It seemed like old times. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn lighting the lamp in front of solid goaltending. Throw in a bit of puck luck, and this Dallas Stars team is going to be hard to beat.
The New York Islanders had their chances, but Jake Oettinger played his positional game to perfection, and once again the pipes took care of the rest. Even when the puck got behind him, once again, the opposition couldn’t find the back of an open net.
There is a bit of fallout following the shutout victory. Matt Dumba went down with a lower body injury. Brendan Smith was likely to draw in to the Seattle Kraken game anyway, it’s just that with Dumba listed as day to day, Nils Lundqvist should keep his spot in the lineup. It remains to be seen if Dallas calls up an additional defender from Cedar Park, but the AHL Stars are off for a few days before hitting the road to Tucson, so we may see Alex Petrovic or Kyle Capobianco with the team as low cost insurance.
There were some score effects in this game, but the difference was Dallas finishing their opportunities. So far, the Stars are 2-0-0 in the standings, but 0-2-0 against the Deserve to Win O’Meter. Time will tell if that is sustainable.
Dallas Stars Lineup
Jason Robertson (21) – Roope Hintz (24) – Logan Stankoven (11)
Mason Marchment (27) – Matt Duchene (95) – Tyler Seguin (91)
Jamie Benn (14) – Wyatt Johnston (53) – Evgenii Dadonov (63)
Oskar Bäck (21) – Sam Steel (18) – Colin Blackwell (15)
Miro Heiskanen (4) – Ilya Lyubushkin (46)
Thomas Harley (55) – Brendan Smith (2)
Esa Lindell (23) – Nils Lundqvist (5)
Casey DeSmith (1)
Jake Oettinger (29)
Defensive pairings probably won’t be static. After Dumba went down, Pete DeBoar mixed things up, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a good dose of Harley – Heiskanen, with limited minutes for both Lundqvist and Smith. A lot will depend on special teams.
Casey DeSmith will make his Dallas Stars debut against the Kraken. May the pipes be his friend.
Mavrik Bourque continues his rehab, so we’ll see at gametime whether he’s ready. Bäck, Steel and Blackwell was the only line that was Corsi positive against the Islanders, so that needs to be given the consideration that it deserves.
Seattle Kraken Lineup
Eeli Tolvanen (20) – Matthew Beniers (10) – Oliver Bjorkstrand (22)
Jared McCann (19) – Shane Wright (51) – Jordan Eberle (7)
Jaden Schwartz (17) – Chandler Stephenson (9) – Andre Burakovsky (95)
Tye Kartye (12) – Yanni Gourde (37) – Brandon Tanev (13)
Vince Dunn (29) – Adam Larsson (6)
Jamie Oleksiak (24) – Brandon Montour (62)
Ryker Evans (41) – William Borgen (3)
Phillipp Grubauer (31)
Joey Daccord (35)
Daccord picked up the 5-4 shootout win last night against the Minnesota Wild, so Grubauer should have the net. Daccord just signed a $5 million, five year contract and the Kraken are high on his being the netminder of the future, so getting Grubauer may be a blessing.
Like the Islanders, the Kraken offense is suspect. The defense is solid – although Dunn left Saturday night late with an injury and could impact his availability for tonight. NHL/AHL tweener Josh Mahura is the option if Dunn can’t go.
One final note – Jamie Oleksiak played his 600th NHL game on Saturday, so here’s to the Big Rig.
Things to Watch
Matty Beniers.
If for no other reason, watch Beniers and Wyatt Johnston just so you know – definitively – which player you’d rather have. The Calder Trophy winner, or the other guy.
Shane Wright (but also, Tye Kartye and Ryker Evans).
OK – this one is a bit selfish, but I’ve watched all three in Coachella Valley over the last few years and I’m going to a game there on Wednesday night – so my peeps in Section 127 will be looking for an update. Wright is a former #4 overall pick for the Kraken. He’s been over-marinated with the Firebirds and could have an impactful rookie season with Seattle. Kartye and Evans will have less of an impact, but both are great stories and deserve their success – just not against the Stars.
Brendan Smith.
Truth be told, I wasn’t all that impressed during the pre-season. I really, really don’t want to miss Joel Hanley. Hope this isn’t too painful.
7 pm on Victory+ – you know the drill.