Maple Leafs Faceoff Against Stars: Projected Lineups and Game Preview

Tonight, the Toronto Maple Leafs clash with the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET, with the game broadcast on Victory+, NHLN, and SNO. Here’s a look at the projected lineups and what to expect from this interconference matchup.

Maple Leafs Projected Lineup

Despite recent struggles, the Maple Leafs are looking to shake things up and find some consistency. Here's how they are expected to line up:

• Forwards:

  • Mathew Knies – Auston Matthews – Easton Cowan
  • Matias Maccelli – John Tavares – William Nylander
  • Dakota Joshua – Scott Laughton – Calle Jarnkrok
  • Nicholas Robertson – Nicolas Roy – Bobby McMann

• Defense:

  • Morgan Rielly – Philippe Myers
  • Jake McCabe – Troy Stecher
  • Simon Benoit – Oliver Ekman-Larsson

• Goalies:

  • Dennis Hildeby
  • Joseph Woll

Scratches: Steven Lorentz, Max Domi, and Henry Thrun will likely be scratched for this game.

Injuries: The Maple Leafs' injury list includes Chris Tanev (upper body), Anthony Stolarz (upper body), Brandon Carlo (lower body), and Dakota Mermis (lower body).

Stars Projected Lineup

The Dallas Stars, with a strong 24-7-5 record, are looking to continue their winning ways. Here’s a possible look at their lineup:

• Forwards:

  • Matt Duchene — Wyatt Johnston — Mikko Rantanen
  • Jason Robertson — Roope Hintz — Jamie Benn

• Other possible forward combinations:

  • Justin Hryckowian - Sam Steel - Mavrik Bourque
  • Oskar Back - Radek Faksa - Colin Blackwell

• Defense:

  • Esa Lindell – Miro Heiskanen
  • Thomas Harley – Nils Lundkvist
  • Alex Petrovic – Ilya Lyubushkin

• Goalies:

  • Jake Oettinger
  • Casey DeSmith

Scratches: Nathan Bastian, Kyle Capobianco, and Adam Erne are expected to be scratched.

Injuries: Tyler Seguin (ACL) and Lian Bichsel (lower body) are currently injured for the Stars. Seguin is expected to miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season.

Keys to the Game

The Stars have been dominant, boasting the best regular-season record since the 2022-23 season. Their performance on the second night of back-to-back games is particularly impressive. Goaltending has been a key factor in their success. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs have struggled with consistency and are looking to improve their power play, which ranks near the bottom of the league. The Leafs retooled their top power-play unit in their recent game against Nashville.

Recent Performance

The Stars are on a three-game winning streak, scoring 17 goals in their last three games. The Maple Leafs, however, have lost four of their last five games. In their last game, they surrendered multiple leads in a 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators.

Historical Context

Despite their recent struggles, the Maple Leafs have won eight of their last ten encounters against the Stars. However, given the Stars' strong performance this season, the Maple Leafs will need to bring their best game to secure a win tonight.