Dallas Stars Host Devils in Key March 24 NHL Matchup

The Dallas Stars welcomed the New Jersey Devils to American Airlines Center on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in a late-season NHL contest carrying real weight in the Western Conference standings. With the playoff picture tightening, a home win for Dallas carried weight well beyond a single night on the ice.

The Devils made the trip from Newark as a club still clawing for ground in the Metropolitan Division. For Dallas, the game offered a chance to pad its cushion over Central Division rivals chasing a postseason spot.

Dallas Stars’ Position in the 2025-26 Playoff Race

The Dallas Stars entered this matchup as one of the more complete two-way clubs in the West. Their identity is built on a shutdown defensive structure and a top-six forward group that generates high-danger chances at even strength. Head coach Pete DeBoer has leaned on penalty kill efficiency and zone-entry suppression to win close games — a pattern consistent across his tenure in Dallas.

Center Roope Hintz and winger Jason Robertson form one of the more dangerous 5-on-5 pairings in the league. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen logs heavy minutes as the engine of the shutdown pair. He quarterbacks the power play from the left point while absorbing difficult zone-start assignments. Dallas ranks among the top ten teams leaguewide in expected goals against per 60 minutes at even strength — a direct product of DeBoer’s defensive scheme.

One fair counterargument: Dallas’s offense has shown stretches where it relies too heavily on Robertson and Hintz to drive primary scoring. When disciplined opponents shadow that top line, the Stars’ secondary depth gets tested. That gap is real, and it matters in a playoff setting where shutdown pairs are deployed specifically to neutralize elite tandems.

Still, the broader numbers favor Dallas. The club posted a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage above 52 percent for most of the second half of this season, a figure that places them comfortably in the league’s upper third for territorial control. That kind of possession dominance is hard to sustain without genuine two-way commitment from every line.

New Jersey Devils: Road Grind and Metropolitan Context

New Jersey Devils road trips deep into the Western Conference represent a genuine late-season grind. Center Nico Hischier and winger Jesper Bratt carry legitimate offensive firepower, but inconsistency in net and on the back end has complicated the club’s push for a Metropolitan Division playoff berth. Cross-country travel compounds those challenges for a team still sorting its defensive structure in March.

The Devils’ front office has leaned into fan engagement during this stretch run. A limited-edition Nico Hischier bobblehead is available through the club’s New Year’s Plan packages, and group ticket buyers bringing 10 or more fans to any home game receive specially priced tickets plus exclusive member benefits. The Black and Red Full Season Ticket Membership — New Jersey’s most comprehensive fan package — offers flexible access and priority seating. Those details reflect an organization working to maintain crowd energy during a high-pressure portion of the calendar.

From a roster construction angle, New Jersey carries one of the more interesting cap profiles in the East. Hischier’s long-term contract anchors the franchise. Younger pieces on entry-level deals provide cost-controlled depth. How the Devils manage that structure through the offseason will shape their competitive window over the next two or three years.

What This Game Means for Dallas Stars Playoff Seeding

Playoff seeding for the Dallas Stars depends on results across the Central Division and the wild-card race through late March and into April. A win over New Jersey — a non-conference opponent — does not shift divisional tiebreakers directly, but it adds a standings point that every rival must match. In a race decided by two or three points, that math is not trivial.

American Airlines Center has been a genuine home-ice advantage for this franchise. Dallas protecting home ice through the final weeks of the regular season directly affects bracket position. In a league where the top three seeds in each division avoid wild-card opponents in the first round, a first- or second-place finish in the Central carries structural value the Stars’ front office has openly targeted. Finishing third versus second can mean the difference between a manageable first-round draw and a brutal one.

The Stars appear well-positioned to lock in a postseason spot. The sharper debate is whether they can secure home-ice advantage through at least Round 1 — a goal that makes every remaining point, including Tuesday’s contest against New Jersey, worth a full effort. DeBoer’s system is built for playoff durability, not regular-season flash, which means the roster’s true ceiling shows up in April and May rather than March.

Key Developments

• Dallas hosted New Jersey on a Tuesday night at American Airlines Center as part of the Stars’ late-March home slate.
• The Devils’ promotional calendar tied a limited-edition Hischier bobblehead to the New Year’s Plan ticket package for this road stretch.
• New Jersey group buyers of 10 or more tickets receive specially priced seats and exclusive member benefits per club materials.
• The Black and Red Full Season Ticket Membership is the Devils’ most comprehensive fan package, offering flexible access and priority seating.
• Dallas’s 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage held above 52 percent for most of the second half of the 2025-26 season, placing the club in the league’s upper third for territorial control.