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Dallas Stars Top Ten Plays of 2013-2014, No. 10-7: Brenden Dillon, Valeri Nichushkin Magic

If there is one thing that is abundantly clear once you start to look back over the season that was, it’s that the Dallas Stars suddenly have a team filled with skilled players capable of providing a “wow” moment at any time. When I first set out on this project I assumed it would be nothing but the “Jamie Benn & Tyler Seguin” show, but I found that to not be the case at all.

This is a fast and skilled team and while there were holes and inconsistencies throughout the season, there’s a very good reason why many around the league considered the Stars to have been one of the most fun and exciting to watch. Going back over the highlights of the season was an absolute joy and there were so many times where I was smiling, remembering the best moments of one incredible year.

Usually, I have a hard time nailing down the top ten plays of any given season mostly because it gets hard to fill it out with worthy entries. This season was different, as I had probably 20 or so plays that belonged on the countdown. As such, there will be a few where I’ve merged a few plays into one slot. I cheated, but I’m running this show.

I’ll go ahead and spoil this: Tyler Seguin only has two goals on the countdown, although he deserved more. Same with Jamie Benn. But I wanted this list to reflect the season as a whole and tried to balance it the best I could.

There’s also this caveat: We’ve run the Top Moments the past few weeks and I’ve tried not to overlap with that countdown, and I’ve done my best to focus on the actual skill of the play rather than it’s “momentous” impact on the season.

Let’s get started:

No. 10: Brenden Dillon’s Amazing Shorthanded Goal

Love seeing Dillon essentially steal the puck from Benn and then deftly work his way through the Canes defense before ripping it stick side. That’s not a play you expect to see from a defenseman like Dillon, but it shows just how much he’s capable of offensively.

No. 9: Valeri Nichushkin Finally Scores on a Breakaway

Runner Up:

Nichushkin like bull. Nichushkin go to net. Nichushkin score.

I am Val Nichushkin.

No. 8: Tyler Seguin’s Sick Hands

Ok, so Seguin deserves his own Top Ten list. I may just do that later this summer. But this goal always stood out to me whenever I looked back over the season. The way he’s able to kick it from his skate to his stick and then immediately elevate in one motion is absolutely insane — and he scored a bunch of similar goals like that this season.

If there is one thing to takeaway from Seguin’s season it’s that he’s one of the absolute best in the world at elevating the puck from any angle, any distance and with deadly accuracy.

No. 7: Kari Lehtonen’s Goal Line Magic

No words. There are none.

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