Comments / New

Dallas Stars Daily Links: Less Mikko Is More?

Will playing Mikko Rantanen less against the Edmonton Oilers reap more from the Stars’ star forward?

Posted on by George Delanjian
Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

In an article released yesterday, Dallas Morning News writer, Tim Cowlishaw published a piece that discussed Mikko Rantanen’s production in relation to his minutes played. Tim’s conclusion was that the less Mikko was on the ice, the more productive he has been this postseason. Here is an excerpt from his article regarding Rantanen:

“When he had hat tricks in Game 7 against Colorado and Game 1 against Winnipeg, he played 19:58 and 19:08. In the three other games in which he had at least three points (Games 5-6 vs. the Avs, Game 3 vs. the Jets), Rantanen played anywhere from 17:18 to 17:33.

In the three 11-7 games, Rantanen has played 23:49, 24:58 and 24:23. He has one assist in three games.”

This is quite the observation, and while the numbers don’t lie, most (including myself) would find it hard to believe that keeping the Stars’ star player off the ice more equates to better production. But Tim may be onto something here. It piqued my interest enough to look into Rantanen’s regular season stats with the Stars. I found that in games where he played less than 19 minutes, he was more productive (12 games/12 points) than in games where he played greater than 19 minutes (8 games/6 points). Now, mind you, this is a very small sample size so it shouldn’t be considered entirely reliable, but it is definitely an interesting comparison. It’s fair to think fatigue, along with other variables could affect his output to some extent, but by this much? Hard to think so.

You can read the rest of Tim’s take here, but I’m interested to hear what your takes are DBD Nation.

Stars Stuff

Stanley Cup Playoffs are definitely a grind, but the Stars are built for this. Eight more, guys!

Mark your calendars!

This will come in handy if the Stars advance:

Quest for the Cup

The Florida Panthers absolutely dominated the Toronto Maple Leafs last night in a decisive Game 7, advancing to their third straight Eastern Conference Final. The Florida Panthers will now face off against the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow evening.

Down on the Farm

The Texas Stars dropped Game 2 against the Milwaukee Admirals last night. With the series tied 1-1, they now head up to Milwaukee for Game 3 on Wednesday.

Finally

From hockey pucks to golf balls, Dallas is well represented:

LOGIN SIGN UP

Talking Points