Game 46 AfterThoughts: Stopping and Starting and Recalling

This game was won in the first period, when Dallas put up a 3-0 lead that they more or less milked for the final 40 minutes, with Detroit unable to muster a significant push. But this game might also have been won because of decisions made earlier this season, like when Justin Hryckowian and Matěj Blümel both received call-ups to Dallas, only to be sent back to Cedar Park.

For Hryckowian, this is his first year playing in the NHL. He’s more than excited for the opportunity, and in talking with him for a bit this morning, it’s clear that he feels ready to play at the highest level in the hockey world, especially after going back down and up again. At 23 years old and playing for a team missing a few key forwards, getting his first NHL point on a night where he played nearly 10 minutes was, as the forward said after the game, a “dream come true, obviously.”

But Hryckowian also knows that tonight wasn’t just a testament to what he has done, but also to what he can become. This was a chance to “start carving out a role” in the future, and at least two of those forwards are coming back very soon. Now is a first step, but there’s never any guarantee when you’ll get to take your next one. Hryckowian has certainly been looking better in each game he’s played, and that’s how you put one food in front of the other in January, in the NHL.

For Matěj Blümel, this recall might have a bit more of an urgency about it. He is 24 years old, but he also spent six games in the NHL two years ago, in DeBoer’s first season with Dallas. In those six games in 2022-23, Blümel tallied one goal and no assists in six games. And after putting the puck into the net two nights in a row (with only one of them counting), he now has the exact same line of one goal, no assists in six games in 2024-25.

“I was nervous until the next puck drop,” said Blümel, worried about the second re-called goal from a coach’s challenge in two nights. But it stood this time, and you could see plainly how much it meant for Blümel. As he put it: “It feels great, obviously. Been waiting for this one for almost…like over two years actually.”

Blümel spent all of last season hoping to get another taste of the NHL, only to spend the entire year down in the AHL, while younger players like Mavrik Bourque and Logan Stankoven got chances in Dallas. So Blümel knows full well that he can’t take another recall for granted. That may have been why he’s been crashing the net front for two games now, and finding loose pucks at the right time. That sort of desperation has been building for a while, but to get a first recall earlier this year may just have whet his appetite. And however long the current stint with the big club lasts, Blümel certainly has started proving he can help the team win.

And don’t forget about Mavrik Bourque, who has been given half the season in the NHL to find his game while weathering some ups and downs that had some of us wondering what the Stars could do if Bourque never really go going. Well, he finally came into his own in recent games, and not a minute too soon. Bourque’s confident tally on what often looked like the Stars’ best line tonight extended the Stars’ lead beyond the most dangerous margin in hockey (so-called), and that was as big a factor as any in making this game between two tired teams as humdrum as it was in the third period. And the Stars are never going to complain about a win that doesn’t require hanging on in the final period. Goodness knows they’ve done enough hanging on this year.

***

With that said, the Stars also got goals from Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson, and that’s something you very much need when you don’t have a true superstar to rely on. The Stars are built on a deep core up front, and that means you need production even when some guys are hurt. Even when an entire line is out, in fact. And tonight, the Stars got a goal from Jason Robertson, on the power play, at home, on their only power play of the night. That’s as timely as it gets.

That goal got Dallas beyond the 1-0 lead they’ve surrendered in both of their last two games, when the opposition flipped the tables on them after Dallas seemed to be on the front foot. The 2-0 tally also instilled a lot of belief in the Stars’, not only generating momentum in front of the home crowd, but apparently scaring Detroit off of taking further penalties, and Dallas was able to more or less roll four lines and three defense pairs from that point on. Genuinely, these might be the most balanced minutes we’ve seen in a while, which is no small feat given the players that were missing.

I mean, I don’t think the play was for Oskar Bäck to lead the forwards in ice time, but when you’re playing your third game in four nights, you’ll take any help you can get, and the 3-0 lead afforded DeBoer the ability to get a lot of it.

In fact, the ice time was able to be spread around so effectively that Miro Heiskanen played the fewest minutes of any single game this season, at just 21:20. And given that his second-lowest total of 22:27 was set yesterday in Colorado, it seems clear that the Stars are truly trying not to burn anybody out in January right now. But that’s only possible because of how they’ve been able to rely on the other players in the lineup, like they were tonight.

In fact, the only player on the Stars to end the night with a negative plus/minus in this game was, believe it or not, Heiskanen, who finished with a -1. But that’s more of a testament to how Dallas didn’t need him to be outstanding in order to win this one comfortably, and that’s a very good feeling for a team that has often had to rely overmuch on its top guys. You simply can’t run your best players into the ground in January for fear of falling behind the torrid pace of the Central Division, and the only way to solve that problem is by finding goals and reliability in the less-glamorous areas of your lineup. And to the great credit of players like Brendan Smith (who had the best 5v5 expected goals percentage on the team tonight, for what it’s worth), the Stars did that.

The Wings’ top line of Lucas Raymond, Dylan Larkin, and Marco Kasper was a potent force in terms of tilting the ice, with shot attemps around 90% in their favor through 50 minutes. But without the finish you need for any of that to end up mattering, those shot attempts sound pretty hollow. As the Stars know all to well this season, you don’t get points for trying.

Alex Lyon didn’t have a terrible night, but then, when your team musters just one goal in what was practically garbage time, you can’t really blame your goalie too much. The real culprit was Detroit’s less-diligent defending, and Jason Robertson was all alone on the doorstep on the power play, and both Mavrik Bourque and Wyatt Johnston had far too high-quality of looks off rushes that diced up the Detroit skaters.

By the way, Jason Robertson has gotten red-hot lately. Like, as hot as anyone in the NHL since Christmas, I mean. From games 1-22, Robertson tallied just 5 goals and 8 assists for 13 points. But from games 23-45, Robertson really got going, as he had 9 goals and 18 assists for 27 points coming into the Detroit game, where he added two points to bolster that total even further.

All scorers are streaky, but that isn’t much consolation when you’re not scoring. Much better to remember that fact when you are getting points, in order to comfort yourself in the lean times. This too shall pass is a phrase that cuts both ways. Might as well wield it when you’re feeling good.

***

As we suspected he might after the Colorada loss, Brendan Smith drew in for Matt Dumba against Detroit. It was Smith’s first game since January 7th in New York, when he faced his brother and his former team. Smith has been honest about the fact that it’s been an adjustment process for him this year to play less frequently, and in many ways, it’s kind of like going from a veteran to a rookie again, in terms of your role. But in this game, Smith looked every bit the veteran, coming over the boards with regularity and reliability.

In terms of who wasn’t there tonight, Roope Hintz and Mason Marchment are both back skating, which was good to hear. Neither is ready to come back into the lineup yet, but DeBoer said the two skated together in Frisco earlier on Sunday, so at least they weren’t too lonely. We also saw both Marchment and Hintz walking on the concourse after the game, in case that gives you any additional reassurance.

As for the current top-line center, Wyatt Johnston: He wore an “A” as an alternate captain on Saturday in Colorado, and when asked about that decision today before the game, Pete DeBoer had this to say:

“Yeah, that’s about as easy of a decision as I’ve had to make this month,” said DeBoer. “You can tell he’s a leader, he’s been a leader all the way up, growing up. It’s already his third year in the NHL, which is crazy to think at his age. But he goes about his business the way a leader should. Prepares the right way, says the right things, plays the right way. So, a little reward for him [and a taste] of, I’m sure, what’s to come, which is going to be a big leadership part here of the Dallas Stars going forward.”

It is not normal for a player to come right into the NHL and do what Wyatt Johnston has done in the last three seasons. And it is not normal for a veteran NHL coach to trust such a young player as completely as DeBoer has done. Truly, there is a special player there. But you know that.

As far as the other folks, the Stars’ lines looked like this in warmup lines rushes:

Robertson-Johnston-Dadonov
Benn-Duchene-Bourque
Bäck-Steel-Stankoven
Blümel-Hryckowian-Blackwell

Lindell-Heiskanen
Harley-Lyubushkin
Smith-Lundkvist

Oettinger

It was notable to see Bourque move up to the top-six forward group again after spending a couple of games earlier in the year on Roope Hintz’s wing. But Bourque’s play really has been more and more confident of late, and you can see how the coaches would want to give the second line every opportunity to contribute after getting smoked by Colorado’s second line yesterday. And while Bourque and Steel have had some chemistry in recent games, Bourque showed that his confidence’s only limit right now might how much you’re willing to trust him, as he proved that decision to be a good one.

Putting Heiskanen back with Lindell also felt like a big of a “tightening things up” move, after the Stars were too “loose” (DeBoer’s term) in Colorado. Though it also meant putting Brendan Smith with Nils Lundkvist, which wouldn’t have seemed like the most dependable pairing back in October, but then, we are no longer in October. And the score allowed DeBoer and Alain Nasreddine to pretty much roll the defense pairings for much of the game, and that worked out for everyone.

***

Evgenii Dadonov took a tripping penalty 24 seconds into the game, and right at center ice no less, clacking wheels with Moritz Seider as he was catching a flipped-out puck. It put the Detroit Red Wings’ 2nd-ranked power play on the job against Dallas’s 1st-ranked penalty kill. But the immovable object proved stronger than the unstoppable force, despite a couple of good looks, and the game remained scoreless.

At 5-on-5, Dallas went to work, with the Duchene line generating a dangerous chance on its first real shift. But it would end up being the new-look fourth line that would score, as Matěj Blümel put in a rebound in a manner eerily similar to his waved-off goal in Colorado after a fantastic passing play from Justin Hryckowinan and Colin Blackwell. Thankfully, the similarities ended there, and the goal stood, giving Dallas a 1-0 lead early. The goal would also generate Justin Hryckowian’s first NHL point, as he tallied an assist on the rather pretty sequence. A fourth line goal is a wonderful thing at any time, but opening a game’s scoring with one? That’s how you lick the gravy, folks.

The other end of the lineup got a chance to contribute when Mavrik Bourque was hooked 12 minutes into the first by Jonatan Berggren, whose name should be on the NHL Player Spelling Final. And unlike the Red Wings, the Stars would convert the chance, when a simple one-timer by Duchene from the right circle that Alex Lyon saved, only for the puck to sit as perfectly as Jason Robertson could ever ask for, and he put it where it needed to go to give the Stars a 2-0 lead.

The Stars weren’t done though, as Patrick Kane turned a puck over along the boards to Matt Duchene, who was waiting for the exact pass Kane tried, and pounced on it, rushing down the ice with Mavrik Bourque and…Ilya Lyubushkin? Yes, Ilya Lyubushkin.

And in fact it would be Lyusbushkin who feathered a beautiful pass onto Bourque’s backhand, and the newly-re-minted top-six winger was able to put the pass home for a 3-0 lead.

Patrick Kane gave perhaps not the most assiduous display of backchecking you have ever seen on the play, not even taking a stride after a half-hearted hook on Lyubushkin at the blue line, and eventually finding himself just a bit too slow to stop Bourque from burying the backhand chance. Kane would also appear to tweak his shoulder on the play, heading to the dressing room after the play. He would not return for the rest of the first period, but he did come back to start the second.

Sam Steel had a rather adventurous shift late in the first, after the Stars apparently started to feel like it was turning into a cookie night. Steel took a puck and skated back into his zone, between Smith and Lundkvist, then running out of room under pressure and turning the puck over for a very dangerous chance that easily could have gotten Detroit back into the game. But Oettinger did the job he had to do, and that was that.

Steel nearly redeemed himself for the near-disaster in the first, hammering a great Logan Stankoven feed out front right into Lyon’s left pad to start the middle frame. But I suppose the almost-goal does indeed cancel out an almost-goal-against, so maybe the redemption was more total that I’m giving him credit for.

Blümel had a chance off a great 3-on-2 rush thanks to a great slip pass through Justin Holl’s legs from Colin Blackwell, but Blümel couldn’t quite get a second goal, and Blackwell couldn’t quite beat Lyon for his first after curling out in front at the end of the play.

The Bourque addition continued to make good things happen for Duchene and Benn, with another near-goal halfway through the game after Benn and Bourque managed to get the puck up the ice, and Benn set Duchene up for a one-stimer that probably goes in, if Duchene had been able to get it just a foot more off the ice. Alas, Lyon’s pad shot over just in time to save it.

The second period proceeded largely without serious danger, until Nils Lundkivst got called for tripping when he wrapped up Michael Rasmussen with one hand on his stick, only for his stick to get caught in the boards, casuing Rasmussen to fall down, sending Lundkvist’s stick flying, and the referee’s arm skyward.

But the Stars’ penalty kill looked every bit the immovable object its #1 rank in the NHL purports it to be, and the second period ended without Jake Oettinger needing to do anything spectacular, as the Stars’ 3-0 lead lasted until just under eight minutes left in the game. .

That’s when Simon Edvinsson got the puck with traffic in front after a great cycle by Larkin, and he fired it off Marco Kasper and off the inside of the post and into the net…and right back out so quickly that the goal-line referee initially signaled no goal, but not because of players near Oettinger. And after a quick conference, the goal was properly awarded to ruin the shutout bid:

That goal felt like a wake-up call for Dallas, and they would treat it as such. In fact, it would be the presumptive goal-scorer, Edvinsson (the league would change the scoring to give it to Kasper after the fact), who would turn the puck over and give the Stars their three-goal lead right back just moments later. Wyatt Johnston took a stellar Jason Robertson feed and whoopsie-daisied Lyon to restore the three-goal gap with a gorgeous backhand goal:

It was a play Johnston started in the neutral zone, and his feed to Robertson at the far side was returned in stride perfectly, putting Lyon hopelessly off-balance:

From there, everything was more or less a going-through of the motions. Even Detroit waited until less than a minute to go before pulling Lyon. But Brendan Smith took an interference penalty at the same time, because the universe just couldn’t handle him playing a complete 60 minutes without something to mar his night, and the Wings didn’t even bother pulling Lyon again on the subsequent faceoff.

So the Stars, once again, stopped a two-game losing streak in its tracks with a 4-1 victory. Once again, the Stars looked like they are supposed to look: like a deep team who can play sound positionally, outwait you with great goaltending, and punish you the moment you lose your concentration. It’s nice when a plan comes together, even if it takes three games. That’s a far cry better than it taking four, after all.