3 Takeaways From Stars’ 4-2 Game 2 Win Over Wild – The Hockey Writers – Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars have lost nine of their last 11 Game 1s to start a series, and for the sixth time of said nine, the Stars found a way to win Game 2. This time, it was by a score of 4-2 over the Minnesota Wild to even the series 1-1, as Round 1 heads to Minnesota on Wednesday night.

Wyatt Johnston, Matt Duchene, and Jason Robertson scored for the Stars, while Jake Oettinger made 28 saves on 30 shots.

Brock Faber scored both goals for the Wild, while Jesper Wallstedt stopped 28 of 31 shots.

Jake Oettinger Answers the Bell

After Game 1, whether from fans or the media, overreactions to the play of both teams poured in. For the Stars, it was specifically about the play of Oettinger. There were people comparing his playoff struggles to those of a certain netminder in Winnipeg, and there were people even suggesting that backup goaltender Casey DeSmith should get the start in Game 2. Despite his rough start in Game 5 of last year’s Western Conference Final, his inconsistent season (at times), and his tough outing in Game 1, both of those suggestions are ridiculous, and Oettinger proved as much on Monday night.

Right from the jump, the Stars played much better offensively. They were strong on the forecheck and caused issues in the offensive zone. Defensively, however, there was still quite a bit to be desired. They were outshot 12-9 in the first period, including two shots on a Wild power play at 4:17, and Oettinger had to make some massive goal-saving stops to keep the game tied 1-1 after 20 minutes.

The media and the fans are going to say what we say. That’s part of the business. But it’s clear that Oettinger has the full support of the coaching staff, and more importantly, his teammates.

“(Oettinger)’s an unbelievable goalie,” Johnston said on Wednesday night. “He was awesome tonight and made so many huge saves. I think it was obviously a big win for the team, and obviously it was great to help try to get him the win. He’s just an unbelievable goalie, and we all love him. He’s a huge part of our team.”

Let’s not forget that Oettinger is a big reason why the Stars have won six out of their last nine rounds of playoff hockey. Often, he has been hung out to dry and has done his job to steal wins along the way. No matter how this postseason unfolds, the Stars are going to ride Oettinger until the wheels fall off, and he showed on Monday night, yet again, that he is up to the task.

In the Playoffs, It Takes Everyone

In our takeaways from Game 1, we noted how head coach Glen Gulutzan emphasized the importance of winning battles. It was something they did not do very much of on Saturday. On Monday night, the whole team bought in and responded.

Minnesota’s big boys stepped up in Game 1, and Dallas’ big boys answered right back in Game 2. Johnston, Duchene, and Robertson all scored, and while Mikko Rantanen didn’t net a goal of his own, he was much more engaged and drove a lot of the play in the offensive zone.

“We did try to clean up some things,” Gulutzan said. “You could see a lot more, even in our whole game, a lot more connectivity. We looked at the goals. We know what happened there, studying these things for a long time. But a lot of it was battles and better awareness of what they were trying to do and taking it away. We were just a little quicker.”

If the Stars go on a long run, the bottom-six forwards are going to have to chip in offensively at some point. But with the top two lines doing their thing, the rest of the roster knew and understood their role, and it started with Colin Blackwell. Blackwell finished the game with five hits, including a massive old-school open-ice hit on Minnesota tough guy Yakov Trenin.

It’s one thing to mix it up in the post-whistle scrums, which both teams have done in the series, but it’s another thing to change the pace of play while the puck is live. Heavy hits in the NHL these days are usually up against the wall. Gone are the days of Scott Stevens looking for opportunities to annihilate someone in the neutral zone. But with that hit, Blackwell put the Wild, and the series, on notice that no inch of ice is safe.

Blackwell isn’t a stranger to scoring big goals in big moments, but it’s his energy and intensity that’s infectious. The Stars are going to need a lot more of that as the series rolls on.

Stars Clean Up the Special Teams

The Wild’s lethal power play took advantage of a sloppy penalty killing from the Stars early in Game 1 and again late. While both teams had four opportunities, it was the Wild that capitalized when it counted. By the time Robertson scored on the power play for the Stars, the game was all but over.

In Game 2, both special teams units were much better for the Stars, and it started early. Rantanen took his third penalty of the series less than five minutes into the game, and the Stars killed it off and went on to kill all four Wild power plays on the night. Then, at 4:02 of the second, Duchene scored on the man advantage. The Stars ended the night 2-for-5 on the power play.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Both teams are deadly on the power play. Whoever can convert the most will more than likely win the series. That might seem obvious, but two of the three best power play units in the league are in this series. This won’t be the last time it makes a difference in a game.

Series Shifts to Minnesota Tied 1-1

The series continues on Wednesday night in Minnesota as both teams look to take a 2-1 lead. After what we saw on Monday, it’s safe to say we have ourselves a series.