Game 75 AfterThoughts: Third's the One with the Very Best

It's not how you start---especially if you're the Dallas Stars

All the talk lately has been about how the Stars came into Thursday’s game in control their own destiny when it comes to overtaking Winnipeg for the top spot in the Division/Conference.

Not only did the Stars have the same amount of regulation wins (the first tiebreaker) as the Jets, but they also have one head-to-head matchup with Winnipeg left to play in Dallas. On top of that, the Stars also have an easier schedule down the stretch than do the Jets.

And on that schedule, the Stars’ two remaining matchups with Nashville would certainly be among the easier ones.

That’s because the Predators are now icing a lineup more fit to stump hockey trivia buffs than to beat the third-best team in the NHL. This is an eminently beatable team, as they’ve demonstrated time and time again this year. But I was once told that games are not played on paper, and while the person who told me that is the same person who always says mean things on Twitter any time you post the tiniest bit of data or a chart, who am I to argue with the cognosXenti?

The first period was a good reminder of that principle though, with everyone but Jake Oettinger looking a step behind a team that has been behind almost everyone else all season. It could have been a repeat of that fateful December loss to Nashville that we won’t revisit any further, but after spinning their wheels for most of the first 40 minutes, Mikael Granlund finally found a way to shake the Etch-a-Sketch a bit.

We may have mentioned more than once that Granlund just feels like the exact sort of player to score a clutch playoff goal, and isn’t that exactly the sort of goal you need to score in the playoffs, where space and time are at a premium?

Anyway, it was a gorgeous play all around to salvage a much less-bad second period for Dallas. From there, Stars just had to outlast Nashville in the third period to cobble together yet another win.

Instead of doing that, the Stars chose to slam their foot down on the gas and run over the moribund Perds with a monster truck. Then they shifted into reverse and backed over them again before Wyatt Johnston and Lian Bichsel tossed anvils out the window as they roared over them one last time.

Wyatt Johnston now has a six-game goal-scoring streak. The Stars have a seven-game winning streak, and they’re 8-0-2 in their last ten games. The top line is looking ferociously skilled, and the Stars got goals from their top three lines, as well as a couple of great scoring chances from their fourth that easily could have made completed the set.

Look, nobody wants to watch Dallas just sit back and pile up shots against while their goaltender cosplays as Jacques Plante for a period or two every night. But I mean, Winnipeg has built their entire season on a goaltender doing that, and isn’t that the difference in so very many Stanley Cup Playoffs?

If you don’t want your skaters to wait until the playoffs to flip the switch, then can you really complain about your goaltender looking amazing (except for one blip) in Game 75?

Answer: Yes, you can complain, and people absolutely did complain, and probably will again on Saturday when the Stars cede the first period for the 20th time in 2025 or whatever and win anyway. Complain away if you want. The coaches aren’t thrilled with how good the goaltending has had to be, but it’s better to have more things to be thrilled with than not, and the Stars had five great reasons to celebrate in the final 21 minutes after being, in DeBoer’s words, “reckless with the puck” earlier on.

For my part, I’m convinced this is a bit, now. The Stars are dedicated to the proposition that all first periods deserve their scorn,

Jamie Benn Out

Jamie Benn sat out tonight for a regular season game for the first time since January 22, 2021, when he collided with Nashville’s Viktor Arvidsson in the season opener and left the game, then missed the next four games with what looked like a knee injury.

Here’s what DeBoer said before the game:

“Benn out, maintenance. He’s got a little lower-body thing he’s dealing with.”

A couple other quotes of note from DeBoer here:

“I think part of what we’re doing here—never at the expense of trying to win the game—but part of what we’re doing here is making sure everyone’s game-ready here, as possible. Also as fresh as possible, is we can keep them that way. And we’re gonna need that depth here where we’re going.”

“If you’ve got a guy that’s injured, and there’s a potential to make it worse, you’re not gonna make poor decisions that could jeopardize guys in your lineup long-term.”

The hope here is that Benn isn’t nursing anything too serious, but then again, for anything to disrupt the NHL’s fifth-longest current consecutive games streak, it’s probably not a case of the sniffles.

As always, with Benn, we’ll have to wait and see. But here’s hoping he’s at least getting in some quality family time with a wife who is expecting a baby in the near future.

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I will add one other Benn note: DeBoer mentioned after the game that he doesn’t remember ever coaching a game for the Stars without Jamie Benn on the bench, but there have been two, as you probably know. They came in the Vegas series two years ago, after Benn was suspended for foolishly cross-checking Mark Stone in the head/neck. I haven’t confirmed this with Benn, but there is always the chance he was time-traveling in that moment and giving pre-emptive payback for Stone’s collision with Miro Heiskanen’s knee this year. That doesn’t make it right—that cross check is never excusable—but it might make it more understandable. Leadership can transcend time if you believe hard enough.

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DeBoer mentioned he met with Barry Trotz Thursday morning for a cup of coffee, and I have to think anyone who’s coached against Trotz just has to feel for him right now, after the year Nashville’s had. This game was pretty much their season, right? Start off with promise and hope, only for it all to fall apart just because Nashville.

On the Stars’ side, Mavrik Bourque has basically had the opposite of Nashville’s season: starting slowing, and coming on hot later on. It was pretty impressive that Bourque not only kept a spot on the third line with Johnston, but that he also took a big hit to make a gorgeous assist to Johnston for that breakaway goal.

Bourque is a player I’m more excited about as the year has gone on. It’s one thing to be a phenom like Johnston whose success immediately translates to the NHL. But the more common route for Very Good Hockey Players is to have to battle and grind, to overcome bumps and bruises before finally figuring things out.

Bourque is figuring things out, and at the best time of year.

Lineup

Without Jamie Benn, the Stars began the game with this lineup.

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

Lindell-Ceci
Harley-Lyubushkin
Bichsel-Dumba

Oettinger

Lindell, Duchene, and Hintz all wore the “A” as alternate captains.

Justus Annunen started in goal for Nashville. The Predators, in case you haven’t been following them, are also missing Colton Sissons, Jonathan Marchessault, and Roman Josi.

Game Beats

After missing the second game in Seattle for “maintenance” after colliding with Brendan Smith, Sam Steel returned to the lineup against Nashville. He was welcomed back by Michael Bunting, who cordially whacked him in the face for a double-minor barely a minute into the game.

Maybe Jamie Benn is more integral to the Stars’ power play than you realize, however, because in his absence, the Stars’ power play looked lost for four minutes, with the biggest highlight being Mikael Granlund’s outstanding backcheck to chase down a shorthanded Ryan O’Reilly just before he got a shot from Jake Oettinger’s doorstep.

The Stars’ first real scoring chance came from their fourth line, with Oskar Bäck making a nice play from behind the net to set up a Steel chance right on top of Annunen that didn’t get put on net.

Granlund then gave back the scoring chance he prevented when a turnover off the rush got sent back down the Stars’ throats as Luke Evangelista sent in Bunting for a clean breakaway, only for Oettinger’s blocker to bail out his teammates as the shots on goal climbed to a familiar disparity of 5-1 for Nashville.

Matt Dumba then turned over a puck at the offensive blue line himself a few minutes later, forcing another blocker save from Oettinger on a 2-on-1 chance that Kieffer Bellows kept for himself.

After a sneaky Wyatt Johnston shot in tight, the Stars had to defend for a bit, after which Colin Blackwell took a hooking penalty to put Nashville on a power play of their own.

Oettinger made a nice save on Evangelista coming downhill through the slot, finding the puck with (yes) his blocker with technique and calculation more than vision and reaction, as you can see here:

The Stars’ goalie also stopped Filip Forberg on a one-timer from the circle with a pad save he made look more routine than it was, but then, that’s been a common sight for the best penalty kill in the NHL. The penalty was killed, and shots on goal read 14-3 for Nashville.

Does it feel like the Stars are just doing a bit at this point, just seeing how many shots on goal they can allow without falling behind? I’m not saying they’re doing it on purpose, but then again, you have to switch things up during the season to keep from getting too bored, right? Maybe this is just the ice hockey equivalent of rope-a-dope. (Shot-a-trot? I’ll workshop it.)

The fourth line got another puck to the net in the final minute of the period, and after playing for about 20 seconds, Pete DeBoer left them out there to take an offensive-zone face-off with 42 seconds left and finish the period. If I’m throwing a dart here, I’d say that might have been a small message and/or reward for the only consistent line of the period for Dallas.

Shots on goal? Well, they were not in Dallas’s favor, winding up 16-5 for Nashville after 20 minutes. And normally I’d say the shot locations here make it look less bad than it sounds, but when you realize the Stars had a four-minute power play in the period, maybe not so much.

Anyway, it was 0-0.

Second Period

Jake Oettinger kept the Stars even through 20 minutes, but Nashville would finally get on the board when Steven Stamkos’s shot fooled Oettinger, who looked to be preparing for a push across (Edit: Sean Shapiro said afterwards that he thinks Oettinger was preparing for a high shot, which may well be the case. You choose.) rather than a sneaky five-hole shot, as the puck slipped between his stick and his skate.

The question from there was whether that would wake up the Stars, and it’s not one Dallas answered immediately.

Ozzy Weisblatt lined up Thomas Harley on a zone exit, and you can see the result of the five-foot-ten forward playing in his fifth NHL game attempting to lay out the Stars’ top defenseman here:

With things still languishing for Dallas halfway through the game, the top line finally got some good zone time, putting a couple of good chances on or near the net. It led to another power play when Stamkos got an arm across Jason Robertson and was nailed for holding, giving Dallas a chance to hit the RESET button on a rather forgettable game thus far.

The Stars got a high-quality look with the second unit out their at first, as Dadonov took advantage of some overly optimistic work from Brady Skjei and forced a nice glove save from Annunen on this chance:

That would be the best look the Stars would get on the power play, though.

Jake Oettinger calmed any fears that his first goal allowed was a harbinger of worse to come, making all required stops in the ensuing minutes. The Stars skaters chose a different approach, choosing to fan the flames of anxiety against a bad, depleted team playing their backup goaltender.

Cody Ceci made a play I just can’t stand late in the second period when he pinched down and took a shot, only for the puck to miss the net and rim around for a potential breakaway feed to a streaking Michael Bunting.

Thankfully Evangelista wasn’t able to throw a post route completion, and Lindell ended up killing the play along the wall, as he is so good at doing. But man, if you’re going to pinch down there, you have got to put the puck on frame.

Speaking of doing so, Evgenii Dadonov nailed the post after traversing the high slot and finding a lane through traffic with, I’m sorry, Ilya Lyubushkin…at the net front?

The Stars all crashed the crease after the puck hit the post and sat near but not under Annunen, but the whistle would finally come before anything was put home.

But as has been the case so often this year, Matt Duchene found a way to create something out of not very much, turning and firing a puck at the net along the ice from the boards, knowing Granlund was there waiting. And despite taking a cross check to the back, Granlund kept his skates and got the blade of his stick on the shot to perfectly ramp it up into the near corner for the tying goal.

That’s the sort of top-corner deflection players love to practice all the time. Well, minus the cross-check-to-the-back part, at least. It was a clutch play from Granlund (and Duchene) after the Stars finally managed something of a push late in the second, and it meant the Stars would get to enter the third period with a brand new hockey game to play.

Third Period

Matt Duchene picked up right where he left off, turning a near turnover after entering the offensive zone into a no-look pass to Mason Marchment that the Stars’ forward fired through the Predators’ backup goaltender’s five-hole.

Dallas’s top line followed up with a strong shift of their own with another scoring chance, and the fourth line promptly went out and drew a penalty when Michael Bunting tripped Colin Blackwell in the neutral zone.

Bunting vented his frustration by instigating an altercation with Blackwell, after which both players got two for roughing despite Bunting doing, uh, this:

You know, just matching minors, no big deal.

Anyway, Dallas did get the original two-minute power play out of the nonsense, but nonsense was all they were able to generate, and the power play continued its little sabbatical.

Once that manpower advantage was dispensed with, the Stars grew much more comfortable, though. After generating a great chance with Esa Lindell pinching down to put a puck on net, the top line had to backcheck hard, with Mikko Rantanen just barely catching up to subvert a Steven Stamkos scoring chance.

That allowed Dallas to go back the other way again with numbers, and the top line mashed the “Top Line Goal” button for a tic-tac-toe passing play that ended with Hintz dunking the alley-oop pass from Robertson:

Things got fun from there, with chances ramping up for Dallas, including a 95 MPH Lian Bichsel slapshot from between the circles that Annunen miraculously stopped without turning into dust.

But someone who will turn you into dust if you’re a goaltender is Wyatt Johnston, who took a valiant breakaway feed from the about-to-be-leveled Mavrik Bourque and promptly disconnected the Nashville goaltender’s controller with a series of dekes so vicious I won’t even offer a comparison. Just watch them, because they resulted in this:

It’s now six games straight with a goal for Johnston, who continues to be defy even the most outlandish comparisons you could offer. He’s the second-youngest player on the team, and he looks like the second-cockiest one in the best of ways.

If he’s surpassed by anyone in those departments, it would have to be the hulking Lian Bichsel, who took a brilliant Mikko Rantanen cross-ice feed—the top line just went off in this period—and walked in all alone, opting for guns over missiles this time to make it 5-1.

Bichsel was in good spirits along with the entire team after that, as the team turned a lackluster first half of the game into a celebratory third period. Hits were thrown and the crowd was into it. It’s been a good year to go to Dallas Stars home games.

Bichsel took a minor penalty (that probably warranted a matching two minutes for a cross check up high on Bichsel after the whistle) that at least made power plays slightly less disparate, and Nashville had a chance to get one final punch in, only for passes to dribble off sticks at the worst times as they frittered the two minutes away.

Colin Blackwell got a breakaway in the dying seconds that you know he wanted to bury, but Annunen made a dignity save at the buzzer, which felt like a fitting end to a ridiculous game.

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The Stars have their final back-to-back of the year waiting for them as they play Pittsburgh at home on Saturday before traveling to Minnesota on Sunday.

Dallas has 28 wins at home this season with four contests at AAC to go. Their record for home wins came in 1998-99 (as so many of their records did), when they put up a 29-8-4 home record (where the four ties weren’t eligible for conversion in the shootout).

Dallas has a real chance to set that record this year, albeit with the asterisks that all post-2004 games come with in the NHL. But pleasing your paying fans is a good way to keep them, and that’s the whole idea of entertainment, isn’t it?