Game 8 AfterThoughts: Think I’ll Go to Boston

I think I’ll go to Boston, I think I’ll start a new [power play]
***

Last year, the Stars’ power play started out with a whimper, as you have doubtless heard by now. But after a 4-for-37 beginning, Dallas had their Get Healthy game against Minnesota with five (remember that?) power play goals that trampolined them up to 20% on the man-advantage. And, quick as you can say “state of hockey,” the Stars’ power play was back on the rails.

It’s too early to anoint this game similarly, but after posterizing their old coach to the tune of three consecutive power play goals, Dallas is now at 19% on the power play, which has springboarded them from “awful” to “just below average” in overall NHL ranking. It’s essentially the Don’t Buy! scene from Arrested Development, and the celebration is warranted in both cases. Sure, it’s far too soon to proclaim “Fixed!” as DeBoer jokingly did at practice on Monday, but man, you could not have asked for more of a morale boost to the power play than what Dallas got tonight in Boston.

But even outside of the power play performance (though it is and should be the biggest story of the game), the Stars deserve credit for how they responded after a lackluster effort in Buffalo. There was every excuse for them to sag after going down 1-0 and missing some early opportunities in this game, but instead, they hung together and toughened up, which is Hockey Slang for “they kept playing smart enough to let the big galloots in black and yellow continue to hurt themselves before finishing the job.” (If you need any other hockey terms explained, just text me.) The Bruins’ forecheck was craftily subverted by Dallas far more often than not, and the Stars’ backup goaltender outplayed Jeremy Swayman, which bodes well for the Stars’ ability to keep Jake Oettinger fairly rested as the season wears on.

When asked postgame why they went with DeSmith, DeBoer simply said they didn’t want to “overplay” Oettinger. I’m not sure that’s the entire story (though it could well be), but if you’re going to roast a coach for his decisions that don’t work out, you have to give credit when they do, and DeSmith was steady and sharp all night in a game that could have rattled a less-seasoned goaltender. The Stars’ goalie tandem, through eight games, is on pace to split the games 51/31, and that seems pretty ideal, all things considered. But best laid plans and all that rot.

As for the other lineup decision, Josh and Razor mentioned early how Boston is the biggest team in the league, and how, of their 18 skaters, 11 were at least 6’3″. And while I don’t love the idea of scratching Mavrik Bourque after he seemed to build some good momentum in that desperation push against Buffalo, I can certainly understand how Oskar Bäck might seem like the better matchup. And credit to Pete DeBoer (and to Bäck) again, because the move seemed to work.

With that said, I think it’s crucial to get Bourque as many games as you possibly can when he’s fully healthy. He’s a smart player that really should get better with each game he plays, and the last thing you need is for his confidence to take a hit because you “protect” him from certain teams. But it’s also likely as not that the coaches don’t want his confidence to suffer from being overpowered by a large Boston team, so I suppose we’ll have to wait and see how his game develops in the coming weeks. Florida should be a good test, even with all the pomp and circumstance, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see he and Bäck alternate in the back-to-back contests if everyone is healthy, just to give them both a turn. But all things considered, I think Bourque will be playing every game by the midpoint of the season. I have a very good record of hitting on my Mavrik Bourque predictions, too. Please do not research that, there really isn’t any need to do so, just believe me.

***

The game started out with promise that seemed to echo Buffalo woes when Dallas got a couple of great chances without result. Thomas Harley rang the post after a great feed from Stankoven from behind the net, but the puck bounced perfectly back into Swayman, who froze it before he realized it. Then a beautiful, patient entry by Stankoven led to a mad scramble between Roope Hintz and the Bruins’ goaltender, who had the puck encircled with his outstretched forearms but not covered, and the whistle didn’t blow. Hintz kept digging, and nearly managed to get it pitchforked over the prone Swayman, but to no avail.

Oskar Bäck then had a great shorthanded chance on the Bruins’ first power play (which saw no other real quality shots of Boston’s own), but he just couldn’t quite tuck it home on his forehand on a 2-on-1 rush, sending it high. I liked the decision to take the shot there, given how much space and time he was given. The temptation to defer to Roope Hintz must have been strong, but the shot was there, and he wasn’t far away from beating Swayman’s shoulder. Bäck also had a slick drop pass on a rush later on, and I think it’s a really positive sign that he looks that confident in the offensive zone. The Stars’ fourth line had their chances in this one, but thankfully, nobody will remember their chances except themselves.

The first Stars’ power play looked good for its first little bit, generating a quality shot for Jason Robertson and some good puck movement, only for Jamie Benn to get annoyed at a stick in his path and whack it out of the defender’s hands. The ensuing slashing call made Benn go nuclear on the officials, getting an extra two minutes tacked on to the initial minor. It was a moment that easily could have sent the game into a spiral, had the Bruins scored on their 1.5 power plays, but for better or worse, they wouldn’t need a power play. Matt Dumba played far too soft of a backhand reverse to Harley during the 4v4 portion, and it was easily picked off and served up to David Pastrňák on a silver platter. He spanked the wide-open one-timer past Casey DeSmith with all the ease you would expect from a player whose lowest goals total from the last three season is a 40-spot. And so it was that the Stars were down 1-0 before the extended power play even began.

Once again, however, the Stars’ penalty kill kept them afloat. It even got a golden chance when Wyatt Johnston picked up a pizza of his own on a botched drop pass by Boston. But his breakaway came up empty, as he fired it right into Swayman’s right pad rather than over or under it (which are better locations for the puck to pass through according to Analytics).

In fact, the Bruins probably should have declined the penalty altogether, as the Stars got two more opportunities thanks to Boston’s loose puck play, but as Boston would soon learn, it wasn’t the Stars’ penalty kill that deserve to be feared when it came to special teams.

For all the Stars’ lack of goal-scoring from defensemen coming into this game, it was plays by Nils Lundkvist and Thomas Harley that got them on the board. After Lundkvist tied up the puck carrier and eliminated him along the boards—one wonders if Lundkvist would have been scratched against the Big Bruins were this game to happen in March—Harley took the loose puck and led the rush. It was eventually dished off to Matt Duchene, who patiently waited for traffic clear before firing the puck past Swayman, who hadn’t seemed to locate the puck carrier through traffic, and the Stars entered the first intermission tied at one, which felt at least fair, if not even stingy, considering the other great chances Dallas had generated without result. It was the only 5v5 goal Dallas would score all night, but would you believe that it would be more than enough?

***

The second period started the same way, with Roope Hintz getting a great rush right off the hop, and while Swayman once again stopped him, Pastrňák had to hook Hintz out of desperation. And this time, Benn would come not to abolish the power play, but to fulfill it, getting a great behind-the-net feed out to Jason Robertson, who collected the wobbling puck and expertly put it over Swayman, presumably just to show Bäck where the cookie jars are kept. It was, in short, the exact sort of power play goal you’d want to see from the Stars’ power play in order to start believing in the Stars’ power play. Also, Miro Heiskanen finally got a point on the play, so maybe that’ll fix the ol’ ketchup bottle.

Dallas would go back on the job again after a foolish interference penalty by Parker Wotherspoon, and here is as good a place as any to mention that if I knew anyone named Wotherspoon, I would always pronounce their name as though it were a question, i.e. “Whither, spoon??” I bet I would be very popular at parties in the Victorian era.

Anyway, the power play began, and Matt Duchene (how good has he been this year, my gracious) took a great pass in stride from Mason Marchment and busted to the net, eventually looking off Swayman and Hampus Lindholm and feeding a slick little nutmeg to Stankoven on the back door, who pounded it home with 17 games’ worth of frustration behind it. And just like that, the Stars’ doubled their power play goals total for the season, going up 3-1 over Boston in the process. Surely, that would be enough for the power play to get going, right?

Pastrňák apparently didn’t believe the Stars’ power play was really back, so he he triple dog dared it by taking a tripping call with twelve minutes to go in the second period—and in the offensive zone, no less. And just for fun, Hintz turnstiled Brandon Carlo to generate yet another breakaway, but it was one of those games where Hintz could have scored three goals off the rush, only to come up empty repeatedly (but stay tuned). Anyway, it didn’t matter, because Tyler Seguin came Back to Boston, and after another smart pass from Marchment (whose assist game has been in top form to start this year, as he now trails only Stankoven for the team lead), he stared down Swayman and beat him with a vintage (don’t tell Tyler I said that) short-side snap shot to give the Stars three power play goals, less than 30 minutes of game time.

Out of what I can only assume was sheer pity for Boston’s culture of mediocrity, Sam Steel then took a penalty for Dallas to kill. And, almost as though the universe was taunting Boston (and who could blame it), the Bruins immediately got a great chance, only for Captain Brad Marchand to ring the crossbar then see his teammates fail to convert in the subsequent mad scramble for the rebound. But Boston doesn’t respond well to taunting, and they embraced the new strategy of “shoot to not score.” That paid off when Trent Frederic had a loose wrap-around chance slide off DeSmith’s pads right to Justin Brazeau on the back door, and even Brazeau isn’t going to miss an open net from two feet away.

From there, the game got nastier. Evgenii Dadonov tried to throw a neutral zone hip check, and Wyatt Johnston nearly created a scoring chance ex nihilo. Pastrňák then slammed Heiskanen into the boards on a nothing play, and Heiskanen’s face seemed to go into the glass pretty firmly, after which he slowly skated back to the bench. He came back out looking none the worse for wear, but it was a sign that Boston wasn’t going to take a deficit lying down.

More scoring chances came as the second period ended, with the top line in particular generating looks (and they had a really good game tonight even outside of their scoring), along with the fourth line having a great offensive zone shift of its own. The Wyatt Johnston line then got a rush to join the party, but Nikita Zadorov nailed Dadonov, and the remaining forwards weren’t able to do much with what was left.

Marchand started the third period by trying to see if he could change the color of his coach’s head with the most unnecessary cross check you will ever see, testing Ilya Lyubushkin’s ribs right in front of the referee. But the Stars’ power play didn’t quite have its usual pep, and so Marchand was allowed to serve his full two minutes. I’m not sure that Marchand and Pastrňák are going to be getting any All Saints’ Day cards from their coach after taking two penalties apiece in this one. Yuck, ew, stinky, etc.

In fact, the third period seemed to gain a stagnant odor and lose a lot of the oomph of the middle frame as it went on, becoming more of a pitched battle with occasional counterattacks than a slugfest. But that didn’t mean Casey DeSmith wasn’t busy, and he had to make a big stop on Brazeau all up in his business on the doorstep, as well as another one on Matt Poitras on a point-blank chance off the rush.

But if you thought the Stars were content just to play solid defense, Jamie Benn would prove you wrong. He rushed right though a stick check along the boards, taking the stick with him, then snapping a long, Modano-esque pass across to Johnston, who just missed the open far side of the net behind Swayman. It would have been one of those goals that lives on a highlight reel for at least a year if a goal had resulted from it, but even so, you and I will remember that Jamie Benn is still capable of doing things like this, even 15 years after his NHL debut.

Colin Blackwell then got a rush of his own with Sam Steel, but he wasn’t selfish enough to shoot, and he ended up doing the thing Oskar Bäck didn’t, and passed instead of taking the shot himself, but with the same result as Bäck, so who are we to judge anyone, really. (Though, in fairness, Steel would’ve had an absolute gimme had the pass connected.) I suppose three power play goals was already a lot to ask of Lady Fortune.

With just under four minutes remaining, Montgomery pulled his goaltender, and after Boston nearly scored on themselves with an errant pass (don’t lie, you were all hoping for it), Benn came even closer with a long-distance Go Route to Dadonov that turned into a shot of its own, missing by mere inches. But after some solid (and extended) defensive zone work by Dallas, it was, of course, Roope Hintz who finally scored on a breakaway after a savvy Seguin pass sent him off to the races. Good for Hintz and great for the Stars, who took a 5-2 lead to the showers and a 6-2-0 record back home to face Chicago after putting up a W in TD Garden for the first time in nearly seven years.

***

The Stars’ defense drew a lot of praise in this one, and deservedly so. I was especially impressed Nils Lundkvist and Ilya Lyubushkin, but that’s only because we’ve become so accustomed to Esa Lindell’s smart positioning and Thomas Harley’s preternatural ability to get to pucks and get them going the right direction.

Matt Dumba is still getting up to speed, to be frank. He had a couple of rough plays in this one, and I think as much as Heiskanen probably makes it easy on his partners by covering so much of the ice, it’s probably also tough to come back from an injury and try to jump right up alongside him and make all the right reads. The jury is still out on that pairing, and that’s as it should be. The easiest option for Dallas would be, of course, for Dumba to settle in as the top RHD while Heiskanen takes off. But so far, both players are still not quite up to their full power, I think.

Tyler Seguin, man. What can you say? It’s a sheer delight to watch him beat goaltenders, in particular highly paid Boston goaltenders. Either I or someone else needs to write a really in-depth book on his career some time in the next ten years, because his journey is so much more fascinating than it’s often typified as. Great to see him have a big night in a building where he probably still has money on the board.

To that end, you really, really should watch this interview all the way to the end. Seguin has been in Dallas for over a decade now, but given the questions he always gets when he goes back to Boston, you wouldn’t know it. And that’s Boston reporters doing their jobs, of course, but it’s only fair that Seguin gets to have a little fun in the other direction when it comes to what it feels like to beat the team that didn’t see a way for him to fit into their culture. Enjoy.

"Championship style. Expectations. You gotta prepare for playoffs from Game 1 of the season."@tseguinofficial talks with @JoshBogorad and @Razor5Hole after a big @DallasStars win in Boston.#TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/fR1caBX1Oo

— Stars On Victory+ (@StarsOnVictory) October 25, 2024

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