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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Canadian Road Trip

Posted on by Harlan Bowling
Jan 11, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson (21) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the shootout period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Is Robo back? I sure hope so.

It’s gameday, people! It’s a good thing I have a short memory, otherwise I’d still be thinking about the Canadian House of Horrors that is Ottawa. There are plenty of excuses to go around for why we showed up flat against the Senators, but I’m just going to blame it on poutine anyway. While the Toronto Maple Leafs also seem to have our number lately, I’m reluctantly feeling confident we’ll bounce back tonight. Onwards and upwards!

And who better to lead us forward, than the resurgent Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston. Both have had their lines adjusted and seem to be getting back to their usual game after slow starts. Did it have something to do with a little 4 Nations snub? Just maybe….

“I had a slow start to the year. When they announced it in early December, you kind of have a feeling that your play wasn’t good enough,” Robertson said. “The first half wasn’t good enough. Regardless of what you did earlier (in your career), it’s what you did recently. I had an idea.

“When I didn’t make the team, the weight was off my shoulders as far as not having to think about it anymore. It was somewhat of a distraction. Obviously I would love to play for the team. It would have been a great honor. But it definitely felt like I could put it aside and turn the page and focus on our team game without having to think about whether my play was good enough.”

Since the 4 Nations roster reveals Dec. 4, Robertson has six goals and 21 points in 18 games and is looking like the player who led the Stars in scoring the past two seasons.

Have we seen Robo and the Kid at their very best this year? Definitely not. But there’s reason to hope they just might get hot right when we need it.

“For me, you’re just using that,” Johnston said. “Right after my draft year, I wasn’t invited to the World Juniors camp. That was something that I was pretty disappointed with. I tried to use that as motivation. It’s fun to use that as motivation, prove them wrong and show them you should be there.”

Check out more from Pierre LeBrun’s article in The Athletic here.

Dallas Stars Stuff

Like I said, it’s gameday. Let’s finish the roadtrip strong!

We’ve officially eclipsed the midway point of the season, so we’re starting to see the midseason grades come out. How are we feeling, Stars fans?

Elsewhere in the Central

It’s a gameday, so let’s look ahead. We have 13 (!!!) games tonight, including several from the Central division. Here’s our matchups:

  • The Blues take on Calgary tonight in a bid to stay relevant to the wild card race. [PREVIEW]
  • The Preds have a tough slate against the high-flying Golden Knights tonight. [PREVIEW]
  • The Jets will try to keep it going against the Canucks after another Conor Hellebuyck shutout against the Avs on Saturday. [PREVIEW]
  • Meanwhile, the Avalanche look to get back on the right track against the New York Rangers. [PREVIEW]
  • And finally, the Utah Hockey Club get the Montreal Canadiens at home after dropping 3 of their last 5. [PREVIEW]

Around the NHL

I’m sure no one has any opinions on John Klingberg or our current defense corps, right?

At first I was like, wow, Conor McDavid is pretty good. Then I was like, geez, there’s a reason Gretzky’s called the Great One. Wow.

Didn’t I say it was a big night in the NHL? Here’s the full slate…

Greetings from Scenic Cedar Park and Beautiful Boise!

LFG Cameron Hughes! Congrats!

The Idaho Steelheads lost a tough one a few nights ago, so I’m choosing to focus on this instead. 400 points is nothing to turn your nose up at.

Finally

Hey Victory+! I smell an opportunity. I’ll one up you here – all players mic’ed up, all the time. Give me an app where I can just follow a player around and hear what he’s saying all the time. I know it won’t work for a multitude of reasons, but I want it anyway.

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