The projected lineup release frames the immediate narrative for the Stars vs bruins matchup: stacked forward lines, a handful of scratches and an injury ledger that could alter roles. With recall notes, questionable statuses and players skating their way back, the available lists provide the clearest window into how each club will deploy personnel when the Bruins return home to host the Dallas Stars.
Stars Vs Bruins projected matchups and lineups
The published projections present full forward groupings for both teams and identify scratched defensemen and forwards. The Dallas Stars projected forwards are listed as:
- Jason Robertson — Wyatt Johnston — Mikko Rantanen
- Jamie Benn — Matt Duchene — Mavrik Bourque
- Oskar Back — Justin Hryckowian — Colin Blackwell
- Cameron Hughes — Arttu Hyry — Adam Erne
Scratched for Dallas: Kyle Capobianco, Alexander Petrovic, Tyler Myers. Injured: Radek Faksa (lower body), Roope Hintz (lower body), Tyler Seguin (ACL), Sam Steel (undisclosed), Nathan Bastian (hand), Michael Bunting (lower body).
The Boston projected forwards are listed as:
- Marat Khusnutdinov — Fraser Minten — David Pastrnak
- Casey Mittelstadt — Pavel Zacha — Viktor Arvidsson
- Lukas Reichel — Elias Lindholm — Morgan Geekie
- Tanner Jeannot — Sean Kuraly — Mark Kastelic
Scratched for Boston: Alex Steeves, Jordan Harris, Michael Eyssimont.
Injury statuses, recalls and immediate roster uncertainty
The notes attached to these lineups provide operational context. A recalled player could be available: Hughes could play after being recalled from Texas of the American Hockey League on Monday. Michael Bunting is listed as questionable after leaving a 2-1 overtime loss at the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday. Nathan Bastian remains day-to-day. Sam Steel sustained a lower-body injury against the New York Islanders on March 26, returned home and is questionable.
On the Dallas side, forwards Roope Hintz and Radek Faksa have started skating, offering potential timelines for returns. A defenseman who participated in the morning skate remains day-to-day after missing a recent 4-3 shootout win against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
These statuses create selection volatility: scratches and questionables will determine which fourth lines and depth defense pairings end up dressing, and which players may assume penalty-kill or matchup duties.
Strategic implications as Bruins return home
With the rosters as listed, coaching staffs face immediate choices about matching lines and deploying recalled or newly active players. The depth structures shown in the projections highlight where situational substitutions will matter most — in particular, how each club manages fourth-line minutes and response to opponent top-six deployments. The presence of multiple injured players on the Dallas list magnifies the importance of available depth pieces and the potential to shift minutes among the lines.
For both teams, the lineup notes emphasize short-term adaptability: which scratches will remain scratched, whether Hughes will in fact play after his recall, and how question marks such as Bunting and Steel resolve before puck drop. Those outcomes will shape faceoff deployments, special teams alignments and third-period matchups.
As the game approaches, these published lines and medical notes form the primary factual record for preparation, with the final roster choices expected to reflect the day-to-day resolutions already noted. How coaches leverage recalled players and manage the injured list will be central to the tactical chess when the teams meet — and the answers will reveal how each club prioritizes depth usage under pressure in a tightly drawn matchup.
Will the final decisions on scratched players, recalls and questionables ultimately redefine roles for the night in the Stars vs bruins contest?
