Hockey Pregame Notes from Deep in the Heart of Texas by Dia Sparrow January 4, 2018 The last time the New Jersey Devils faced the Dallas Stars, all hell broke loose. With 40 penalty minutes shared between the two teams, several fights and several game misconducts, it’s safe to say that the Stars and Devils aren’t friends. This match up has become increasingly heated over the course of the last few seasons and that doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon. The Devils always seem to know how to find their footing against the ever changing Dallas Stars, and that’s what will propel them past Dallas tonight, just like it did last month. Despite Dallas having a stronger physical edge to their play, the Devils are sharper and faster, which will likely play a factor in the outcome of this game. Let’s take a look at some more points to factor in. Lineup changes can always be beneficial. Coach Hynes decided to shakeup his lines a little bit before Tuesday’s game in St. Louis. He’s decided that the Devils will be going with those same lines tonight against Dallas, with the only change being Schneider back in goal. That should make the Devils lineup tonight look something like this: Hall-Hischier-Bratt Johansson-Zajac-Palmieri Wood-Zacha-Noesen Coleman-Boyle-Gibbons Scratches: Hayes, Stafford Greene-Santini Moore-Vatanen Butcher-Lovejoy Scratch: Severson Schneider Kinkaid Homecoming. Two of the New Jersey Devils call Plano, Texas home. Both Stefan Noesen and Blake Coleman hail from the Dallas suburb and have mentioned how much it means for them to be able to come and play in the NHL against their hometown team. Noesen was up with the Devils last season, when they came to town against the Stars. Coleman however, will be playing in his first big league game against Dallas. Keep in mind, both Dallas boys have scored against the Stars in the past, Noesen having scored his first career NHL goal against them. They’ll definitely be players to watch tonight. The Big Guy. I’m going to be honest with you. Part of me wants to see Brian Boyle go after Greg Pateryn again. Part of me really wants to see Boyle throw his weight around and make sure that the Stars know he won’t tolerate them pulling any tricks, again. The realistic part of me, however, knows that Boyle, being the gentle giant that he is, felt bad about his post-goal celebration and will probably be on better behavior tonight. That said, I have a pretty decent feeling that if Klingberg or Pateryn get back on their nonsense, Boyle will more than most likely be the first Devil to go after them. And I can’t wait for that. Fast Facts: I want to finish this pregamer out with some quick things to note: As I mentioned above, this will be a homecoming for Stefan Noesen and Blake Coleman. It’s Coleman’s first NHL game in his hometown. It’s also Nico Hischier’s 19th birthday. Happy birthday, Nico! And lastly, it’s Miles Wood’s 100th NHL game. The puck drops an hour and a half later than usual, in Dalls. You’ll be able to tune in at 8:30 on MSG tonight. You’re not going to want to miss this one, I know I don’t. Post Views: 1,355 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Dia Sparrow Latest posts by Dia Sparrow (see all) Pregame Notes from Deep in the Heart of Texas - January 4, 2018 Devils Pregame Notes: Monday Morning Edition - December 18, 2017 What’s Up With The New Jersey Devils This Year? - December 17, 2017 Related TopicsBlake ColemanBrian BoyleDallas StarsDevilsDevils HockeyHockeyMetropolitan DivisionNew Jersey DevilsNHLStarsStefan Noesen Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 19, 2021 Whoop Rewards Employees With $100 Each Month To Sleep by Inesh Chari | posted on March 22, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 112: New York Jets’ Insider Brian Costello (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 27, 2021 More in Hockey Tim Peel is Discharged After Caught on Hot Mic Tim Peel was Discharged from the NHL After He was Caught on the Hot... NHL, Amazon Web Services Partner to Develop New Stats, Data, and Insights The National Hockey League (NHL) is partnering with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in an... You Know I’m Right, Episode 81: ESPN’s Arda Ocal (Audio/Video) On the 81st episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 80: MSG Network’s Bill Pidto (Audio/Video) On the 80th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... 2018 Starts with a Shootout Loss to the St. Louis Blues for the Devils What’s Wrong With The Islanders’ Defense?