Stars dismantle Wild 5-2: Takeaways, analysis, and Stars of the game.
Recap
The Dallas Stars traveled to Minnesota to take on the Wild for their first road game of the season. Expectations were low for the Stars as their line-up of youth faced off against a stacked Wild roster. The Wild played superstars like Krill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Vladimir Tarasenko in tonight’s game. Meanwhile, the Stars played few recognizable faces. Wyatt Johnston and Lian Bischel led the stars onto the ice tonight. Despite this lineup disadvantage the Stars proved they meant business
Slow start: Much like last game against the Wild the Stars let up an early goal in the 1st period. However, they did not bounce back immediately. Instead the Wild tacked on another goal seconds later, bringing the score to 2-0 Wild. The game looked out of hand as the 1st period ended.
Gaining Momentum: The Stars finally started to put the pieces together in the 2nd period. Throughout the 2nd period the Stars battled with unbridled resilience. Killing a 4 on 4 powerplay and mounting pressure in the Wild zone. Finally a Wyatt Johnston faceoff win led to a quick wrist shot from Johnston himself. This shot found the net, cutting the Wild lead in half with 4 minutes left in the 2nd period. 2-1 Wild.
Complete Dominance: The 3rd period was a clinic on precision passing, shooting, and defending. Not one minute into the 3rd period Wyatt Johnston cracked a snapshot towards the Wild goal. The shot easily beat David Jiricek leveling the game at 2 goals a piece. With all the momentum behind them the Stars drew a High-sticking penalty against Ben Gleason. This penalty created a Stars advantage in the wild zone. It culminated in a Justin Hryckowian goal with no one around him. Soon after the Hryckowian goal the Stars went into overdrive tacking on two final goals in the 3rd period. One, a slick wrist shot from Mavrik Bourque. The second, an open net goal goal by Vladislav Kolyachonok to seal a 5-2 win in Minnesota.
Takeaways: Stars of the game
1st: The easy choice for the 1st star of the game is Wyatt Johnston. The Stars have an elite player in Wyatt Johnston, and he’s only 22. Johnston rattled off two goals to get the Stars back in the game. From there, he continued to be an offensive threat. He demanded so much attention. This opened passing lanes for Mavrik Bourque and Justin Hryckowian to see open shots.
2nd: Justin Hryckowian was an absolute monster tonight. 1 goal, 1 assist, and a +2 overall impact on the ice. Hryckowian slotted in perfectly next to Johnston, and played out of position on the LW perfectly. The top line of Hryckowian-Johnston-Bourque, was unstoppable tonight.
3rd: Another easy choice, it’s Mavrik Bourque. Not only did Bourque help by drawing defenders and creating space, but he also got on the stat sheet. 1 goal and 1 assist for the 23 year old. Bourque also had a solid game defensively. Deep in the 3rd quarter he was seen knocking down pucks in the defensive zone. Bourque’s inclusion means that all 3 forwards on the starting line got included in this games ‘Stars of the game’.
Takeaways:
Just like last year Dallas has shown that it’s prone to giving up leads early. However the Stars showed real composure after falling behind 2–0 in the first period. Rather than panicking, they chipped away at Minnesota’s lead, tying the game in the second and then dominating the third. Dallas dominated without its major players. Rantanen, Heiskanen, Robertson, Hintz, Seguin, Duchene, Oettinger all did not play today. Despite those absences the Dallas depth prevaled, this teams depth is scary good. If depth pieces like Bourque and Hryckowian can continue to contribute on Dallas’ 4th line, then this team will be unstoppable. The sky is the limit for them.
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