Game 70 AfterThoughts: Jake Oettinger Knows How to Celebrate a Bobblehead Night

A 3-0 shutout is a very good way to commemorate your likeness being distributed to thousands of people

Jake Oettinger was asked after the game if he was given extra motivation by the Jake Oettinger bobblehads that were distributed to the first 5,000 fans tonight.

“No, but obviously, next game’s a bobblehead night too,” said Oettinger of the upcoming Wyatt Johnston bobblehead night on April 8. “So if it’s going to give me a shutout, cool.”

Pete DeBoer mentioned recently that Oettinger has been “battling” in his recent games, which is a fair way to describe his having given up three or more goals in four of his last five games. But after the Stars eked out a win against Philadelphia in overtime on Saturday, Oettinger led them to a more emphatic victory against a division rival, blanking the Minnesota Wild 3-0.

It wasn’t an easy game, though the Stars did a lot to make it less hard on themselves than some recent efforts have been. The plethora of penalties wasn’t great to see, but the Stars punched back hard enough to avoid giving Minnesota too much momentum out of them.

First and foremost, the Stars’ penalty kill was excellent, and they had to be after Dallas took three first-period penalties for the second straight game. They even had to kill off an extended chunk of 4-on-3 time, but thanks to excellent work by the penalty kill, Dallas won the special teams battle in the end.

That PK work is underappreciated, as is the nature of a penalty kill. Their job is to make something not happen, and unlike the power play, they don’t sound a giant horn when the penalty kill succeeds. Maybe they should sound a special penalty-kill horn, but make it softer so as not to disrupt play too much. Maybe it could be a very fun whistle of some kind. These are just some of the great suggestions I am here to give. The current Eminem drop isn't bad, though.

As for the personnel, Sam Steel and Colin Blackwell were great on the kill, generating a couple of excellent counterattacking chances on what has been one of the NHL’s most elite penalty kills all season long, with one such breakaway by Blackwell drawing a penalty to negate the penalty altogether. But none of that success happens unless Oettinger is cleaning up the final moment of the chances, and he did so tonight.

Esa Lindell and Cody Ceci were especially noticeable on the job as well, with Ceci also saving Oettinger’s bacon later in the game when a puck bounced into the crease behind the goaltender, with Ceci clearing it just before Minnesota pounced.

That “battling” DeBoer referred to for Oettinger wasn’t there tonight, except in the best sense. Oettinger looked absolutely locked in early, and the team seemed to feed off his steadiness, if you’ll allow some narrative interpolation. Oettinger looked more imposing as the game wore on, making sure a 0-0 game through 35 minutes finally tilted in the Stars’ favor when Thomas Harley and Wyatt Johnston Did Their Thing on the power play late in the second period.

That goal was only one of three the Stars would score, but it might as well have been one of one, as it was enough to win Oettinger’s second shutout of the year.

“You can tell when he’s feeling it and dialed in like that,” DeBoer said. “He’s just got that swagger. They looked like they could shoot all night and he wasn’t gonna let anything in. When he’s got that feel, that’s obviously a really good feeling on our bench.”

Whether this shutout will quiet doubters who have gotten more vocal since Oettinger lost 5-4 and 4-1 games to Edmonton and Winnipeg respectively a couple weeks ago remains to be seen. But when he’s at his best, Oettinger is unbeatable, simply because he’s doing everything right technically, and being everywhere he needs to be geographically. Oettinger made a beautiful save on a Matt Boldy deflection with eight minutes to go, whereas Johnston scored his goal on a deflection Filip Gustavsson couldn’t locate in time. That level of detail is the difference in the NHL on a lot of nights.

As for Johnston’s goal, he said after the game that it was a play he and Harley had talked about before the faceoff.

“He did a great job of getting to the middle of the ice and opening up some options,” Johnston said. “Obviously it hit my blade perfectly.”

That’s a humble way of Johnston describing a perfect play. Harley walks the line and fires the puck underneath Hartman’s stick, where Johnston stares it into his blade and sends it somehow through Middleton and past Gustavsson’s glove hand.

I think Johnston was paying attention during the last two years. It’s taken some time for him to take over that Pavelski spot, but we could all stand to be a little more patient, you know. I hear it’s a virtue.

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At morning skate today, Pete DeBoer was asked what he’s looking for as the team continues its slow recovery from its recent offensive malaise.

“I’d like us to get our offensive swagger back a little bit,” DeBoer said. “I mean, we had a couple goals from defensemen. I didn’t think our forwards had done enough, played enough in the offensive zone, done enough to create offense. It’s that time of year. You know, you’re not going to get easy offense. You’re not going to get rush [chances], so I think there’s an emphasis for our group down the stretch heading into the playoffs here on getting some more of that grind-type offense.”

A few days ago, the Stars lost to Tampa Bay in one of the meekest offensive efforts of the year despite making it to a shootout. But DeBoer made no bones about his disappointment with the team’s effort and performance, and he very publicly asked for more from the team.

After a slight improvement on Saturday, this game was the response he had been looking for.

“I feel a lot better about our game after tonight than I did four or five days ago,” said DeBoer. “I thought more plays being made, more looks. We were more connected offensively, which is a good start for us.”

That wasn’t the case to start the game, with Minnesota once again leaping out to a lead in shots on goal. DeBoer said after the game he really doesn’t pay attention to the shot clock, however, and most fans of this team will probably be happier if they follow his lead. Dallas looked for the best looks tonight, and while that meant some occasional deferring when shots would have been good, it also led to some extended offensive zone time that had been too rare in recent weeks for Dallas. You can build off that, and Dallas did.

That offensive zone time also took some adjusting to create, especially after a penalty-filled first period. So to start the second frame, DeBoer swapped Marchment and Robertson on the top two lines.

“We talked at the end of the first period, “DeBoer said, “I didn’t think our entire forward group were connected enough on the forecheck and were working hard enough to get pucks back in the offensive zone. So we made that switch. Mush is a guy that gets in there and disrupts breakouts, he turns pucks over, and I thought he had an effect with that line. And I thought Robo had good effect with Duchene’s line.”

That first such shift with the new left wingers saw Rantanen take the puck up high, but after he returned, the Stars persisted with Marchment-Hintz-Rantanen and Robertson-Duchene-Granlund through the end of the night, concluding with Marchment’s empty-net goal on the top line. It wasn’t a six-goal performance from one of the league’s most dangerous offenses, but the process was far better than recent games have been, and that 3-0 victory felt a lot more sound than the raw numbers make it look.

Matt Duchene was a big part of that tonight. His goal came just 58 seconds after Johnston’s goal, and the immediate 2-0 lead meant Minnesota wasn’t just one bounce away from tying things back up. The two-goal lead might be dangerous in one psychological sense, but it is far less dangerous in a mathematical sense. And the Stars have been aching to do some basic math in regulation for a while now.

As you can see below, Minnesota didn’t get much from the slot at even-strength, and that combined with their great work on the penalty kill to get Oettinger his shutout. That’s a recipe for a good night’s sleep for any coach.

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As for Mikko Rantanen, his most painful night for Dallas may have been one of his best so far. It’s complete conjecture, of course, but after taking a puck to the face in an ad hoc Welcome to the Dallas Stars This Season ceremony, Rantanen returned with the Marchment jaw guard attached to his helmet, and he seemed to play with a bit more confidence, a bit more territorial force. He hit a post twice and nearly had a breakaway in this game, and his remixed line in the latter two periods also had some aesthetic balance, too.

“I saw Marchment wearing it,” joked Rantanen of the extra face protection. “Looked good, so I wanted to try it, too.”

Rantanen could have had a couple goals tonight, easily. The Stars hit seven posts in this game: Roope Hintz hit the post on the Stars’ first power play. Robertson and Rantanen rang two apiece, and Marchment and Harley also tested the iron’s resilience.

Mikael Granlund and Matt Duchene had multiple sequences of marvelous passing that could and should have given them more than one goal on the night. But Granlund does so many things really well—watch him for an entire shift sometime, if you haven’t—that when he and Duchene are clicking, it almost doesn’t matter who the third forward is. And if it’s Jason Robertson again in Edmonton, I don’t think that would be a bad thing at all. Good players tend to play good with good players, and the Stars have more than a couple of them.

Sure, this game wasn’t an overwhelming performance of offensive dominance by Dallas on the scoreboard, but given how solidly Minnesota can defend—which the players and DeBoer all pointed out after the game—the Stars gave everything they had, and it was enough to get the job done. That’s more than enough to allow the fanbase to exhale for a bit.

Brock Faber had to play 30 minutes, and old friend Devin Shore is probably not one of Jon Hynes’s first choices to play in his starting lineup against the Stars. Minnesota is decimated by injuries (they didn’t have Jonas Brodin tonight either) and hamstrung by the Suter and Parise buyouts, so it’s impressive they’re still able to make games as tough as this one was. They lost Declan Chisholm to a blocked shot as well.

Not that impressive—again, they lost 3-0—but if they get bodies back before the playoffs, could you see them stealing a first-round series against Vegas? I don’t know that I would bet against them.

I mean, I wouldn’t bet on sports at all. But you do you. (Or just give it to me. That’s a bet of a different sort.)

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Other Business

In other roster news, the Stars announced they signed two players to two-year, entry-level contracts today: Defenseman Trey Taylor and forward Ayrton Martino.

Martino is a Finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, while Taylor is a 6-foot-2 left-shot defenseman. Both players will report to the Texas Stars for the remainder of the year, which will be helpful for a lineup currently fighting the March doldrums where most players are dealing with something, whether they’re in the lineup or not.

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If you haven’t read this investigative story by Kenny Jacoby yet, I recommend it. It’s a sobering look into the balance (or imbalance) of power in Texas youth hockey circles, and it’s a reminder that power without accountability is a danger to everyone, including the powerful. Check it out.

Lineup

The Stars began the game with this lineup:

Robertson-Hintz-Rantanen
Marchment-Duchene-Granlund
Benn-Johnston-Dadonov
Bäck-Steel-Blackwell

Lindell-Ceci
Harley-Lyubushkin
Bichsel-Dumba

Oettinger

Minnesota started Filip Gustavsson in Marc-Andre Fleury’s final visit to Dallas (barring any potential playoff matchups, of course). Jonas Brodin was also held out of the lineup.

Game Beats

The Stars’ first grindy effort put a puck on net, though not in the way DeBoer meant. It came from Mason Marchment, who obeyed the letter of the law by tipping a Minnesota pass into Jake Oettinger in the Stars’ zone. Thankfully, Oettinger was ready for it, and no harm was done.

From there, Minnesota put up a 6-0 advantage in shots on goal over the first eight minutes, though none of them were especially dangerous. That looked likely to change when Marchment tried a poke check around the far blue line that brought down a Minnesota player, and the Stars were on the penalty kill halfway into the period.

However, it was Sam Steel who would take advantage of the less-cluttered ice, carving his way into the Minnesota zone on a shorthanded rush to force a high-quality save from Gustavsson. As usual in recent times, the fourth line was leading the way, and the penalty ended with just one real Mats Zuccarello shot that Oettinger gloved down with his ever-present calm.

Two Stars got gifts later in the first that didn’t quite get converted. First, Mikko Rantanen nearly got a breakaway off a bank off the boards, but the long-distance effort eluded his stick just enough to allow Gustavsson to reach out and poke the puck away.

Shortly after that, Mikael Granlund got a friendly bounce right out in front thanks to some Diligent Duchene Forchecking (DDR), but Gustavsson showed why he’s been one of the best goalies this season, and stopped Granlund’s shot cold.

The Stars power play—up to 13th in the NHL this morning—got its first chance with three minutes to go after Jason Robertson got tripped by Declan Chisholm. And Dallas would look dangerous, as Roope Hintz would hammer the post late in the two-minute set. But the lack of a goal must have frustrated him, as he chopped down Boldy after the power play ended, putting Minnesota on the job themselves.

But Colin Blackwell hopped on the special teams seesaw by grabbing a shorthanded breakaway, drawing a slashing call while putting a solid backhand effort into Gustavsson’s right pad.

That put the teams at 4-on-4. But Mikko Rantanen would then bring down Marcus Johansson with what appeared to be the right hand also holding his stick. How you can hold a stick and a hockey player at the same time is a mystery too great for me to unravel, so I’ll leave it up to you.

The cavalcade of calls meant the Stars would have a 4-on-3 to kill at the start of the second period. What could be more fun than that?

Shots at the end of the first period finished 9-8 for Dallas.

Second Period

Esa Lindell foiled Ryan Hartman bids on the back post during the 4-on-3, but Oettinger would bring the heroics just after all the penalties ended. Harley overskated a puck along the boards in the offensive zone, and Minnesota rushed 2-on-1 back up the ice. Marco Rossi fired a one-timer that looked labeled for the net, only for Oettinger’s glove to lash out and take it away.

From there, things looked positive for Dallas, and the top line got some offensive zone time. But the universe decided it had been too long since the last Dallas Stars player had been hit in the face, and a Lyubushkin point shot wasit-high deflected up off a Minnesota stick and caught Rantanen right in the left cheek. Thankfully, it appeared to avoid his eye, and he skated off under his own power after a minute of being tended to on the ice.

The Stars’ second line picked up where that line had left off, and Minnesota began spending more time in their own zone. Gustavsson had to be sharp on a Harley shot off the rush that went high blocker, and Lian Bichsel even unleashed a wicked one-timer from the high slot that Gustavsson had to squeeze.

Things were still scoreless as the halfway mark approached, but Marchment made a great play at the defensive blue line to strip the puck and go in two-on-one with Hintz. Marchment opted to go for the pass, but it didn’t get through to Hintz, and the chance fizzled.

Rantanen would return sporting the Marchment Mandible Guard underneath his jaw, which was a very encouraging sign, at least in terms of Stars Puck to Face Standards.

Jake Oettinger would earn every bit of his Bobblehead Buzz, drawing “Otter! Otter!” chants after a pair of saves on Frederick Gaudreau and Zuccarello, with the latter being especially impressive, coming off a rebound in tight.

Dallas would get a power play with 5:44 to go in the second period when Gaudreau tripped Rantanen, who looked none the slower for having his face dented. And this time, the Stars would do the denting—of the net. How do nets work again?

Thomas Harley made a simple play and shot the puck along the ice past a penalty-killing forward with Wyatt “Pavelski Jr.” Johnston in the slot. Johnston expertly tipped the puck up and through Gustavsson, who was dealing with Hintz in front of the crease, and could only flail at what he didn't see. 1-0, Dallas.

Speaking of flailing, the Stars’ remixed second line (with Benn in place of Marchment) forced Minnesota to do just that right afterward, when Matt Duchene did what Matt Duchene does, curling down into the circle and firing another quick puck far side and in, with Benn skating in front of Gustavsson at the worst (best) time for a goaltender, and it was all Gustavsson could do to watch the puck fly past him. 2-0, Dallas.

Dallas was riding high, and Roope Hintz showed that confidence to Matt Boldy with a big hit in the corner that looked pretty rough. Hintz did just barely get inside of Boldy’s shoulder before delivering the hit, however, and it would be Minnesota, not Dallas, going on the penalty kill with 1:29 to go in the second period thanks to a Jon Merrill infraction. It was another tripping penalty, by the way. You probably guessed that, though.

This power play was Dallas’s best, with Rantanen ringing a crossbar and a post himself, and Harley nailing the left post as well. Dallas hemmed in Minnesota for most of the 89 seconds, with only a misplayed backhand pass by Hintz giving the Wild any breather at all. Dallas looked dominant, pressing for a 3-0 lead before intermission, but Gustavsson made it to the second break without allowing it.

Third Period

Duchene got the Stars right back into the zone to start the third period with some wafting moves and shot, but the power play’s remaining time elapsed without conversion.

Oettinger’s night didn’t get easier in the third, however. Hartman had a great chance to test Oettinger from 20 feet away, and the Wild had another extended sequence in the Stars’ zone, though with the most dangerous passes and shots being blocked thanks to diligent defensive work.

Jason Robertson got a series of kicks at the can after some puck wizardry by Duchene and Granlund led to an extended shift in the Minnesota zone. Robertson had multiple chances to chip the puck over a prostrate Gustavsson’s pad at the right post, but his final effort clipped the top of the pad+glove wall and went wide. He also got a feed in the low slot 90 seconds into that line’s offensive persistence, but he ended up colliding with Gustavasson as the puck was sent wide.

And you really wouldn’t have expected the Stars to escape the entire third period without yet another penalty, right? Right. Dallas took a Too Many Men penalty after the fantastic shift by the Duchene line, and Oettinger had to get back to work as the 2-0 lead stretched into the final ten minutes of the night. He made a save on Marcus Johansson from the circle, but Cody Ceci would make the biggest save at the end of the penalty, sweeping a loose puck out of the crease behind Oettinger after it deflected its way toward the net.

Oettinger had to make one of his more impressive saves of the night with about eight minutes to go, flinching a shoulder at the last moment to save a Matt Boldy deflection that went back to Oettinger’s left late in its journey.

When Oettinger is on like he was in this game, it’s hard to beat him without a serious defensive breakdown. But Dallas obliged with two of those right afterwards on a couple of failed clearances, only for Gus Nyquist to send a 2-on-1 chance far outside of the 4x6 frame, and for another shot for Minnesota off a failed zone exit to get blocked into the netting.

Lian Bichsel made one of the most impressive defensive plays I’ve seen from him lately in a puck battle behind the net. Bichsel held off one man to keep the puck, then pushed it through another, leading to a great rush chance with numbers. It was a perfect example of Bichsel’s potential, with both his size and his skating leading to a glorious defense-to-offense chance starting 200 feet from the opposing net.

Boldy hit another post on a bad-angle shot late in the third, but from an angle bad enough to where you didn’t worry about it.

With 1:16 left, DJ Shippy played “Higher” by Creed. In the building, it lent an air of abnormal calm for a shutout that hadn’t gotten into the barn yet, but that was about to change. I choose to believe the song was a celebration of the Rangers game that was also streaming on Victory+ tonight.

In the end, Mason Marchment learned his lesson from his earlier pass. After Rantanen expertly knocked down a pass at the Minnesota blue line, he, Hintz, and Marchment combined for some very slick passing, and Marchment didn’t mess around this time. He fired the puck far side, if an open net has sides at all, and the Stars grabbed a 3-0 lead to seal the shutout for Oettinger.

Well, they sealed it after one more save, at least. Minnesota has a bit of pettiness in their blood, and a Justin Brazeau slapshot from distance required one last bit of work from the Stars’ goalie. All told, the work was finished with efficiency, and the Stars took care of the 2-0 lead they hadn’t been able to keep back in December during Minnesota’s last visit.

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Jim Nill saw the Stars earn their 500th win during his tenure tonight, and I don’t think you can say anything that hasn’t already been said about what this team has become under his leadership. There have been bumps in the road, as always. His first five years saw Lindy Ruff and Ken Hitchcock’s teams make the playoffs in just two of five seasons. But his next seven have been nothing short of a gift for Stars fans.

We’ll see where this one ends. But even with all the bumps in the road this year, the Stars are still near the top of the league. Having one of the most respected (as a person and a general manager) people in the game at the helm has been as big a part of the Stars’ journey from bankruptcy to 101 straight sellouts as any other facet of the organization, and probably moreso.