Victory Green Carpet and LED bracelets set the Oct. 2 home opener stage

Friday's regular-season home opener against St. Louis now has a minute-by-minute public shape, not just a puck-drop time. The Dallas Stars released the Oct. 2 game-day schedule from Frisco on Monday, centering the night on PNC Plaza south of American Airlines Center before the Blues visit for a TNT broadcast.

The Victory Green Carpet Walk presented by Toyota is free and open to the public. The current roster and coaching staff are scheduled to begin walking the carpet around 5 p.m., with fans able to line up from 3 p.m. to welcome them into the building. Lexus Garage opens at 11 a.m. and Fifth Third Garage at 2 p.m. for early arrivals.

The club noted outdoor festivities are weather dependent and will update on social channels if plans shift.

Party, bracelets, magnets

After the carpet walk, Party on PNC Plaza stays open to the public with live music from Fort Worth electro-pop-dub duo Yokyo, a Stars 360 photo booth, giveaways, and a Toyota vehicle display with prize registration. Arena doors open at 6:30 p.m. Early arrivals get a 2026-27 magnet schedule courtesy of Ticketmaster.

Fans also receive an LED bracelet courtesy of Bud Light for an enhanced pregame show; the team is asking people to be in seats by 7:30 p.m. to take part.

Dallas Stars Ice Girl and newly crowned Miss Texas 2026 Stephanie Wendt is set to drop the ceremonial puck. On the broadcast side, the home opener is the first of 13 nationally televised games on the Stars' slate.

Color analyst Daryl "Razor" Reaugh and play-by-play announcer Josh Bogorad call the radio side on Sportsradio 1310 and 96.7 FM The Ticket after a one-hour pregame with Michael Dixon and Bruce LeVine.

Why the pageantry lands now

Home openers always carry ceremony. This one arrives with a roster still sorting late camp returns and a schedule that puts a Central Division rival in the building on night one. St. Louis is a familiar measuring stick from September exhibitions; Friday is the first night that counts in the standings.

The fan-facing package is also a statement about how the club wants AAC to feel on a national window - carpet access without a ticket, plaza music after the walk-in, wearable lights for the show, and a physical schedule magnet for early-arriving fans.

For a market that packs midweek games when the product is right, Oct. 2 is the first stress test of atmosphere before the grind of an 82-game calendar.

Nothing in Monday's release rewrote the lineup card. What it did was lock the public itinerary so fans can plan arrival times around more than traffic and parking. The hockey still starts when the puck drops against the Blues. The hours before it are now a mapped event on PNC Plaza.

Sources

nhl.com

nhl.com