Dallas Stars Daily Links: After the Victory, the Decisions Get More Difficult

The Dallas Stars got to .500 on the season to date with last night’s home win over the Arizona Coyotes. Yet these are the Stars, so of course that win brings challenges of its own.

And a big one comes in the form of Dan Hamhuis, who rebounded in a big way during the 3-1 victory. Hockey blogger and Stars NHL correspondent Sean Shapiro examined what that means for the team’s still-crowded blueline:

[Hamhuis], who had struggled most of the season, had his best game with a goal and an assist to go along with overall well-rounded play. His partner, Stephen Johns, was excellent against according to [Ken] Hitchcock, while the top-pairing of Marc Methot and John Klingberg have started to find much-needed chemistry.

[...]

So what happens when Jamie Oleksiak re-enters the lineup on Thursday against the Coyotes?

If you guessed that Julius Honka or Esa Lindell will be the next to ride the pine, Sean thinks so, too:

We now know that Hamhuis and Johns won’t be the scratches, Hitchcock said he’s not considering them for a night off after Tuesday’s win. It’s also a lock that Methot and Klingberg will stay together, so either Honka or Lindell will likely be scratched on Thursday.

There’s more at Sean’s website, including his video recap. [Wrong Side of the Red Line]

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More Stars

Mark Stepneski brings the postgame quotes from Hamhuis, Radek Faksa, and Hitch himself, among others. [Between the Blue Lines]

The Stars travel to Glendale for the second half of the home-and-away with the ’Yotes – and even after the win, Hitchcock says his team needs to raise its game.

...Especially if they’re going to keep making other teams’ goalies look like Vezina candidates. (Yes, Mike Heika just said that.) [SportsDayDFW]

Meanwhile, would you like to rewatch Alexander Radulov scoring his first goal as a Star on an empty net? Of course you would.

And if you have a minute (or eight, to be exact), you can enjoy the complete game highlights here.

The Stars honor Brenden Morrow during the Carolina Hurricanes game Saturday, Oct. 21, during their first Reunion Night of the season. [Dallas Stars]

And Sean offers a sneak peek at The Hockey News’ rankings of the top 50 players for every NHL franchise.

Around the league(s)

Last night, in #Murder:

• Roman Josi returned from injury and earned two points as the Nashville Predators defeated the Colorado Avalanche, 4-1. [On the Forecheck]
• The Winnipeg Jets didn’t bring enough defense (or enough shots on goal) in a 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. [Arctic Ice Hockey]

Erik Karlsson returned to the Ottawa Senators lineup last night, but planet-sized goalie Anders Nilsson had the party, earning a 3-0 shutout in his first game with the Vancouver Canucks. [Sportsnet]

Also at Sportsnet: Sean McIndoe steps away from the hot stove to find NHL coaches who aren’t in danger of getting fired this season.

Leon Draisaitl is officially on IR with an eye injury and concussion-like symptoms. But he was able to skate yesterday before practice for the Edmonton Oilers’ 5-3 drubbing by the Carolina Hurricanes.

But it’s not just missing Draisaitl, or even Andrej Sekera (still out with a knee injury from the playoffs) – right now, the Oil’s entire game “needs work.” [CBC]

Meanwhile, Loui Eriksson will be out 4-6 weeks with a knee sprain sustained during the Canucks’ 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday. [NHL]

The Tampa Bay Lightning lost 5-4 to the New Jersey Devils last night, but it was still a big game for Nikita Kucherov – who’s setting up a truly remarkable season-opening goal streak.

Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park

The Texas Stars renew their rivalry with the San Antonio Rampage this weekend, and head coach Derek Laxdal has a preview.

Finally

The T-Stars’ social media team had some fun with #SloMoMonday yesterday. Enjoy.