Preseason Game 6 Afterthoughts: Ready for What Comes Next
Going 5-1 in the pressason isn't a bad thing
We’ve talked before about how little preseason records mean. I guess technically they mean absolutely nothing, but since we’re all here trying to build narratives or confirm our own biases, we’re going to be squeezing meaning out just about anything we can find until the season kicks off, so might as well start with a few more wins than losses, if you can.
In the final game of the preseason, there was some good, some bad, some drama, and a nice result. Also, Jake Oettinger was an offensive threat to be reckoned with.
The Stars had the better of play early, with the Steel-Faksa-Blackwell line generating multiple good chances as well as some quality offensive zone time. Blackwell was very much enjoying himself with the open ice, and that proven to be an omen of how this game would end.
Still, given the disparity in roster quality, there was probably some reason for the Stars to be annoyed that they left the game so late before finally edging a group that was closer to the Colorado Eagles than the Avalanche. But with the absences of some of their own top guys, perhaps it’s nothing to worry too much about. Also, it’s the preseason, which is never something to worry about.
One other absent player was Oskar Bäck. Gulutzan said after the game that Bäck is dealing with an injury that kept him out of the game, and they’re not sure if it will be short-term or something more serious quite yet.
“Hopefully it’s not too long,” Gulutzan said, “But we kept him out. He skated today up in Frisco, and we’ll see how he is in the next day or two here.”
Lian Bichsel blocked a shot with what looked like his arm midway through the third period, but he didn’t miss a shift, so we’ll presume it’s nothing too serious. Maybe he toughened up his hands during his earlier fight, or something. (Is that how science works?)
The Stars were also without three of their power play skaters in Heiskanen, Rantanen, and Hintz, all of whom got the night off. Thus, the Stars’ first power play was this group: Harley, Duchene, Seguin, Johnston, and Robertson.
And really, that’s not a bad group to have left over when you’re missing three of your normal PP1 guys from the lineup. I am starting to think this team might be really deep, folks.
As for the tone of the game, Jason Robertson said afterward that he felt the chippiness was a result of the preseason having “dragged on” a little bit, including his exchanging punches with Parker Kelley. It’s not quite the Rougned Odor GIF, but it’s also not not that, either.
“I mean, everyone wants to just get going, so it’s a little frustrating. But it’s over now. Back to work,” Robertson said.
Robertson had a very good game, for what it’s worth, and his added bit of “don’t push me around, dude” was also encouraging to see, for a team that saw Roope Hintz get his foot broken a few months ago with nary an objection.
Lian Bichsel really got the physical game going when he laid a big hit on Parker Kelly right off the bat. (That is called “setting the tone” according to the NHL Phrases Dictionary I bought from a scalper ten years ago in the City of Industry.) But interestingly enough, Bichsel’s fight in the second period didn’t have the expected effect, according to Gulutzan.
“I didn’t like our second [period],” Gulutzan said. “I thought after a vicious fight, that we lost energy. And when something like that happens, you should gain energy. So we talked about that between the second and third. I liked how we came out in the third. We played solid.”
That lack of momentum built after Bichsel’s fight was an interesting point of emphasis for a coach in a preseason game where you’re partly just trying to get through with a minimum of injuries. Gultuzan admitted that watching fights can make you a little anxious for the player involved, but it’s clear that Gulutzan also expects his bench to rally around natural sort of “hockey moments” (my term, not sure why I’m using quotes there) in order to build off each other’s play. And when Bichsel sends the sort of message he did with his nothing-held-back sort of duel, it’s important for the rest of the team to rise to the occasion.
In fact, Gulultzan compared the aftermath of the fight to how you want to see a team bear down on a penalty kill in order to pick up their guy who’s in the box. I think that sort of brotherhood mentality (I’m just totally making up terms here) is a point of emphasis that they believe will pay dividends when crunch time arrives. And, I mean, you kind of want to believe it will, right?
Gulutzan added that he didn’t like the Stars’ giving up the tying goal late to Colorado, but that the Stars’ quick counterpunch on the Blackwell goal told him the team might have “another gear,” which is a good thing to know.
And personally, I think any time your franchise goaltender has an assist and nearly scores into an empty net, you don’t just have another gear: you’ve got Fast and Furious-style NOS.
Or perhaps the real truth of the matter is this: You have Colin Blackwell against the Avalanche. That’s the most unstoppable weapon of all.
The Jason Robertson vs. Scott Wedgewood battle was also fun to watch early on, with multiple looks being turned aside by the former Stars backup. But Robertson eventually beat him five-hole to make it 2-0, and the game got a little chippier from there.
Oettinger also talked after the game about how special it is to see an old goalie partner like Wedgewood, with whom he spoke before the game. Oettinger said that it can feel almost like you expect to see Wedgewood at practice the next day, just because of how natural it is to catch up with him. (The preseason is a little friendlier than it might be in the playoffs, you’d expect.)
When Ilya Lyubushkin took a late penalty in the first period, you then saw Alain Nasreddine roll Nils Lundkvist and Bichsel over the boards to begin the kill (which they did successfully). As we’ve been saying, it does seem like the coaching staff this year is looking for reasons to use Lundkvist, when last year it often seemed more like the opposite.
As for the defense, Harley and Lyubushkin each had some trouble with the puck at moments in the second period, and Bichsel had a lapse in coverage on the tying goal in the third. So far, it’s evident that Gulutzan isn’t afraid to be honest about things he doesn’t like from his team, but I also think the preseason isn’t something he’s going to overreact to (like most any coach, you’d think). There are some learning moments in this one for a few guys, though.
By the way, when we use the phrase “a little chippier,” we mean “people started getting hit and punched a lot,” as you’ll see in the video clips down below.
Justin Hryckowian laid a big hit after the whistle that drew a crowd, and of course Robertson also got into it with Kelly. Then you had the Bichsel fight, which fired up everyone in the building except (we’re told) his own team. And finally, you had Radek Faksa and Alex Gagne take matching minors late in the second period.
The coaches then apparently took the second intermission to beg their players to please save it for opening night, as the final frame was a little quieter, until the Olofsson goal tied things up and Blackwell untied them. Mission accomplished, more or less.
I thought all of Adam Erne, Justin Hryckowian, and Arttu Hyry had some good moments tonight. Erne assisted on Hyry’s goal with a good shot into a pile at the net, and Hryckowian was noticeable on the Duchene/Seguin line, though perhaps moreso in the first period than afterward.
Gulutzan said he didn’t think either Hryckowian or Hyry separated themselves from the other, but that both players continue to not look out of place in the NHL. That’s pretty clear validation from a veteran NHL coach, and with Oskar Bäck’s status uncertain for opening night along with Benn’s known absence, the Stars could end up needing more than one of those players.
The Stars don’t practice again until Tuesday, by which time we’ll know the fates of Erne, Hyry, and Hryckowian. But if tonight proved anything, it’s that all three of them can be useful in the right role, though I wouldn’t necessarily anoint any of them as an outright difference-maker out of the gate.
Then again, this was such a mismatch in terms of overall lineup build that perhaps any roster decisions were realistically made before the puck even dropped. I mean, come on. Look at this thing:
This preseason? Well, it happened. And the past tense of that sentence is probably the thing everyone should be most grateful for.
Lineups
The Stars began the game with this lineup:
Robertson-Johnston-Bourque
Hryckowian-Duchene-Seguin
Steel-Faksa-Blackwell
Erne-Hyry-Bastian
Lindell-Lyubushkin
Harley-Lundkvist
Bichsel-Petrovic
Oettinger
The Avalanche, meanwhile, rolled with this, ah, group:
Kiviranta-Kelly-Brindley
Olofsson-Bardakov-Makar
Bradley-Tynan-Nielsen
Jedlicka-Megna-Stienburg
Girard-Malinski
Gagne-Ahcan
Aamodt-Behrens
Wedgewood
Video Highlights
Matt Duchene created the Stars’ first Grade-A chance of the game with a spinaround pass to send Seguin in all alone, but the Stars’ right winger narrowly missed an early opening goal:
Colin Blackwell created a two-on-one break with a nice bank pass off the boards, but he couldn’t find Faksa with the feed across. Again, Blackwell was having fun in this one tonight:
Adam Erne got the scoring started with a shot that banked off multiple things before finally hitting Arttu Hyry at the back post for a goal by the Finnish centerman.
Justin Hryckowian nearly potted a second goal, but the puck skipped just enough to prevent him from dunking it.
Jake Oettinger faced two Grade-A chances against Bardakov and Olofsson, and he handled the Olofsson shot nicely, just getting a bit of the glove on it to send the puck over the net:
But the Bardakov shot was a bit dicier of a proposition, pinging off the post past his blocker:
Scott Wedgewood didn’t quite get carved open by Jason Robertson tonight in the way he has in prior matchups between the old teammates, but three successive Grade-A opportunities is probably not the ideal way to contain Robertson, and the third one finally got through:
Chance #1
Chance #2
Chance #3
Justin Hryckowian also decided to give a little bit extra after a delayed offside whistle. You may have heard him described as “a hockey player,” by himself. And also many other people:
Then, Jason Robertson got into it with Parker Kelly, and it’s fair to say Robertson got more of his money’s worth for the matching minors that followed:
Then, Lian Bichsel decided to follow up some stick shenanigans with Matt Stienburg by dropping the gloves and rag-dolling him, which did not go well for Stienburg, as Bichsel seemed to indicate afterwards:
But after a Robertson tripping penalty, the Avalanche would finally get on the board on a power play rebound put up top:
Matt Duchene tried to enliven the third period with a bit of coast-to-coast action that nearly found the top shelf:
Lian Bichsel was playing a little higher in order to try for the keep, and then he ended up getting beat by his man back down the ice while Petrovic likewise couldn’t contain the puck along the wall:
But the Stars would get it right back after another Jason Robertson shot resulted in good things. Specifically, good things for Colin Blackwell:
Finally, what better clip to end with than Jake Oettinger, who wasn’t satisfied with only having an assist in this game?
Stars have needed a guy like Bischel for a long time, love to see it
Johnston needs a winger like Robo to work his magic! Though Rant would fit also… hey how about both!!!