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Happy Saturday everyone! Are you excited for some primo 3-on-3 hockey this weekend? Watching guys shoot pucks hard or do breakaways against goalies that are totally giving it their all? Yeah, me neither. At least it’s better than the Pro Bowl, right?
Tyler Seguin has never really had any issues on the offensive end of the ice. He’s been a consistent point producer throughout his career, especially since his arrival in Dallas in 2013. When the Stars (re)hired Ken Hitchcock this past offseason, one of his biggest priorities was turning Seguin into a “200 foot player,” much like he did with Mike Modano in the late-90’s and early-00’s. So far, the results have been promising:
“He’s become a way more competitive player,” Hitchcock said. “His compete level at the puck, his attention to detail; he’s made huge strides as a 200-foot player. I always use that term, but when you ask a guy to go from killing no penalties to being a prime-time guy, you ask a guy to block shots, you ask a guy to be out there at the end of games, important minutes and then you ask him to play against top players; if you haven’t done it your whole life, it’s a big adjustment.
”He’s made those adjustments in half a season, which, to me, is terrific.”
While it would be reasonable to assume that an increase in defensive focus would cause a decrease in offensive effectiveness, that hasn’t really been the case with Seguin. He has 43 points in 50 games on the year and his 23 goals tie him for 9th in the league. Most importantly, his mindset has significantly shifted. He understands that his value to the team isn’t only goals and assists (although those are nice):
“I’ve always known I could find ways,” Seguin said. “But I’ve always felt I’ve been the guy that if we’re looking for that goal, I am going to get that goal and, if I am not scoring, it’s a bad game. This year, I am still getting some goals, but it’s changed in the respect that the goal is about one faceoff, or the goal is a big kill or something like that. They are out of character things that I haven’t had as a part of my game in the past that Hitch has given me the opportunity for this year.”
See more at Mark’s place. [NHL]
Stars Stuff
This isn’t really news, but I think Taylor would be upset if it was left off of here:
So #NHLAllStar Weekend is off to a good start. pic.twitter.com/r3LKxVUyPK
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) January 26, 2018
I know this was already talked about here on DBD, but just in case you missed the news:
Jason Dickinson, Julius Honka and Dillon Heatherington return to #txstars for All-Star Weekend. Shane Hanna heads to Idaho. https://t.co/MFf6j2M6Ej
— 100 Degree Hockey (@100degreehockey) January 26, 2018
You’ve got questions, Sean Shapiro has answers. His weekly mailbag includes trade deadline talk and a few q’s from some of your wonderful DBD friends. [The Upset Sports]
This is a good stat:
Heading into the #NHL #AllStarBreak:
— NHL EXPERT PICKS (@NHLexpertpicks) January 26, 2018
.@DallasStars 1st in #NHL in high danger scoring chances for/against ratio (56.76%).
2) TBL (55%)
3) CGY (54.59%)
4) MTL (54.53%)
5) CAR (53.9%)
27) VAN (46.11%)
28) LAK (45.98%)
29) BUF (45.77%)
30) OTT (45.48%)
31) WSH (43.36%)
Don’t wear him out before he gets here, Finnish team!
Stars defense prospect Miro Heiskanen returned from an upper-body injury in Finland's top league today and scored two goals and logged 27:08 of ice time.
— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) January 27, 2018
All Star stuff (trying to muster enthusiasm)!
Just landed in Tampa! ☀️ ☀️@ThunderBugTBL where’s the party at?! #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/sn6NpK6wyb
— Victor E. Green (@VictorEGreen) January 27, 2018
League News
I don’t really care about the All-Star Game (ed. note: gee, we couldn’t tell) but I figured this wouldn’t be too difficult...I was wrong:
Let me totally honest: All I've ever wanted to do for you as a digital hockey writer is ... make cool-ass quizzes. Thanks to ESPN, I now HAVE THE POWER!!!
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) January 26, 2018
Here's my All-Star quiz. Enjoy! (And thanks to @timjkavanagh for the help)https://t.co/2mNLdKxKJx
Here are some top highlights from Thursday night’s action in case you need a (real) hockey fix over the next few days:
15 games have your head spinning? @NHLNetwork has you covered with all the best highlights from last night's action. pic.twitter.com/Hzzf1gDWXL
— NHL (@NHL) January 26, 2018
The Sabres have a permanent sad Charlie Brown thing going on this season:
Bogosian's season-ending surgery adds to Sabres' disappointing season https://t.co/ejBCHz0Vvq pic.twitter.com/yOhZz2uerd
— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) January 26, 2018
Down Goes Brown’s Friday Grab Bag is yet another classic:
Friday Grab Bag: My midseason awards ballot, naming the Seattle expansion team, a look back at a 16-year-old Wayne Gretzky and lots more. https://t.co/NLbpnlUKXt pic.twitter.com/llNQUlCWKi
— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) January 26, 2018
PK Subban does a lot of really cool work in the community, both in Montreal and Nashville:
"It's all about building bridges." - NHL Defenseman @PKSubban1 on his Blueline Buddies program, which pairs underprivileged youth with police officers to attend all of his home games.
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) January 25, 2018
Extended interview: https://t.co/diEPIyFwpy pic.twitter.com/YcgQgePua4
Senators stadium drama update (with a very brief Alex Radulov cameo):
The @Senators could have a new home soon. #NHLTonight pic.twitter.com/ledmeEWhLI
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) January 26, 2018
Our old friend Patrick Eaves is looking as dapper and marvelously bearded as ever:
The hockey world's behind you, @Patrick_Eaves! https://t.co/6htVYN7IKN
— NHL (@NHL) January 26, 2018
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