When Dallas Stars head coach Jim Montgomery decided to put Justin Dowling — whom up to that point was a regular healthy scratch — between Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin on the top line, many fans raised their eyebrows. But so far, the AHL veteran has been crushing it, with three goals and an assist in his last four games:
“He’s got a great attitude and he obviously earns everything he gets,” Benn said of Dowling. “It hasn’t been easy for him, but he definitely hasn’t given up. He puts in the hard work every day and he’s a great two-way player. He does a lot of great things out there, and he’s getting rewarded for it.”
Realistically speaking, Dowling will eventually cool down and move back down to the roster bubble. But in the meantime, he’s just going to enjoy playing with the two franchise cornerstones:
“They’re super easy to play with,” Dowling said. “They’re elite players, and you can see what they can do once they’re feeling it and they have some confidence going. I think you could plug anyone in right now and play with them. I’m fortunate enough to be the guy right now that’s playing with them, and I’m just going to roll with it as long as I can.”
You can read more from Mike Heika here.
Stars Stories
Man, this point streak sure has been fun, huh?
Stars’ transition to ‘confident bunch’ has been a fun ride https://t.co/5pVy9r7Iop via @NHLdotcom
— Mike Heika (@MikeHeika) November 20, 2019
The Stars look to continue that streak tonight when they host the Winnipeg Jets today. Remember to bring Legos if you’re going to the game!
Defenseman @johnklingberg wants your help in honoring our friend Brody.
In conjunction with #HockeyFightsCancer, we will be hosting another Lego drive this week, where Legos will be donated to children fighting cancer. 💜#StarsFightCancer | #GoStars pic.twitter.com/t10itxx6oL
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) November 18, 2019
Not all periods are created equally, so it’s important to approach each one differently:
One of the benefits to shorter shifts, as Monty has part of his process, is sustaining high energy throughout three periods of a game.
Preparing for the first period is different than the second and both are much different than the third. More on that: https://t.co/kan7iUy7WG
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) November 20, 2019
Around the League
We have our first coaching casualty of the season — Mike Babcock has been fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs:
Toronto Maple Leafs President and Alternate Governor Brendan Shanahan announced today that Mike Babcock has been relieved of his coaching duties and Sheldon Keefe has been named the Club’s new head coach. #LeafsForever
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) November 20, 2019
Here’s what the coach himself had to say about the decision in an interview with Pierre Lebrun:
Mike Babcock talks to @PierreVLeBrun about his firing, the disappointing start to this season and why he’s proud of what the Leafs accomplished during his time in Toronto.https://t.co/mDe2mFhcDT
— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) November 20, 2019
Here’s a nice look at perhaps the next big name in women’s hockey:
After the CWHL’s closure, Victoria Bach has found herself with plenty of time. She’s using that to hone her skills in order to become undeniable, writes @THNJaredClintonhttps://t.co/dvbYPSN6QI
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) November 21, 2019
Can you imagine how bad the Edmonton Oilers would be without Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl?
Alternative title: The Connor and Leon Show. Good stuff from @DimFilipovic: https://t.co/pNwo4Iq7xT
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) November 20, 2019
Take note: licking is okay, spitting is not:
Washington Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway suspended three games for spitting incident: https://t.co/OUcZUfJkoO pic.twitter.com/uDitPBBiBt
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) November 20, 2019
Regression isn’t always a negative thing — here’s some of the top bounce-back candidates from the season’s first quarter:
Anthony Duclair, Derick Brassard and Ryan Strome are among three players having bounce-back seasons after moving from team to team over the past few years. But who else is proving to be a rebound warrior?https://t.co/s5IpxHUeht
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) November 21, 2019
ITT — another reason for Minnesota Wild fans to be sad:
New post: Which Hockey Hall-of-Famer played the fewest games for your favorite team? It’s a question that can takes us to some interesting places. https://t.co/EAZvuEHQl3 pic.twitter.com/axhGDJv71F
— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) November 20, 2019
Finally, Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan will be taking a leave of absence for the near future:
NHL/NHLPA statement on Senators forward Bobby Ryan https://t.co/ekdrdVcEaq
— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) November 20, 2019