The Stars aim to extend several streaks of their own and a gaudy one of the San Jose Sharks when the clubs meet in Dallas on Tuesday.
Jake Oettinger made 34 saves in Dallas’ 3-0 victory over the New York Islanders on Saturday and Casey DeSmith turned aside all 25 shots he faced in his team debut the following night.
“(Back-to-back shutouts are) really rare. I don’t know that I’ve ever been a part of that. Probably not,” DeSmith said after the Stars’ 2-0 triumph over the Seattle Kraken on Sunday. “What a way to start the year. Just shows that we’re playing the right way and, hopefully, that keeps going.”
Dallas coach Pete DeBoer was quick to credit the defense for his team’s undefeated start to the season.
“We’ve got a smart group,” DeBoer said. “We know that defense gives you a chance to win every night in this league, and if you defend hard and get good goaltending, you can give yourself a chance every night. If you don’t, you’ve probably put yourself in a lot tougher spot.”
Fourth-liner Sam Steel and Wyatt Johnston tallied 13 seconds apart late in the first period on Sunday. Johnston has recorded a point (one goal, two assists) during each contest of the Stars’ three-game winning streak to start the season.
Johnston, who led Dallas with 32 goals in 2023-24, collected five goals and three assists to help the Stars record a three-game season sweep of the Sharks last season.
While Dallas is riding high with two straight shutouts as part of its undefeated start to the season, San Jose was blanked in its last outing and is winless in 12 straight October outings (0-10-2) dating back to 2022.
The Sharks dropped a 2-0 decision to the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night, hours after they placed top overall pick Macklin Celebrini (lower body) on injured reserve.
The 18-year-old Celebrini, who is the youngest player to win the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s top player in 2023-24, will miss Tuesday’s game in Dallas as well as Thursday’s contest in Chicago. He is eligible to return on Friday when the Sharks conclude their three-game road trip against the Winnipeg Jets.
“(Celebrini) is a special player. He’s going to help us offensively. He’s going to help the confidence of the group,” Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro said. “He’s a good person in the locker room. (Even though he’s) a young guy, he leads a charge, too.”
Tyler Toffoli joined Celebrini in collecting a goal and an assist in San Jose’s 5-4 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.
Mackenzie Blackwood made 35 saves in that contest, but he yielded three third-period goals before Brayden Schenn tallied 45 seconds into the extra session.
Blackwood also turned aside 35 shots in his lone encounter with Dallas last season — albeit in a 6-3 setback.
Johnston (two goals, one assist) and Dallas captain Jamie Benn (one goal, two assists) each recorded a three-point performance in that game.
–Field Level Media
