Preseason Game 1 AfterThoughts: Dallas Stars Defeat St. Louis Blues 2-1
It’s always tough to talk about specifics during training camp. Players might “look good,” but that only really matters if the coaches agree after a couple weeks go by. Line combinations seem interesting, but we know full well these days that coaches will try a lot of things before landing on the eventual roster for Opening Night.
Still, a preseason game is less inconsequential than training camp scrimmages or drills. Last year, for instance, Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque both seemed to have good chances of being NHL-ready, but it took a goodly sum of games before Stankoven finally forced his way into the NHL. Even the best preseason in the world is also beholden to the reality of roster management in a salary cap NHL.
Tonight, however, Stankoven reminded everyone just how ready he was, and remains. Putting *10* shots on goal, Stankoven looked like a player very much ready to put the frustration of the Edmonton series behind him. (You may want to point out the irony of racking up shots without a goal as a way of forgetting about that series, but let me remind you, dear reader, that the internet is no place for irony.)
Stankoven and Bourque looked like the same duo that terrorized the AHL for most of last season, with Bourque going 60% on faceoffs while also creating a host of chances with Stankoven and Mason Marchment. If there were any doubts about whether the Stars would trust Bourque to center a line if Wyatt Johnston moves up to the top line with Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson, those doubts are, well, somewhat lessened after this game. I am confident in saying that Bourque is going to be a very good player this year.
Lian Bichsel also impressed, stepping up on the penalty kill (which went a perfect 3-for-3 tonight) and stepping up in defensive situations to make good plays like this one:
Lian Bichsel turns defending a 2-on-1 into a full fledged counterattack. pic.twitter.com/BqObrT1Mqz
— David Castillo (@DavidCastilloAC) September 22, 2024
Tonight was a reminder that Bichsel’s unimpressive showing at Traverse City has to be taken with a large grain of salt. Playing with other NHL players against NHL players is a far more real test of any player’s abilities than a prospect tournament, and Bichsel looked as confident as you could ask for in this preseason game. It is, of course, one preseason game against a team on the road without anything close to a full complement of NHL players. But it’s something for Bichsel to build on, certainly.
The other line that really jumped out in this one was the Oskar Bäck-Colin Blackwell-Evgenii Dadonov line. They dominated on the faceoff circle and generated good energy, despite being hit with a goal-against after a shift to forget from Nils Lundkvist:
Joseph-Dean-Kapanen turned this into a shift from hell for Nils Lundkvist. https://t.co/991RWjreq1
— Matthew DeFranks (@MDeFranks) September 22, 2024
Blackwell told me at morning skate today that while he came into the NHL as a center, he played on his off-wing in Chicago last year, so he’s looking forward to possibly playing next to someone like Sam Steel, who also has that sort of versatility. Dadonov’s speed and creativity could be a boon to that duo’s hard-nosed diligence to combine for a lot of complementary goals. In other words, it appears the Stars have the makings of an ideal DeBoer Fourth Line.
But to touch on the defense, I will say that Matt Dumba was impressive. He laid a few hits, performed well on a solid penalty kill, and generally found himself in good positions, and while no one is going to say he’s the New Chris Tanev, he also doesn’t have to be. He’s an NHL player who very recently was a top-pairing defenseman who shoots right-handed. That might just be more than enough, for now.
Thomas Harley looked every bit like a player who knows he’s one of the best players on the ice in a game like this, and that’s because it’s true. Harley’s rise has been so steady and sure that it’s easy to miss, but don’t forget that it hasn’t been that long since he was being held off the second power play in favor of Ryan Suter, ostensibly in order to avoid overburdening the young defender. But if the playoffs proved anything last year, it’s that Harley is ready for anything, always.
As for the goaltending, both teams played an NHL goalie and a non-NHL goalie, and all the goals came against the latter sort. Casey DeSmith look very sound and commanding, despite not bringing quite the size of someone like Scott Wedgewood. He stopped Zack Bolduc on two or three good chances, including one mini-breakaway, then had a quieter second period before giving way to Magnus Hellberg.
Hellberg looked perfectly solid until the Lundkvist error that left Kapanen suddenly alone on the doorstep, and even an enormous 6’6″ goalie is capable of being beaten glove-side in those situations.
Finally, Nils Lundkvist cannot afford to have games like this if he’s going to earn the trust of DeBoer this year. Even at the start of the game, Lundkvist had a spirited rush through the neutral zone, only to veer off at the blue line and pull the play offside. He’s still a very good player with a lot of potential, but in his third year under the same coach, I’m beginning to think that it’s going to take something pretty outstanding for Lundkvist to be anything more than a 7th defenseman this year.
Notes:
Marchment blocked a shot in the third period and didn’t return, but Peter DeBoer said after the game that the x-rays were negative, so it’s probably just a bruise.
Justin Hryckowian dropped the gloves against Quinton Burns.
Matěj Blümel is another play in contention for that final forward spot, but I’m not sure he did enough to move the needle tonight. He’ll get another chance this preseason, I’m sure, but at this point in his career, he needs to find a way to separate himself from the pack to get over that AHL hump.
Kasperi Kapanen was the only Blues player to skate without a helmet in warm-ups. Matt Dumba joined the small contingent of Stars veterans who still go sans-chapeau.
Blackwell previously played with Craig Smith in Nashville, whom he spoke with before coming to Dallas. Smith didn’t kill penalties for Dallas, whereas Blackwell was on the PK consistently, and looked very comfortable in that role.
Oscar Bäck is my current pick for the 13th forward spot. This is subject to change and denial and prevarication the moment anything changes, of course.
The 2023-2024 Central Division Champions banner has been raised at American Airlines Center. I still think the Stars should find a way to commemorate their Regular Season Conference Championships, even if it’s just years listed on a single banner. That’s a much bigger accomplishment than a Divisional Championship, but I get the aversion to having “regular” on any banner these days. Figure it out!