Monday Rundown: One Stat or Quote about Every Player on the Dallas Stars Roster
All 28 of 'em
It is Monday, and a certain percentage of you are still thinking about that empty-net chance against Colorado that went off the side of the net. Free yourselves! The past is the past, and there will be far bigger games than that, such as Game 3 in last year’s first round, when Benn scored this massive third-period goal:
Palate cleansed? Good. Now let’s move on to today’s Monday Rundown, in which we’re going to have a note or a quote about every single Stars player player on the roster. Most of those players, by the way, didn’t practice on Monday after Glen Gulutzan decided to change today’s scheduled practice to an optional skate. He explained his thought process on that in detail, today:
“Sometimes you just look at your group. There’s always in your mind, as you’re kind of going through it, and you’re even feeling your own things. You know, we’re in the time zones of the Pacific, and then we head to Calgary, and then we have the day off, and then we come back here, and we have an emotional game against Colorado, trade deadline stressors.
I thought the adrenaline for the game kind of pushed that off, and then we practiced on Saturday, and I could tell by Saturday, and then the faces yesterday just coming to the bench, that there was some energy [missing]. The guys looked a little drained. Emotionally drained, physically drained, traveling drained, just with everything that’s been going on. So you kinda take stock of it.
And then I did a sign-up optional basically, today. So if you want to go out, let us know. If you don’t, you’re either a yes or a no. Usually, I’ve had these things before and there’s 20 guys [who] end up going out […] and 4 or 5 guys stay. Today there’s only 7 guys on the ice.
So it goes to show you that, you got some Walter Paytons, some guys you look at that always go out, and are specimens. They always skate, and they’re always going. Then when they’re not going, you know you’ve probably done the right thing.”
-Glen Gulutzan, on making Monday an optional practice
3/9/26
All told, today’s practice featured the two goaltenders (Oettinger and DeSmith), the two new additions at the trade deadline (Bunting and Myers), and the three defensemen who didn’t play last night: Lyubushkin, Petrovic, and Capobianco.
And of course, Jason Robertson skated as well. But given that I’ve only seen Robertson take the option a small handful of times over the last two seasons, that’s hardly a surprise.
So although a lot of players didn’t practice, today is a good day to take a deep breath and say at least one thing about all of them. Let’s do that now.
Oskar Bäck
Stat: Until his assist on Nate Bastian’s goal last night, Bäck had gone 13 games without a point after scoring the Stars’ lone goal against Tampa Bay back on January 18. And that goal, by the way, came after a different 11-game pointless streak.
But you know that Bäck isn’t here to rack up points so much as win a fourth-line shift. And win them he has, to the tune of a 68% xGF% over his last 13 games (and an even better 75% of the scoring chances). Those are both among the best numbers on the team during the Stars’ recent stretch.
Nathan Bastian
Sure, you know Bastian has three goals in his last five games. But let’s hear what Gulutzan said about Bastian after last night’s win over Chicago:
“Oh, massive goal,” Gulutzan said of Bastian’s opening tally for Dallas. “And he’s scored some big ones. Think about some of the ones he scored. I think that was his sixth tonight. Scoring six goals, I mean, with his usage and the games he’s played, that’s impressive. And I just thought that his game in the last ten has been real good in lots of areas. Good stick, holding on to pucks in the O-zone, creating turnovers, getting on people. I think this game has looked really good.”
Here’s a bonus stat for you, too: Bastian has yet to record an assist in 30 games this year.
Jamie Benn
Through 41 games this season, Benn has yet to record a power play goal. If he finishes without one, it would be the first season in his career in which he failed to do so. Of course, missing 22 games is a pretty big caveat.
More interesting to me, however, is that Benn is already tied with his number of power play assists from 2018-19, when he played 78 games. With him looking likely to stay on the top power play unit for the time being, what happens first: Benn scores a power play goal, or he passes his ‘18-19 self in power play assists?
Lian Bichsel
In the month of November this season, Lian Bichsel averaged 17:44 per game, including a season-high of 21:29 in a shootout loss in Calgary. Since returning from his months-long absence, Bichsel is averaging two fewer minutes per night, at just 15:48.
I wouldn’t read too much into that, though. Bichsel’s November numbers were a bit inflated out of necessity by the absence of Thomas Harley, who went down with an injury in the middle of that month. If Bichsel ends up a 16ish-minute defenseman this year, that will be ample responsibility for the 21-year-old.
Colin Blackwell
Among the 78 NHL forwards to have played at least 100 shorthanded minutes this year, Colin Blackwell ranks 16th-best in goals given up per minute. That places Blackwell just behind Olympian Brandon Hagel, who is 14th.
Other notable names on that list: Nicolas Roy (11th), Jason Dickinson (10th), and Brock Nelson (1st).
Bonus stat for Blackwell: the American forward has scored 3 goals and 6 assists this year, and 7 of those 9 points have come against Canadian teams—including all three of his goals.
Mavrik Bourque
Mavrik Bourque, when asked about whether he was tempted to try to claim Hryckowian’s goal as his own (when both players shot the puck at the same time last night):
Bonus Bourque stat: Bourque was averaging 14:23 per night over the first 57 games of the season. Ever since the Stars returned from the Olympic break without Rantanen and company, Bourque has shot up to 18:23 per night, scoring over a point per game in that span (2 goals, 5 assists in six games).
With the Stars facing Vegas tomorrow, it’s worth remembering that Bourque scored two goals against the Golden Knights in the teams’ only meeting so far this year (a 5-4 shootout win).
Trivia question: Last season, Mavrik Bourque finished 9th on the team with 11 goals in 73 games. The year before that (in ‘23-24) the Stars had 11 players with double-digit goal totals. Do you remember the player to hit 11 goals (who was also 11th on the team)?
Michael Bunting
Michael Bunting scored his first NHL goal back in 2018 against Boston on a play where he swatted a loose puck that just slid across the goal line, not even making it all the way to the back of the net.
While it’s not officially a tracked statistic, I believe Bunting might lead the league in “times strangled by a teammate named Mario while celebrating a goal.” (Gotta check that one, though.)
Kyle Capobianco
The 28-year-old defenseman is tied with his career-high in goals in a season right now, with two. However, he’s also one “plus” away from his best mark in plus/minus for a season, which was +1 in Winnipeg back in 2022-23 (his only “plus” season so far—playing on the Coyotes will do that).
Presuming Capbianco draws in for a couple games down the stretch, which happens first: He gets to +2, or he scores a third goal? Or how about this: Can he do both at once?
Casey DeSmith
Per MoneyPuck, Casey DeSmith is 9th among all NHL goaltenders in GSAA (goals saved above expected) this season. That’s really good.
Among goalies with at least 20 games played, DeSmith is 10th in the league in save percentage at .912, right next to both Minnesota goalies. That’s also really good.
Bonus Quote: “I think [DeSmith’s] greatest attribute is he’s very competitive,” Gulutzan said on February 26.
And watching DeSmith play warm-up soccer yesterday, you’d have to agree.
Matt Duchene
In Duchene’s first 19 games after returning from his vestibular concussion, Duchene had 3 goals and 6 assists. In Duchene’s next 15 games, he’s posted 8 goals and 10 assists.
Bonus stat: Since being bought out by Nashville, Matt Duchene has played in six playoff series, while the Predators have played in one (and look likely to miss again this year).
Adam Erne
Lian Bichsel and Adam Erne are currently tied for the team lead in hits, with 101 apiece. Erne has played 30 games, and Bichsel just 32, so this may actually end up being something of a race down the stretch.
Bonus stat: Erne’s only recorded assists of the season came on Tyler Seguin’s goal against Columbus, back on October 21. If you forgot that shift, it was a pretty memorable one:
Erne has scored four goals himself this year, but is it possible he’s choosing not to hand out assists right now as a statement of solidarity for the injured Seguin? Couldn’t blame him, if so.
Radek Faksa
Despite playing just 11:41 per night, Faksa is 9th on the team (and 6th among forwards) in takeaways this year, with 14.
Takeaways are a very fickle stat from night to night, but Faksa’s battle level has never been in question throughout his career. And when he is finally able to return, here’s hoping he picks up where he left off.
Thomas Harley
I talked to Cale Makar last week while Colorado was in town, and he had this to say about Thomas Harley, his teammate at the Olympics (and Four Nations):
“Yeah, getting to know him a little bit, he’s just such a consistent player,” Makar said. “He’s fun to watch on the ice. He really does so much, obviously for Dallas, but even for us with Canada. It was very cool to see. He was contributing everywhere on the ice. A really good breakout player, and then [his] offensive instincts were really good as well, so it was cool to see.”
Miro Heiskanen
Here’s a cool map from NHL edge showing how many shots Heiskanen generates relative to his defensive peers from different areas of the offensive zone:
More subjective, but also cool: Heiskanen is finally in those Top-Five Defensemen conversations around the league these days. His graduation into that conversation is a good sign for his future Norris Trophy hopes, I think.
Roope Hintz
You all know about Hintz’s elite skating speed, but did you know he’s also in the 91st percentile for hardest shot among forwards?
Hintz also gets to the most dangerous area before deploying said shot, as you can see.
Nothing wrong with being picky.
Justin Hryckowian
Hryckowian hit 10 goals on Sunday, which means he’s now tied with Sam Steel for 9th on the Stars. On that goal, Hryckowian also had this to say, perhaps in unintentional rebuttal to Bourque:
Over his last 13 games, Justin Hryckowian can boast the following numbers at 5-on-5:
1st on the team in xGF% at a blistering 70%.
A dominant 74 to 36 edge in scoring chances
8 goals scored, and just 2 allowed when he’s been on the ice
Arttu Hyry
In four games this year, Hyry has six hits and nine shots on goal. He’ll get one if he gets a few more NHL games this year, you’d think.
Wyatt Johnston
You know all about his power play prowess, but how about this: Johnston is now top-10 in the NHL in goals overall, tied with players like Leon Draisaitl, Nikita Kucherov, and even Jason Robertson.
Esa Lindell
Lindell currently has the second-highest shooting percentage of his career, at 7.7%. Another goal or two could vault him past his career best 8.3%, set back in Jim Montgomery’s first year in 2018-19.
In that ‘18-19 year, Lindell scored 11 times, including four power play tallies and two shorthanded goals.
Bonus stat: Lindell is on pace for a career-low in hits. Is he angling for a Lady Byng Trophy this year?
Nils Lundkvist
Nils’s 21:26 in ice time against Vancouver last week was a season-high total for him, but it wasn’t a career-high. Lundkvist actually topped it once before when he played 22:04 in a game that Pete DeBoer remembered as the game where Wyatt Johnston really cemented his spot in the NHL.
That game was a 4-1 loss to Boston on October 25, 2022. Johnston scored the only goal while Lundkvist played top minutes next to Ryan Suter. (Miro Heiskanen was out with an upper-body injury at the time.)
Ilya Lyubushkin
Lyubushkin’s 10:20 in ice time against Colorado was the lowest total of his season, not counting the game against St. Louis, when he was injured. Lyubushkin has finished the night even or a “plus” in 11 of his last 13 games before being scratched in favor of Tyler Myers yesterday.
Bonus stat: Lyubushkin has 7 assists this year. Alex Petrovic also has seven assists, but he has two goals to Lyubushkin’s one. Who will finish with more assists and/or points this year?
Tyler Myers
Not a stat, but Myers was mic’d up for Vancouver a few months back when they played, of all teams, the Stars:
By the way, Myers confirmed today that “Big Tex” isn’t a nickname he really ever hears nowadays. But “Mysie” (MY-zee) does appear to be a common one, based on what I’ve heard in Dallas and in the above video.
Jake Oettinger
Oettinger is 8-1-1 in his last ten games, which is the most important number for the team as a whole.
But for Oettinger himself, the mid-range shots have been a bit tough this year compared to last:
As ever, we’ll see what Oettinger does once the playoffs start. Can he steal another series, like he did when he stopped five goals above expected against Colorado last year?
Alex Petrovic
Petrovic has 77 hits this year, which are a career-high for him, topping the 76 he recorded back in 2015-16.
And speaking of a decade ago, note to self: Find out what Jordie Benn said to Alex Petrovic after this play.
Mikko Rantanen
Rantanen’s 87 penalty minutes have finally dropped out of the top-10 in the NHL. If I’m doing my math right, his combination of 156 combined points and penalty minutes is the highest in the league, but only just: Nikita Kucherov has 40 PIM on top of his 103 points so far.
Jason Robertson
Robertson’s shot map is pretty great, if you haven’t seen it:
On the skating front, Robertson continues to look a bit faster than he’s been in previous years. In fact, his 21.73mph speed burst against Calgary last week 7:29 into the first period was his second-fastest such burst of the season, and third-fastest of his career (as far as NHL EDGE goes, at least). Here’s what that burst looked like:
Tyler Seguin
Seguin’s 22.5 shooting percentage before he had a player fall onto his ACL this year is the second-best mark on the Stars, having now fallen behind Nathan Bastian (26.09%).
For his career, that abbreviated mark was Seguin’s second-best ever, trailing only 2020-21, when he returned late in the year and scored two goals in three games. Here’s hoping for a similar return to form this October.
Sam Steel
With his three-point night in his native Alberta, Sam Steel set a new career-high in points, with 29. That game came one night after he’d tallied two assists in Vancouver.
There must be something in the water up north of the border—or more likely, something not in the water—because Steel’s lone hat trick of his career came way back in 2019, also in British Columbia. And I’d suggest watching the entire clip below, because the circumstances of Steel’s third goal were every bit as remarkable as the hat trick itself:
Who did you say the young mustache-less kid was in the hat trick video? 😉
(and thank you for the Jamie Benn palate cleanser. <deep breaths>)
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