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Afterwords: Confidence Boost

Nov 20, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston (53) and center Roope Hintz (24) celebrates a goal scored by Johnston against the San Jose Sharks during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Stars were always supposed to beat the San Jose Sharks.

I mean, after getting beaten badly by the Anaheim Ducks, you might not have been surprised to see them struggle against the other Pacific Division basement team, but that doesn’t mean you would have expected it. At the end of the day, the Stars are (supposed to be) a Cup Favorite, and the Sharks a Lottery Favorite, so the expectation is a decisive win.

Wednesday night… well, it either was or it wasn’t that, depending on how you look at it. The 5-2 final score is deceiving because it came thanks to two(!) empty net goals. But it was only 3-2 before that because of a late San Jose goal five minutes prior, one of those late boosts for the trailing team that gives you hope but ultimately doesn’t amount to anything.

Because for the most part, this game went exactly like we expected it too — Dallas more or less dominated San Jose, as they should have, even if the score didn’t always reflect it. In fact, it was eerily similar to the last game I wrote an Afterwords for, when the Stars beat the Chicago Blackhawks, in regards to both the good (Oettinger was great, penalty kill was solid, etc.) and the not-so-good (I am once again imploring the Stars to fix their power play).

But whereas last time I focused on what we should expect from these kind of games, I now want to focus on what we should take away. Because there was one big story from this game that overshadowed all others: the top line trio was finally “back.”

Specifically, Wyatt Johnston, Jason Robertson, and Roope Hintz all scored a goal plus an assist (Robertson got a second too). Granted, one of those goals (and its assists) came on behalf of one of the empty netters, but hey, it’s the thought that counts. And the goals that did come with a goalie in net were rather impressive:

…this is usually the part where I embed the video, but the artist formally (and colloquially, still is) known as Twitter screwed things up (again) and I lack the ability. So please excuse me as I simply provide the links instead.

Anyways, Robertson’s goal was a neat spin-o-rama that, honestly, probably should have never gone in. Mackenzie Blackwood looked caught off guard when Robertson actually decided to shoot the puck and had a late reaction, and the puck sailed right past him. Look no further than Robertson’s own expression after the goal, in which he seems to be almost laughing at how he just threw something at the wall and it actually stuck. But hey, it was his first goal in almost a month — whatever it takes to get the monkey off your back.

Johnston’s goal, meanwhile, was the opposite: I rose to my feet before he even shot the puck, because you just knew he was going to score. I mean, that was just filthy, from the backhanded breakout pass by Robertson to the saucer pass by Hintz to Johnston immediately settling the puck and passing it over to his forehand… I’m sorry, I don’t care who was in net or on defense for that play: that puck is going in every time.

And that’s kind of my point here: it’s easy to look at the opponent and say “oh, well it was just San Jose, that doesn’t really count.” But you can still play against a bottom team and struggle (see: Anaheim) — sometimes, a good performance is just that. And if you still want to be cynical, then you could perhaps view it as a “warm up” of sorts for the upcoming road trip in which Dallas plays the Tampa Bay Lightning (good) and Carolina Hurricanes (great!). A sort of confidence booster that yes, the top line still has it, before facing off against serious competition.

And you really hope that it is a sign of things to come and not a dead cat bounce. Because right now, Dallas is rolling the four lines I expected them to heading into the season, a forward combo that’s extremely deadly on paper. If it’s that good on ice? Well, then maybe Dallas won’t be just “a” Cup Favorite…


• My dad and I aren’t season ticket holders, but we are one of the longest tenured members in a group that gets them. Which means sometimes (albeit not often) we’re able to experience some of the benefits STHs get: we got bumped up to the first row on a Fan Appreciation night years ago, got to attend the second day of the 2018 NHL Draft for free, and my brother and I were there at the Victory Green jersey reveal way back when.

Last night, my dad and I got another experience where we sat down to watch a presentation by the Stars’ video and analytics staff as they walked through what their typical game preparation for players looked like, plus a Q&A. And while we were asked not to share anything about the presentation on social media (and, as much as it seems like a loophole, I’m sure blogging was meant to be included in that), I will say this much: it was a lot of fun watching the game while looking for the various things the staff pointed out to us.

• As horrible as the power play was last night on paper (0-for-4), the third and fourth tries actually looked really good (albeit the third was the one with the shorthanded goal…). It’s just that the Stars couldn’t execute… which, to be fair, is kind of the whole point of the power play. The Stars have way too much talent on both units to not be one of the best teams in the league with the man advantage, so what gives?

• Macklin Celebrini had a couple plays that stood out last night, but otherwise I didn’t really notice him much at all. I think he’ll improve as the season goes on, but given his lack of experience and the quality of teammates around him, I don’t think he’ll be in Calder Trophy contention by the end of the year.

So who will? While Lane Hutson might make some noise (if anything because of the jersey he wears), so far this looks to be a two-horse race between Logan Stankoven and Matvei Michkov. Both have 15 points in 18 games, with Michkov having two more goals on far fewer shots (he’s shooting at a 17.7% to Stankoven’s 7.6%) and with just under two minutes more in average TOI. Stankoven is an even-strength machine (more than half of Michkov’s points come from the power play), but Michkov has the East coast / not a Dallas Star bias going for him.

My prediction? No one is going to know heading into Awards night, where Stankoven ends up with a close but decisive win.

Talking Points