DALLAS — The Dallas Stars recently engaged in back-to-back matchups at home against the Chicago Blackhawks, interrupted by an 11-day trip to Finland.
Now, the Stars face a demanding schedule ahead, as they are set to participate in 21 games over the next 44 days, leading up to the week before Christmas.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” said forward Sam Steel. “You work through training camp trying to establish some rhythm, and then our trip to Finland sort of threw that off for a bit.
But now that we’ve moved past that, we can really focus on this upcoming stretch, putting in the hard work to elevate our game to where we want it to be.”

After suffering two defeats to the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, while in Finland, the Stars had a long 11-hour flight back to Texas.
Upon returning, they secured a solid 3-1 victory in their home arena on Thursday night.

Their next challenge is against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, a team that currently holds the NHL’s best record at 13-1.
This matchup marks the Stars’ third different country in as many games within an eight-day period.

“We waited a long time to play in Finland, so getting into a routine now will be key,” goalie Jake Oettinger commented. “It’s just about the game of hockey now—we’re going to be busy, and that’s exciting. Hopefully, we can catch some momentum and rack up a few wins.”

The Blackhawks were playing their sixth game since last visiting Dallas on October 26.
The Stars, who have reached the Western Conference finals in each of coach Pete DeBoer’s first two years, took control right from the start, thanks to Steel’s goal 11 minutes into their first home game post-Finland.
Steel also contributed an assist on Tyler Seguin’s goal, while Oettinger showcased his skills by stopping 25 shots, including five within a frantic 10-second sequence just after the Stars went up 2-0.

“Going into this match, our focus was clear: find a way to win,” Seguin stated confidently.
Coach DeBoer expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, noting, “I thought we played a solid game. Given the circumstances of returning from overseas, I liked many aspects of how we played and felt we controlled most of the game.”