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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Jamie Benn Excited for Added Responsibility with Ken Hitchcock

Posted on by Melissa Flandreau

The 2017-18 season will mark the fifth year that Jamie Benn has been the Stars’ captain, and having a new coach in Ken Hitchcock will shape that role. Hitchcock has said he expects Benn to be more vocal.

That’s fine with Benn, who said he is ready to grow more and expand his responsibilities as a leader under Hitchcock, who was named the team’s head coach last week.

“There are steps I need to take as a leader. I think Hitch is going to help me out in that department,” Benn said. “There’s going to be a lot more responsibility, and these are steps that I need to make as a captain and as a leader in helping this team win.”

Hitchcock also mentioned the relationship that he and Benn established during the 2014 Olympics.

“And we really hit it off. He’s just a guy I knew I could trust and believe in and get everybody to follow. He’s got a lot of sincerity in his personality, and he’s got a lot of sincerity in his game. And he’s got game to back it up.”

There’s more from Benn and Hitchcock at the link. [Stars]

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Ken Hitchcock staged a Twitter takeover yesterday, and you can see what he had to say about everything from being back in Texas to his mustache. [SportsDayDFW]

It was an overtime sort of night yesterday, with all four games going into extra frames.

  • After Filip Forsberg scored two goals in the third to tie it, Kevin Fiala scored in OT to give the the Predators a 3-2 win and a 3-0 series lead over the Blackhawks. [On the Forecheck]/

  • Tyler Bozak helped the Maple Leafs to a 2-1 series lead over the Capitals with a 4-3 win last night. [Pension Plan Puppets]/

  • The Ducks overcame a 4-1 deficit and jumped to a 3-0 series lead over the Flames after Corey Perry scored the game-winner in OT. [Matchsticks and Gasoline]/

The Blue Jackets will be without defenseman Zach Werenski for the remainder of the playoffs. [Sportsnet]

What Marc-Andre Fleury’s playoff performance could mean for his offseason. [The Hockey News]

It turns out that NHL fans are the least superstitious of all professional sports fans. (Maybe everyone was too superstitious to say that their superstitions worked, so they acted like they didn’t have them?) [CBS Sports]

Denna Laing and Bobby Carpenter finished the Boston Marathon yesterday. (You can read more about the pair’s fundraising efforts here.)

A look at the low-scoring playoff games so far. [TSN]

Keep an eye out for Canadiens rookie forward Artturi Lehkonen this postseason. [Sportsnet]

And finally, in case you missed the news yesterday, congratulations are in order for Dave Strader.

Talking Points