At least the Dallas Stars found a way to win on Thursday evening against the Washington Capitals. The team put forward their new identity, which seems to be start strong, but give up an early goal. Fight back as needed.
Once again, Scott Wedgewood did what he needed to do, which is just enough to pull out a victory. He was the star in the shootout, shutting down Evgeny Kuznetsov (no easy task) and two other shooters. Jason Robertson picked his spot, and Matt Duchene just missed his. With Joe Pavelski and Tyler Seguin in still in the wings, its hard to image how Dallas could ever not be favored going into a “skills contest” ending.
Dallas Stars Lineup
Jason Robertson (21) – Roope Hintz (24) – Joe Pavelski (16)
Jamie Benn (14) – Wyatt Johnston (53) – Evgenii Dadonov (63)
Mason Marchment (27) – Matt Duchene (95) – Tyler Seguin (91)
Craig Smith (15) – Radek Faksa (12) – Sam Steel (18)
Ryan Suter (20) – Miro Heiskanen (4)
Esa Lindell (23) – Jani Hakanpää (2)
Thomas Harley (55) – Nils Lundkvist (5)
Jake Oettinger (29)
Scott Wedgewood (41)
Not sure whether the above is indicative of trying new things, showing trust in a young player or just pure hockey randomness. In any event, Heiskanen had the monster game against the Capitals that has been missing for a while. Dallas needs more of that, and anything that gives Heiskanen a chance to play at his best is worth it.
Vegas Golden Knights Lineup
Ivan Barbashev (49) – Jack Eichel (9) – Mark Stone (61)
Paul Cotter (43) – William Karlsson (71) – Jonathan Marchessault (81)
Brett Howden (21) – Chandler Stephenson (20) – Michael Amadio (22)
William Carrier (28) – Nicolas Roy (10) – Keegan Kolesar (55)
Ben Hutton (17) – Alex Pietrangelo (7)
Brayden McNabb (3) – Kaedan Korszak (6)
Nicolas Hague (14) – Zach Whitecloud (2)
Logan Thompson (36)
Jiri Patera (30)
The big news for the Golden Knights is that Adin Hill is out for a few games with a lower body injury. With Hill out, Thompson takes the net. Not that he hasn’t been good in his own right, but Hill has been in the Stars head since he took them out in last years playoffs.
Other than that, this lineup should be familiar to Stars fans. Maybe a few minor line blends, but the cast of characters is what you would expect.
Keys to the Game
Tighten things up. Odd man rushes, sloppy exit passes, loose puck play in the neutral zone. Dallas needs to value the puck.
Early Season Oettinger. Big Game Jake.
Break the Trend. Neither team is on a heater. Dallas is 4-4-2 in its last ten, but Vegas is only slightly better at 4-2-4.