DALLAS — The Dallas Stars opened the 2026-27 season with a 4-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Friday night at American Airlines Center, falling behind 94 seconds in and going 0-for-4 on the power play against Joel Hofer, who stopped all 25 shots he faced for the ninth shutout of his career.
Dallas had won six straight season openers before Friday, the longest active streak in the NHL, and had not lost one since 2019. The Stars had also never been shut out in a home opener since moving to Dallas before the 1993-94 season, according to The Associated Press. Dallas and St. Louis were among seven teams that played their first game Friday, three nights after the league’s season began.
Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said the details that decide games this early in a season are small ones, like winning battles and getting pucks into the right areas. Gulutzan said nobody around the league has figured anybody out yet.
“At the end of the day, they got to their game quicker than we did and they stayed with it,” Gulutzan said. “We need to be a little bit sharper, certainly in our start. We didn’t get our legs until the second.”
Colton Parayko put a shot on Jake Oettinger 1:34 into the first period, and as the defenseman tried to collect his own rebound, the puck slid to Mason McTavish, who tapped it in from just outside the crease. It was the fifth-quickest goal to start a season opener in Blues franchise history.
St. Louis acquired McTavish from the Anaheim Ducks on June 26 for two first-round picks, Nos. 15 and 29, in the 2026 NHL Draft. Friday was his first game with the Blues.
“It was honestly a pretty bang-bang play,” McTavish said. “Just kind of got to the net. Parayko made a great play kind of getting it there. Just kind of was behind my legs, in between them. I don’t even know really how I got it, but it somehow ended up in the net. It was nice to get that one out of the way.”
Roope Hintz, Jake Oettinger Collide On Second Blues Goal
St. Louis doubled the lead at 13:05 of the second period. Oettinger left the puck behind his net for defenseman Nils Lundkvist, but Pius Suter got there first and moved it out front to Philip Broberg. Oettinger tripped over teammate Roope Hintz trying to get back to his crease, and Broberg fed 21-year-old Dalibor Dvorsky for a shot into an open net.
Hintz was playing his first game since March 6 and finished with 3 shot attempts in 16:57. He won 3 of 13 faceoffs.
“I didn’t even know that I had hit him,” Hintz said. “I was going to go to the other side and then it was unlucky that I hit his skate.”
Oettinger finished with 20 saves on 22 shots. Early in the third period, Dallas won a coach’s challenge for offside that wiped out what would have been the first NHL goal for Blues defenseman Adam Jiricek, a power-play tally at 1:06 that would have made it 3-0.
Not long after, Blues defenseman Brandon Carlo caught Hintz knee-on-knee and was assessed a five-minute major for kneeing and a game misconduct. Hintz stayed down for about a minute grabbing at his left knee, went to the dressing room, and came back a few minutes later to take shifts on the power play. He tore his hamstring in two places last season.
“I was quite concerned with the knee on knee,” Gulutzan explained. “You never know with those things, so I was glad he came back.”
The major did not turn into a goal. A two-minute minor on Dallas produced two minutes of 4-on-4 play, and the Stars followed with a power play that ran close to three minutes without scoring. Dallas led the NHL in power-play goals last season. Miro Heiskanen logged a team-high 26:45, including 5:40 on the power play, and he traced the scoring drought back to puck battles.
“I think we had our looks there, but we have to find a way to get it in the net,” Heiskanen said. “I think everything starts with the battles, winning puck battles and having the puck a little more.”
Jimmy Snuggerud and Suter scored into an empty net at 17:37 and 17:52 of the third, 15 seconds apart. Each finished with a goal and an assist. Hofer, who had six shutouts in 43 starts last season, made 25 saves in the first season-opening start of his NHL career.
“We obviously know about (Dallas’) offense,” Hofer said. “They’re obviously very dynamic and can make very good plays, but we were up to the test tonight. We were very tight on them and didn’t give them much, so kudos to our guys.”
Tyler Seguin Returns From Torn ACL In First Game Since December
Tyler Seguin played his first game since Dec. 2, 2025, after tearing the ACL in his right knee. He was a minus-2 with 4 shots and 6 penalty minutes in 14:55 of ice time, and he won 5 of 7 faceoffs. Seguin was on the Stars’ 57-player training camp roster when camp opened in September.
“I felt like it was a long time off,” Seguin said. “Felt fast the first half of the game, and then it started slowing down a bit, so that’s when I started feeling a bit better. I’m only going to get better. Not very happy with tonight, but tomorrow’s a new day.”
His 6 penalty minutes led Dallas, one more than forward Arttu Hyry. The teams combined for 39 penalty minutes.
“In a way, it almost felt like preseason,” Seguin explained. “The game flow fell and penalties ruined the flow.”
Dallas did not lose a game in the preseason, a run that included two wins over St. Louis. Dallas faced a turnaround of less than 24 hours before its next game, at Nashville.
“There were miscues,” Seguin said. “That’s on us. We have to do a better job of being prepared. It’s not preseason anymore. It’s one game, and let’s get ready for tomorrow.”
Dallas won 62% of its faceoffs, going 36-of-58, and outhit St. Louis 21-18. The Stars held the Blues to 50 shot attempts. Wyatt Johnston put 4 shots on goal in 21:49 and won 6 of 9 draws. Mikko Rantanen played 22:10 with 1 shot, and Jason Robertson finished a minus-3 with 2 shots in 19:39.
Blues forward Alexey Toropchenko left early in the second period with an upper-body injury after a hit behind the St. Louis net by Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel. Blues coach Jim Montgomery said Toropchenko is “more than day-to-day” and that the team will not have an update until he has an MRI.
Dallas played without center Matt Duchene, whom the team placed on long-term injured reserve Sept. 30 with a lower-body injury.
The Stars play the second half of a back-to-back Saturday at the Nashville Predators, with puck drop set for 7 p.m. CT at Bridgestone Arena on Prime Video. It is the first of four meetings between the Central Division rivals this season. St. Louis also plays again Saturday, at Colorado.
