Dallas has the same problem down the middle, and a worse version of it. Matt Duchene is out for about 3 months after core surgery. Radek Faksa is likely to miss another week, Oskar Back is on long-term injured reserve, and Sam Steel has been out. The New Jersey loss showed the cost: Connor Hellebuyck, in his Devils debut, saw just 17 shots, and Justin Hryckowian was the only Star to score. That 5-1 result ended a 5-game winning streak.
One possible boost for Dallas: coach Glen Gulutzan said Steel could return against Montreal on Thursday. That would give the Stars back one real center when the lineup badly needs it. Esa Lindell is expected back on the blue line within 4-7 days of Tuesday's report, so this game sits right at the edge of that window. Kyle Capobianco is listed day-to-day. Neither of these depth charts is settled yet, and both coaches will be juggling.
The matchup is pretty simple. The Stars beat Chicago, Boston, Winnipeg and the Islanders on this run, and 3 of those came at American Airlines Center, so they've been good at home this month. The Devils loss means they'll want to bounce back quickly. Montreal is on the second leg of a road trip and has been leaning hard on its goaltending. If Dallas can put up the volume St. Louis did and actually finish some of it, the Canadiens' streak is in trouble. If the Stars play like they did against New Jersey, a hot goalie only needs about 20 saves.
Puck drops at 7:00 PM CT. Look for the Dallas lineup sheet, the Montreal goalie announcement and whether Steel actually plays. Those 3 will tell you most of what you need to know about this game.