The Dallas Stars started their three-game home stretch with a 4-3 overtime win against the Calgary Flames last night. The Stars came back in the third period, and after a little bloodshed in overtime from Jason Robertson, the Stars earned their win and added two points to their total. Afterward, head coach Glen Gulutzan addressed the media as usual. Listening to his post-game conference, I was impressed by three things he said.
It’s a good sign when your veteran player and head coach are saying the same message. A reporter asked about a comment Matt Duchene had made about not focusing on who the opponent is, but rather what the Stars have to do game to game. The reporter asked Gulutzan if that was the message he wanted the team to hear. Gulutzan responded with,
"“That’s the exact message I’ve been saying here. It doesn’t matter who’s coming in…Dutchy hit the nail on the head. We’re worried about ourselves and what our game should look like, you know, come playoff time.” "Glen Gulutzan
The Stars may have had some ups and downs the last few weeks, but it’s good to know the coaching and locker room messages are on the same page. Heading into the playoffs, it sounds like the team's focus and unity are one thing the Stats won’t have to worry about.
Every coach has their own style for interacting with their team. Glen Gulutzan appears to have taken the personal, involved route, using familiar, not simply formal, names to refer to his players. As the interview went on, Gulutzan mentioned several players who had a key role in the game: Matt Duchene, Wyatt Johnston, and Jason Robertson, but he referred to them by their nicknames.
He talks about Dutchy’s outstanding face-off wins, Johnny’s 43 goals, and Robo’s toughness. Using a nickname may be a small detail, but it reveals that the Stars are not just a team on the service level but play with a familiarity that extends even to the coaching staff. The playoffs are no open-ice free skate, and having strong camaraderie will only help the Stars as they enter the postseason.
The final takeaway I was impressed with was that Glen Gulutzan isn’t a coach who is unwilling to change, even during a game. At the end of the interview, he said he didn't like the lines the Stars were using and made a switch in the third period to the lines he had been thinking about all day. After the switch, the Stars got going offensively before it was too late. Gulutzan said in the interview, “Sometimes there’s a message there when you shuffle the lines.”
Whereas some coaches may hesitate to change things up and wait for things to work out on their own, I am glad Gulutzan is willing to evaluate and make changes that can help the Stars get going and give them a better chance to turn the game around. This system of changing things up when necessary could be an advantage for the Stars as they will have tough matchups in the playoffs, including their first opponent, the Minnesota Wild.
The Stars’ unity and focus, familiarity, and flexibility could be the keys to a successful postseason. So while the post-game conference on the surface seemed to be a typical post-game interview, these few details say more about who Glen Gulutzan is as a coach and where the Stars are as a team. The playoffs are next, and with a solid team and staff, the Stars are ready to move forward.