# 2019–20 Dallas Stars season

The 2019–20 Dallas Stars season was the 53rd season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 5, 1967, and 27th season since the franchise relocated from Minnesota prior to the start of the 1993–94 NHL season. The Stars advanced to the playoffs for consecutive seasons for the first time since 2007–08.
On December 10, 2019, Jim Montgomery was dismissed and replaced by Rick Bowness.
The season was suspended by the league officials on March 12, 2020, after several other professional and collegiate sports organizations followed suit as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On May 26, the NHL regular season was officially declared over with the remaining games being cancelled. The NHL officially resumed play in two controlled locations in August 2020, with Western Conference teams, including Dallas, playing in Edmonton and Eastern Conference teams in Toronto. The Stars advanced to the playoffs and played in a round-robin tournament, which determined the team's seed for the playoffs; Dallas was ultimately seeded third, entering them into a first-round series against the Calgary Flames, which they won in six games. The Stars then faced the Colorado Avalanche in the second round, defeating them in seven games. In the Western Conference Final, the Stars defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in five games to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 20 years. They were ultimately defeated in six games by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

## Standings
### Divisional standings

Central Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | St. Louis Blues | 71 | 42 | 19 | 10 | 33 | 225 | 193 | +32 | 94 |
| 2 | Colorado Avalanche | 70 | 42 | 20 | 8 | 37 | 237 | 191 | +46 | 92 |
| 3 | Dallas Stars | 69 | 37 | 24 | 8 | 26 | 180 | 177 | +3 | 82 |
| 4 | Winnipeg Jets | 71 | 37 | 28 | 6 | 30 | 216 | 203 | +13 | 80 |
| 5 | Nashville Predators | 69 | 35 | 26 | 8 | 28 | 215 | 217 | −2 | 78 |
| 6 | Minnesota Wild | 69 | 35 | 27 | 7 | 30 | 220 | 220 | 0 | 77 |
| 7 | Chicago Blackhawks | 70 | 32 | 30 | 8 | 23 | 212 | 218 | −6 | 72 |

### Western Conference

| Pos | Teamvte | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | PCT | Qualification |
| 1 | St. Louis Blues | 71 | 42 | 19 | 10 | 33 | 225 | 193 | +32 | .662 | Advance to Seeding round-robin tournament |
| 2 | Colorado Avalanche | 70 | 42 | 20 | 8 | 37 | 237 | 191 | +46 | .657 | Advance to Seeding round-robin tournament |
| 3 | Vegas Golden Knights | 71 | 39 | 24 | 8 | 30 | 227 | 211 | +16 | .606 | Advance to Seeding round-robin tournament |
| 4 | Dallas Stars | 69 | 37 | 24 | 8 | 26 | 180 | 177 | +3 | .594 | Advance to Seeding round-robin tournament |
| 5 | Edmonton Oilers | 71 | 37 | 25 | 9 | 31 | 225 | 217 | +8 | .585 | Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round |
| 6 | Nashville Predators | 69 | 35 | 26 | 8 | 28 | 215 | 217 | −2 | .565 | Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round |
| 7 | Vancouver Canucks | 69 | 36 | 27 | 6 | 27 | 228 | 217 | +11 | .565 | Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round |
| 8 | Calgary Flames | 70 | 36 | 27 | 7 | 25 | 210 | 215 | −5 | .564 | Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round |
| 9 | Winnipeg Jets | 71 | 37 | 28 | 6 | 30 | 216 | 203 | +13 | .563 | Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round |
| 10 | Minnesota Wild | 69 | 35 | 27 | 7 | 30 | 220 | 220 | 0 | .558 | Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round |
| 11 | Arizona Coyotes | 70 | 33 | 29 | 8 | 26 | 195 | 187 | +8 | .529 | Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round |
| 12 | Chicago Blackhawks | 70 | 32 | 30 | 8 | 23 | 212 | 218 | −6 | .514 | Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round |
| 13 | Anaheim Ducks | 71 | 29 | 33 | 9 | 20 | 187 | 226 | −39 | .472 | |
| 14 | Los Angeles Kings | 70 | 29 | 35 | 6 | 21 | 178 | 212 | −34 | .457 | |
| 15 | San Jose Sharks | 70 | 29 | 36 | 5 | 22 | 182 | 226 | −44 | .450 | |

#### Tiebreaking procedures

* Fewer number of games played (only used during regular season).
* Greater number of regulation wins (denoted by RW).
* Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime (excluding shootout wins; denoted by ROW).
* Greater number of total wins (including shootouts).
* Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded.
* Greater goal differential (difference between goals for and goals against).
* Greater number of goals scored (denoted by GF).

## Schedule and results
### Preseason

The pre-season schedule was published on June 13, 2019.

### Regular season

The NHL regular season schedule was released on June 25, 2019. The Stars hosted the 2020 NHL Winter Classic against the Nashville Predators, the first outdoor game for both teams, winning by a final score of 4–2.
2019–20 game log :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

### Playoffs

The Stars played in a round-robin tournament to determine their seed in the Western conference. Dallas finished with a 1–2–0 record, earning the third seed in the conference.
The Stars defeated the Calgary Flames in the first round in six games.
In the second round, the Stars faced the Colorado Avalanche, defeating them in seven games.
The Stars faced the Vegas Golden Knights in the Conference Final, and defeated them in five games.
The Stars faced the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Finals, where they were defeated in six games.
2020 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Regular season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Tyler Seguin | 69 | 17 | 33 | 50 | −2 | 22 |
| Jamie Benn | 69 | 19 | 20 | 39 | −4 | 53 |
| Miro Heiskanen | 68 | 8 | 27 | 35 | 14 | 12 |
| Alexander Radulov | 60 | 15 | 19 | 34 | 8 | 46 |
| Roope Hintz | 60 | 19 | 14 | 33 | 3 | 16 |
| John Klingberg | 58 | 6 | 26 | 32 | −10 | 22 |
| Joe Pavelski | 67 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 6 | 29 |
| Denis Gurianov | 64 | 20 | 9 | 29 | 5 | 13 |
| Esa Lindell | 69 | 3 | 20 | 23 | 5 | 12 |
| Jason Dickinson | 65 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 7 | 6 |
| Mattias Janmark | 62 | 6 | 15 | 21 | −5 | 12 |
| Corey Perry | 57 | 5 | 16 | 21 | −2 | 70 |
| Radek Faksa | 66 | 11 | 9 | 20 | −6 | 42 |
| Blake Comeau | 55 | 8 | 8 | 16 | −6 | 36 |
| Andrew Cogliano | 68 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 2 | 30 |
| Jamie Oleksiak | 69 | 3 | 7 | 10 | −6 | 41 |
| Taylor Fedun | 27 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 8 |
| Andrej Sekera | 57 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 14 |
| Justin Dowling | 29 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 8 |
| Stephen Johns | 17 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| Roman Polak | 41 | 0 | 4 | 4 | −6 | 24 |
| Nick Caamano | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Joel Hanley | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Joel L'Esperance | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Joel Kiviranta | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 4 |
| Jason Robertson | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Rhett Gardner | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Miro Heiskanen | 27 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 8 | 2 |
| John Klingberg | 26 | 4 | 17 | 21 | −5 | 14 |
| Joe Pavelski | 27 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 6 | 30 |
| Jamie Benn | 27 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 2 | 32 |
| Alexander Radulov | 27 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 0 | 24 |
| Denis Gurianov | 27 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 0 | 2 |
| Tyler Seguin | 26 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 1 | 12 |
| Roope Hintz | 25 | 2 | 11 | 13 | −3 | 10 |
| Jamie Oleksiak | 27 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 26 |
| Corey Perry | 27 | 5 | 4 | 9 | −3 | 27 |
| Radek Faksa | 19 | 3 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 4 |
| Mattias Janmark | 26 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 38 |
| Esa Lindell | 27 | 1 | 7 | 8 | −12 | 2 |
| Blake Comeau | 23 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 30 |
| Joel Kiviranta | 14 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 4 |
| Jason Dickinson | 27 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −7 | 8 |
| Joel Hanley | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Andrew Cogliano | 23 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −6 | 10 |
| Andrej Sekera | 27 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 0 |
| Justin Dowling | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thomas Harley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stephen Johns | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −4 | 0 |
| Taylor Fedun | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −3 | 4 |
| Nick Caamano | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −4 | 0 |

### Goaltenders

Regular season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Ben Bishop | 44 | 43 | 2,473:49 | 21 | 16 | 4 | 103 | 2.50 | 1,286 | .920 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Anton Khudobin | 30 | 26 | 1,677:29 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 62 | 2.22 | 882 | .930 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Anton Khudobin | 25 | 24 | 1,492:55 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 67 | 2.69 | 811 | .917 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Ben Bishop | 3 | 3 | 132:36 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 5.43 | 77 | .844 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jake Oettinger | 2 | 0 | 36:40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 8 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Stars. Stats reflect time with the Stars only. $^‡$Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Stars only. Bold/italics denotes franchise record.

## Transactions

The Stars have been involved in the following transactions during the 2019–20 season.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details | Ref |
| June 24, 2019 (2019-06-24) | To Philadelphia FlyersTyler Pitlick | To Dallas StarsRyan Hartman | |

### Free agents

| Date | Player | Team | Contract term |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Ryan Hartman | to Minnesota Wild | 2-year |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Tanner Kero | from Vancouver Canucks | 2-year |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Joe Pavelski | from San Jose Sharks | 3-year |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Corey Perry | from Anaheim Ducks | 1-year |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Brett Ritchie | to Boston Bruins | 1-year |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Andrej Sekera | from Edmonton Oilers | 1-year |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Jason Spezza | to Toronto Maple Leafs | 1-year |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Mats Zuccarello | to Minnesota Wild | 5-year |
| July 2, 2019 (2019-07-02) | Philippe Desrosiers | to Florida Panthers | 1-year |
| July 22, 2019 (2019-07-22) | Erik Condra | to Colorado Eagles (AHL) | 1-year |
| August 23, 2019 (2019-08-23) | Chris Martenet | to Brampton Beast (ECHL) | 1-year |
| October 10, 2019 (2019-10-10) | Julius Honka | to JYP Jyväskylä (Liiga) | 1-year |

### Waivers

| Date | Player | Team | Ref |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | | from/to | |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Contract term |
| June 27, 2019 (2019-06-27) | Taylor Fedun | 2-year |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Reece Scarlett | 1-year |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Landon Bow | 1-year |
| July 8, 2019 (2019-07-08) | Gavin Bayreuther | 1-year |
| July 9, 2019 (2019-07-09) | Dillon Heatherington | 1-year |
| July 11, 2019 (2019-07-11) | Jason Dickinson | 2-year |
| September 23, 2019 (2019-09-23) | Thomas Harley | 3-year |
| September 26, 2019 (2019-09-26) | Dawson Barteaux | 3-year |

## Draft picks

Below are the Dallas Stars' selections at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on June 21 and 22, 2019, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 18 | Thomas Harley | D | Canada | Mississauga Steelheads (OHL) |
| 4 | 111 | Samuel Sjolund | D | Sweden | AIK IF J20 (J20 SuperElit) |
| 5 | 142 | Nicholas Porco | LW | Canada | Saginaw Spirit (OHL) |
| 6 | 173 | Benjamin Brinkman | D | United States | Minnesota (Big Ten) |