Rarely does the pulling of a goalie cause as big of a domino effect as it did for the Dallas Stars and Pete DeBoer. Perhaps the decision to yank Jake Oettinger after allowing three goals only nine minutes into a series-deciding Game 5 was warranted, but Dallas decided it was time for change after bowing out in the Western Conference Finals three consecutive years.
DeBoer said before the game that he didn’t want to dwell on his time in Dallas.
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But it was the Jason Robertson show on Sunday, as he potted two goals in the Stars 6-3 win over the Islanders.
Dallas turned back the clock ten years on the opening goal of the night, with Jamie Benn finding Tyler Seguin on a 2-on-1 rush before he beat Ilya Sorokin clean past the glove side. Roope Hintz delivered a perfect breakout pass following a few grade-A chances for New York; that quick transition offense is something Dallas would like to build on.
Matthew Schaefer still can’t legally drink in the U.S., but he looked like a 10-year vet in the first period. The 19-year-old tied it up with a 4-on-4 strike after burning Wyatt Johnston wide.
The Stars’ first power play started poorly before Justin Hryckowian pounced on an errant bounce. While his brother’s debut was the focus of the night, Justin Hryckowian had yet to record a point on the season, and his offensive contribution will be critical to the bottom-six.
Puck management was an area of weakness for Dallas, particularly in the defensive zone. The zone exits were often hindered by the strong New York forecheck, as evidenced by a rare Miro Heiskanen turnover leading to the tying goal for Brayden Schenn.
Following Tuesday’s win over the Boston Bruins, Mikko Rantanen told the media that when it rains, it pours, in reference to Johnston’s early offensive slump— looks like he was right. Johnston buried his second of the year four minutes into the first, in what was the most promising offensive display of the night.
In a game where the Stars’ transition shined, this was the best display of a cycle by Dallas.
Robertson and Rantanen scored in quick succession, making it 6-3 for the Stars to put the game away. It was an impressive win for Dallas, who are missing Esa Lindell, Sam Steel and Radek Faksa.
Head coach Glen Gulutzan said postgame that Steel will likely be the first to return.
While the injuries have piled up, Gulutzan said he’s grateful for the organizational depth as Matthew Seminoff and Dylan Hryckowian both slotted into the bottom-six nicely.
“They do a tremondous job down there(Austin) […] I thought both guys looked really good,”Gulutzan said.
