The Dallas Stars kicked off their home opener Tuesday night with a 5-2 win against the Minnesota Wild.
The team started the festivities early with their annual Green Carpet Walk, where fans got the chance to grab a picture or an autograph from their favorite players. A few hype videos and light shows later, the crowd welcomed the Stars back onto the ice.
A familiar face appeared behind the bench. Loud cheers greeted new head coach Glen Gulutzan, who previously held the position in Dallas from 2011-13. Twelve years later, Gulutzan returns, looking for a chance to take a team all the way to the Stanley Cup after serving as an assistant coach for the Edmonton Oilers for seven seasons.
Gulutzan brings a fresh energy to a program tired of not being able to rise over the Western Conference Finals hump, which has stalled them three years in a row. And the Stars looked eager to start that ascent.
“We all believe we’re a team that can win the Stanley Cup, and that’s the goal,” forward Wyatt Johnston said. “That starts with a good start to the season.”
Fresh off two road wins, Dallas kicked off scoring in the first period after forward Roope Hintz zipped a pass from behind the goal to fellow Finn Esa Lindell. Johnston also added a goal to the Stars’ tally during a power play.
The end of the first ended during another Wild penalty, and forward Matt Duchene put his fresh legs to use as the second period began to knock another puck into Minnesota’s net.
If the first period was all about scoring, the second was all about defense. The Wild could not find rhythm, despite an early power play opportunity, thanks to the Stars’ relentless coverage and goalie Jake Oettinger’s command in the crease.
Minnesota’s frustration began to show, and when Jake Middleton knocked down Duchene, Alexander Petrovic tried to smack some sense into him and set off a series of penalties that would send some Stars to the box and allowed Wild forward Matt Boldy to put his team on the board, bringing the score to 3-1. Duchene did not return to the game.
Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov took advantage of another Dallas penalty and narrowed the Stars’ lead to just one, but the Stars held on. Radek Faksa and Hintz piled on two empty net goals, ending the game with a 5-3 win.
“I think we would all say that we haven’t played our best yet, and we’ve beat three really good teams,” Oettinger said. “So (we) just want to still clean up some things, (but I) like where we’re headed.”
The Stars look to continue their win streak Thursday night at home against the Vancouver Canucks at 7 p.m. CT.