Several injuries early in the Stars' season have come from the blue line. Defensive depth is not something most NHL teams can boast. However, the Stars have done a solid job with Lundkvist, Harley, and Lyubushkin out. Mainly with the outstanding play by Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen. However, Lindell has really stepped up to help the team this season. Let's dive into how Lindell has been doing this season and how he can improve in the second quarter of the season.
Esa has stepped up his offensive game big time. During last night's game vs. Edmonton, he had several pinches at the blue line that I would not even expect Heiskanen or Harley to attempt. He has found himself in the high slot with a lot of room to shoot recently as well. It seems Rantanen, Robertson, and Johnston are causing teams to sag, leaving room for the Stars' defensemen up top. This exact scenario led to a crucial goal against Montreal before the floodgates opened. His +/- is up to 13 on the season, which is a fantastic pace. It is excellent to see Esa Lindell taking advantage of these new opportunities.
Something that is not new to Esa is the penalty kill. The Stars' penalty kill has not been great this year after being terrific the last few seasons. Recently, it has been much better. Esa and the forwards get the puck out before the other team can set anything up. The penalty kill gives Esa Lindell more time on ice (TOI) than many people probably like. However, he has done a great job managing it by playing hard every night.
Something that can be hard to see, especially from a defenseman, is leadership. With all the injuries on the blue line, the Stars have some defensemen playing key minutes who have little NHL experience. Esa has truly led the way, and these other players are getting substantially better with every game they play. You've got to love it when veterans on your team step up and help guide the next generation of players.
There is not much going wrong in Esa's game at the moment. I would like to see him continue to help out Heiskanen to keep Miro's TOI down. Esa does get some power-play minutes, which are usually the last 30 seconds of the penalty. He can really attack in those moments, and it is something to look at in the future. Maybe Lindell can take all those extra minutes that Hieskanen has been playing and give him a break against the Seattle Kraken later tonight. Stay tuned for the pre-and post-game articles.