is in his third year in the Stars organization. He played six NHL games in the 2022-23 season and has logged five games this year. The 24-year-old forward said he feels more confident every time he gets called up.

“It feels different because I feel I’m a better player overall,” Blümel said. “I got better at playing a 200-foot game. I’m happy to get this opportunity to show how hard I’ve been working in the AHL.”

Blümel this season has 32 points (18 goals, 14 assists) in 32 games with the Texas Stars. Hyry has 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists) and Hryckowian has 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists). The fact they are older and have “been around,” so to speak, makes it easier for DeBoer to use them.

“The nice thing is it’s the second or third time around for a lot of them,” DeBoer said. “Once you get through that first recall, the nerves disappear. I’m comfortable that we’re past that with these guys now.”

That said, the challenge to play a different style is real. At the AHL level, these forwards play top minutes in all situations. They are expected to score goals and they probably take more risks. In the NHL, the key is to play smart and not make mistakes.

“It’s harder here, for sure,” Blümel said. “Down there, you have extra time for everything. But with every shift I’m feeling more comfortable.”

DeBoer said his only real hope is to get players who can help the team win.

“I don’t think it’s tricky, but it’s a different responsibility than what he does in the American League,” DeBoer said. “He has to be sure that we can trust him out there. I’m not even talking produce. I’m talking, let me play you for 10, 12, 14 minutes and let me feel good about it. That’s where we have to start with those guys.”

But he does need that trust.

“It’s not training camp,” DeBoer said. “We’re in the middle of the season and there are critical points on the line every night. That’s the challenge.”

Mix in the fact that these teammates are battling each other to satisfy their NHL dream, all the while knowing that Seguin, Marchment and Hintz are coming back and that the Stars might trade for more forwards, and the competition can get tough. But Blümel said they actually rely upon one another for support.

“It’s great because we have a really good group of guys down there and we’re all friends, so it’s fun to see those guys get called up,” Blümel said.

Artturi Lehkonen had two goals and two assists, Cale Makar also scored twice and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Dallas Stars 6-3 on Saturday.

Jonathan Drouin and Casey Mittelstadt each had a goal and two assists, and Josh Manson also had two assists for the Avalanche. Scott Wedgewood stopped 26 shots.

Jason Robertson had two goals and an assist, Matt Duchene also scored, and Wyatt Johnson had three assists for the Stars. Casey DeSmith finished with 30 saves.

Duchene opened the scoring at 3:24 of the first period on Dallas’ first shot on goal. It was his 18th of the season.

Mittelstadt tied it with 6:53 remaining in the opening period, and Makar put the Avalanche ahead midway through the second with his 100th career goal. Makar became the fifth-fastest defenseman in the NHL’s modern history to reach the mark, doing it in his 362nd game.

Lehkonen got his first of the night less than 90 seconds later and Drouin made it 4-1 with his 100th goal with 1:30 left in the second.

Lehkonen gave the Avalanche a four-goal lead at 8:13 of the third, and Robertson scored twice 39 seconds apart to pull the Stars to 5-3 with 8:13 remaining.

Takeaways

Avalanche: Colorado improved to 10-3-1 in its past 14 games and moved into a tie with the Stars for third place in the Central Division.

Stars: Dallas lost for the third time in four games after winning seven straight.

Key moment

Dallas appeared to pull to 3-2 late in the second period on a goal from Matěj Blümel, but after a challenge from Avalanche coach Jared Bednar, it was overturned when officials determined Blümel was offside. Drouin scored about two minutes later to extend Colorado’s lead to 4-1.

Key stat

The Avalanche and Stars combined to score on three of their seven power-play opportunities. Dallas and Colorado entered the day No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the penalty kill since Dec. 7.

Up Next

Avalanche host Minnesota on Monday, and Stars host Detroit on Sunday.