Dallas Stars: A Toast To Some Not So Little Guys
The Dallas Stars showed up and stayed in it for their season-opening victory against Anaheim. The stars of the show, however, were the least likely of suspects.
One of the most thrilling, but also at times daunting, parts of getting into new NHL season is keeping up with all the new guys. Names you’ve come to recognize and associate with certain points of the game are no longer relevant, and the roster is repopulated with players you whose styles and tendencies and names are not as recognizable or welcoming.
The Dallas Stars, though, have a keen ability to create a welcoming presence for new players, absorbing them into the team and making them feel comfortable. In time, we start to feel attached to these players as well.
Last night’s victory was a very real step towards proving the worth of the new guys on the team, as three of four of the Star’s goals to top the Ducks were scored by very new or relatively new Stars players. Let’s take a look.
The first goal was scored by Stephen Johns, only 3:40 into the first period. After that, he continued to lead the Stars with 4 shots and 7 shot attempts.
I’ve felt convinced for a while that Johns was going to be a key piece of Dallas’ new style of defense, but seeing him unleash a lightning-quick two-way approach, especially so early in the game, only cemented my perception of his importance for the Stars this season. Patrick Eaves and Jamie Benn got the assists for the goal; the seamless cooperation of forwards and defenseman here makes this feel like the best possible version of a good three-on-three effort a la John Klingberg. Perhaps we’ll be seeing more of Johns during those overtime efforts?
The second Stars goal came off the stick of Lauri Korpikoski, who received a pass from Devin Shore and scored on the rush. The other assist went to Dan Hamhuis, even further proving that Nill and Ruff have made some quality choices with their roster choices and signings.
Korpikoski was the latest addition to the Dallas Stars, as he was signed to a year-long deal just this Monday. Clearly, he and the other new recruits aren’t wasting any time producing. Korpikoski played last season in Edmonton, but his peak years were around 2010-2012 when he won the Selke award two seasons straight with the Coyotes. His last few seasons seem to be picking up production-wise, so perhaps this season with the Stars will be his comeback.
The next Stars goal was scored by none other than Antoine Roussel, whose third line with Radek Faksa and Adam Cracknell was also super productive. Adam Cracknell, another recently former Oiler, had an explosive night of his own.
He earned the assist on Roussel’s goal with a well-timed backhand pass, and then tallied his own goal to finish off the Ducks off another backhand pass from Faksa. His productivity did not go unrecognized, as he was named the second Star of the game for his offensive efforts.
For his past teams, Cracknell has not played a majority of the season’s games, but if he keeps up last night’s performance, he could be looking at much more ice time to come with the Stars.
Next: Dallas Stars Morning After Thoughts: What An Interesting Win
For the Dallas Stars’ newbies to come out so strong in the first game of the season, and against a Pacific division opponent, no less, signals some pretty promising things for the season.
aAlthough it is still way too early to be making any grand, sweeping claims, it’s definitely not too early to say that the Stars’ newest additions are staking their claim, making the team their own, and guaranteeing that we get to know their names.