Game 9 AfterThoughts: They Don’t Ask How, so Please Don’t Tell Them
Back at the beginning of last decade, going to Chicago games at American Airlines Center could be miserable. The Blackhawks were at their zenith, in the midst of winning three Stanley Cups in six years. Coupled with the Stars’ bankruptcy, that meant the arena would be filled with Blackhawks fans cheering every away goal, often making Stars fans feel like visitors in their own building.
Thankfully, times have changed, as you can see in the below photo from Saturday’s game. There’s still a good amount of red there, but it’s nowhere near the insufferable amount there used to be.
The Dallas Stars are now 7-2-0 on the season as they prepare to co-headline a premier NHL event in Finland against the reigning Stanley Cup Champions. The Stars look every bit like a team that should again challenge for the top seed in the West, while Chicago has been struggling to rebound from their lottery efforts (as we’ll call them), and their traveling presence has diminished accordingly as the Stars’ fanbase has continued engorge itself upon the excitement brought by the wealth of young talent and familiar veterans that inhabit the Stars’ dressing room.
But when the puck drops, a new game begins. And even with Chicago coming in having played the previous night, Dallas found themselves relying on Jake Oettinger to keep a one-goal lead intact in the final minutes of the game.
We’ve talked about it plenty by now. The Stars haven’t dominated most of their games thus far, even as they’ve wound up #2 in the NHL standings as of this writing. But one thing I think we forget is that great teams aren’t only great because they always win by a ton; they’re also great because they still manage to win even when they aren’t playing perfectly, because their floor is so much higher than most other teams’. And despite Dallas out-shooting and out-chancing Chicago, a standout performance by Petr Mrazek kept Chicago in the game until the final minute. But unlike a standout performance from Jake Oettinger, Chicago isn’t of the caliber where that’s enough for them to get points; it’s just enough for a scare.
That’s not ideal, of course. And Pete DeBoer admitted afterwards that the win “didn’t feel as good as it probably could have because of the last 10 minutes.” But the other side of the coin, for DeBoer, was that Dallas “deserved to win, and that’s what we did.” They don’t ask how, but the coaches don’t have to, becuase they know how. And these coaches, and fans, all know the team can be even better. And what more of a challenge could you ask for right now than a back-to-back set on an international stage against the current champs?
(As an aside, I will be in Finland covering the Stars’ trip next week, so you can expect to see a variety of coverage here, as well as on my Twitter page, about all of those exploits.)
As an example of the sort of quality content you can find there, just check out this little nugget from tonight’s game, in which I pretended to understand even an iota of what was going on here:
It's getting real up in the AAC pic.twitter.com/1PGYTu7LsN
— Robert Tiffin (@RobertTiffin) October 27, 2024
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The Matt Duchene line continues to look unstoppable, and I think we can officially say two things about that line right now: First, that the Marchment-Duchene-Seguin line is the Stars’ first line at present, as evidenced by DeBoer’s deployment of them reflecting this tonight. They led the team in ice time at 5v5 by a healthy margin, which has been almost unheard-of when Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson are in the lineup. But the Duchene trio was generating chances all over the place in this one, and they could’ve had another couple of goals (as could other players, as DeBoer also mentioned postgame).
And that applies even when only part of it is playing, it turns out. After things got reduced to 4-on-4 thanks to penalties to Matt Dumba and All of Chicago’s Too Many Men, Tyler Seguin rang a post in behind Mrazek after Chicago failed to sort out A Situation In Their Zone, and the moribund (this word is only used in Sports, I feel) Blackhawks were an eyelash away from trailing off the hop.
The second thing we can officially say right now is that the top power play unit in terms of performance might also the one with Duchene, Seguin, Marchment, and Stankoven. Interestingly, the below goal (which is yet another gorgeous shot from Matt Duchene) came with Miro Heiskanen on the ice, and he even garnered a second assist for feeding Stankoven, who somehow muscled this puck to Duchene with a single second left on the Hawks’ penalty.
The find from Logan Stankoven.
The missile from Matt Duchene at a ridiculous angle.
Wowza. pic.twitter.com/gXafPHC6VA— Victory+ (@victoryplustv) October 27, 2024
Every goal the Stars scored tonight was a beautiful one, in different ways. For instance, what an assist by Esa Lindell to send in Evgenii Dadonov on the breakaway. Take another look:
Evgenii Dadonov chases down Lindell's beautiful outlet pass and scores on the breakaway!#TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/zChFJlcsqr
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) October 27, 2024
Esa Lindell is highly valued inside the organization (as evidenced by his recent extension), but plays like this remind you why. He’s not just someone who plays a lot of minutes like Ryan Suter in Minnesota, but someone who has offensive instincts (remember, he used to be a power play quarterback), can kill penalties for minutes on end, and can also find guys in transition. He’s a unique sort of player these days, and I really do think the Stars’ defense relies on his presence in ways that would only become apparent if he weren’t there.
Dadonov, meanwhile, deserved every bit of this goal, as he’s been all around it for the entire season, and a goal was more than warranted for the opportunities he’s been generating and receiving. It’s good to see a faithful veteran player who has been used on a variety of lines get rewarded for mashing the gas.
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For all the good the Stars created in the first period—and they created a lot—they also gave up a few too many chances a bit too easily. It would portend things to come later, as the Blackhawks would end their first penalty with a Connor Bedard breakaway that had no business happening, and Esa Lindell would pick up a holding call as time expired in the opening period. Lindell argued the call pretty vehemently, and frankly, shouldn’t Lindell just be allowed to call his own penalties at this point? Come on folks, it’s time to extend some trust to a thoroughly trustworthy person.
(Funny aside: I asked Lindell the other day what I should do while I’m in Finland next week in order to avoid being an annoying American tourist. His answer? “Maybe stay inside.” Game recognize game, Esa.
In lineup news, Mavrik Bourque drew back in on the fourth line, and he also drew a penalty right off the bat. DeBoer said before the game that he looks for the fourth line to create offensive zone time and “tilt the ice,” and I think Bourque is certainly capable of doing that. But then, I think almost anyone would be capable of doing that with the way Colin Blackwell and Sam Steel are playing right now. Maybe it was just Colin Blackwell against his old team (and probably with money on the board), but he turned in a whopper of a game, including a shorthanded two-on-one rush that ended with a toe-drag that probably would have led to a goal if not for the defener’s stick getting tangled with his skates. It’s no surprise that DeBoer’s coaching staff put Blackwell and Steel down as their first penalty killing forward pairing from the outset. They’re great third-line players exploiting the advantages of a fourth-line role.
Edit: I forgot to mention that Matt Dumba checked Jason Dickinson in the face in this one. It looked like Dickinson was all right afterwards, and he played 16 minutes by the game’s end, but this could have been a lot worse. I’m a bit surprised they didn’t call a major to review the hit, but it was one a harrowing version of the previously lighthearted bit of Dickinson getting hit in the face. All the best to a genuinely good guy.
Matt Dumba lays a big hit on Jason Dickinson, and he's penalized for interference. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/4B5u4xmSUT
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 27, 2024
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Speaking of exploiting other roles: Jamie Benn could’ve been a baseball player, you know. The broadcast showed some of his batting practice home runs from a little while back, and it’s always worth remembering that most professional athletes were probably the best player on their team in every sport they played, not just the one they ended up making a career in.
By the way, this is also a great time to thank the wonderful Sports Toons, who graciously provided me with some artwork that (unfortunately for you, the readers) involves my visage on this web site now. There are some really wonderful people in the Stars universe, y’all.
Breaking down Jamie Benn’s goal against the Blackhawks. Dallas wins 4-2. pic.twitter.com/gzrUCR1ujA
— Sportstoons (@sportstoons) October 27, 2024
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But yes, we need to talk about that third period just a bit more.
Craig Smith scores one of the GREASIEST goals you’ll ever see
pic.twitter.com/arJj4qaO6J— Four Feathers Podcast (@FourFeathersPod) October 27, 2024
You can see Craig Smith (who no longer should be allowed to call his own penalties) move Jake Oettinger’s body pretty significantly when he goes in for the puck, there. Ryan Donato eventually does poke it in, and I’m like 60% sure that goal wouldn’t have been overturned after review, given that the pad wasn’t pushed totally over the line or out of the path of the puck. I did ask DeBoer whether the game situation played into the decision not to challenge, and he said “definitely.” According to DeBoer, if the Stars had been trailing in the game, they probably would have challenged the play for goaltender interference, but given that a failed challenge in this one would’ve given the Hawks the chance to go on the power play and close the lead to 3-2, you can understand how discretion was the better part of valor.
Of course, Chicago would end up closing the gap to 3-2 anyhow five minute later:
Bedard with the wicked wrister to cut the deficit to 1 goal pic.twitter.com/fdcyg7kRWn
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 27, 2024
I appreciate Darren Pang’s pointing out Pat Maroon’s great assist on this goal, because it really was an example of how even a fourth-line NHLer known more for greasy goals and physical play can still make an absolutely perfect slap-pass to a player eighty feet away. These guys are good at hockey, all of them. Probably better at hockey than most people you know are at anything. There’s a reason people pay the ticket prices.
I thought Sam Nestler asked an interesting question to DeBoer in the postgame press conference, when he asked whether Miro Heiskanen was prudent to join the rush right before the shot was knocked away, allowing Chicago to counter. DeBoer said, “I didn’t have any problem with Miro being in that rush. I mean we had a D back, you know, he wasn’t on a breakaway…from 40 feet out, I mean, the kid’s got a hell of a shot.”
I think it’s a good sign for the team that their coach doesn’t preach lockdown, low-risk alterations to their play in these sorts of games. Jake Oettinger probably wants that goal back, sure, but this isn’t even the best chance Bedard had in the game, with Jake Oettinger making a really slick blocker save on Bedard in a more dangerous spot late in the first period.
Really, when it came to goaltending, Mrazek was the one robbing people, with his most outstanding sequence coming on his back-to-back saves on Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston in the second period from in tight. It was fitting that Benn eventually did get a goal out of this game after getting stopped on the doorstep, and you have to think Johnston’s own scoring is close to a run of its own.
Duchene & Company were out there for well over two minutes before a deft play by a gassed Tyler Seguin got the puck far enough head for an equally gassed (and goal-hungry) Duchene to pot his second of the game. It was well-deserved for a line that played over two minutes straight (with an icing whistle mixed in there), but thanks to their yeoman’s work and Oettinger’s October heroics, the Stars will be able to board their plane on Sunday with the vibes as good as they can be, right now. 7-2-0 is a very nice way to begin any season, no matter who you are.
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One other Finland note for the Stars: Assistant General Manager Scott White (who is also the General Manager of the Texas Stars) told me tonight that the team is allowed by the league to bring a third goalie that won’t count against the 23-man roster. That isn’t unheard-of for the NHL to allow in special circumstances like this, as nobody wants to see an emergency backup goaltender in a huge event like this one.
Pete DeBoer also said postgame that the Stars will be bringing other players as well (as they only have 22 players in Dallas right now), but that Jim Nill will announce those when they are determined. If I had to guess (and that’s all it is), I’d wager that Magnus Hellberg (who played tonight for Texas) would be the third goalie, while Alex Petrovic could be recalled as an eighth defensemen. Interestingly, Petrovic previously played an NHL game in Helsinki, Finland when he was with Florida in 2018.
We’ll see who ends up getting the call.
UPDATE: Defenseman Kyle Capobianco is now listed on the Dallas Stars NHL roster as of Sunday morning, so it appears he’s the 23rd player heading to Finland.
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Finally, let’s end up a delightful little tidbit that is probably even cooler in your imagination than it would be on video, as so many things would be if not for the KIDS AND THEIR DANGED PHONES THESE DAYS, AM I RIGHT???
On the @DallasStars postgame show, Jake Oettinger said the MVP of his wedding reception was Ty Dellandrea who performed a full backflip on the dance floor.
I hope there is video somewhere.— Bruce LeVine (@BruceLeVinePuck) October 27, 2024