The headliners and the support pieces are easy to identify in this ensemble.
On the Dallas Stars defensive marquee, Miro Heiskanen and John Klingberg are the guys who get the bulk of the publicity – and rightfully so.
They are a dynamic duo, even if they’re used almost exclusively on separate pairings.
Of the 54 goals the Stars have scored during these 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, Heiskanen and Klingberg have been on the ice for 51 of them.
That’s absolutely remarkable.
At a time when scoring leader Tyler Seguin has gone five games without a point and has been limited to two goals and seven points in 16 games, it’s the Stars defence corps that is picking up the offensive slack.
And on a night when Heiskanen had an eight-game point streak come to a close, it was Klingberg who took care of the offence and supplied the game-winner in a 1-0 victory that gave the Stars the early advantage in the Western Conference final with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Klingberg expertly joined the rush and found the loose puck in the slot after a blocked shot, wiring home a wrister just 2:36 into the contest.
Just like that, the Stars defence corps increased its gaudy totals to 12 goals and 47 points – with eight goals and 34 points generated by Heiskanen (five goals, 21 points) and Klingberg (three goals, 13 points).
The most impressive thing about this second wave of Stars offence is that those blue-liners are minimizing the risk and smartly weighing when they join the rush, ensuring they’re not putting a burden on the defensive structure the team employs.
How has it worked so efficiently?
“Well, there’s a trust that you’re going to have to build,” said Stars interim head coach Rick Bowness. “If you’re going to get your defence involved that much, you’ve got to have trust with your forwards. When someone is going down, you’re going to have someone backing him up. For the most part, our forwards have done that.
“When your D are down, somebody is sliding in behind them. But there can’t be any hesitation because when you hesitate, you’re caught in no-man’s land. There’s a trust that absolutely, 100 per cent has to be there. Our forwards know they’re coming up on the rush and our forwards know they’re very involved with our forecheck and it’s their responsibility to back them up.”
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Beyond the score of Game 1, there were some other things that immediately came to the forefront.
The Stars showed they aren’t going to be a pushover. They will not be bullied.
They’re a big, heavy team that’s not afraid to take that body.
It’s part of their identity.
Sure, there are times where they’ll turn the other cheek, but they’re not about to back down either.
“We’ve got a lot of big guys who play with a lot of edge and a lot of intensity,” said Stars forward Jason Dickinson. “In order for them to play at their best, they have to be hitting and they have to be on the body because it creates energy for themselves and a little bit more emotion, which often elevates other elements of your game.”
Exhibit A was Stars captain Jamie Benn, who helped set a physical tone, throwing his weight around early before drawing the primary assist on the only goal of the contest.
Benn also showed some important restraint, holding back the urge to retaliate after Golden Knights forward Nick Cousins caught him with a big hit – and then had something to say about it afterward – late in the second period.
Being disciplined was critical at that juncture and that’s part of being a good leader.
Sometimes you need to take a license plate number and file it away for safekeeping.
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This wasn’t the Stars sitting back and hanging on for dear life either.
They were full value in what was mostly a low-event game when it comes to high-danger scoring chances.
The Stars played a smothering, defensive game and delivered the type of effort that helped them finish second in goals against during the regular season.
For the Golden Knights, they know they’re in for a series against a team that’s been battle-tested and was a goal post away in overtime of Game 7 from advancing to the Western Conference final last spring before losing to the St. Louis Blues.
The Golden Knights also know they have more to give and will feature a different look in Game 2, with Robin Lehner likely returning between the pipes and Ryan Reaves taking his spot on the fourth line and looking to provide energy after serving his one-game suspension for his check to the head of Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte.
Another thing that’s impossible to overlook is that a good chunk of the Golden Knights core group has been in this position before.
Just two years ago, the Golden Knights came out flat in the opener of the Western Conference final against the Winnipeg Jets.
Dustin Byfuglien scored 65 seconds into the contest, the Jets built a 3-0 lead and cruised to a 4-2 victory.
At the time, more than a few observers wondered if those self-proclaimed misfits could be in grave danger of being shown the door.
All that group did to respond was win the next four games to reach the Stanley Cup final.
Showing resolve is something the Golden Knights pride themselves on, so let’s not get too carried away by the result of one game.
“It’s a different year, but yeah,” said Golden Knights defenceman Brayden McNabb. “It’s one game. We didn’t play our best. We know that. We know we need to be better for Game 2, and we will be. It happened (two) years ago, but this is a different time and some different players.
“We know what went wrong, and we know what we need to fix.”
One of the surprising developments for Vegas is that the offensive well has run a bit dry, with just four goals scored during the past four games – including two that came with the opposing net empty.
Speaking of mobile defence, Shea Theodore had both of the goals that were scored on an actual goaltender.
Theodore is showing why Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer has been mentioning him as a guy who is going to be in the Norris Trophy discussion for years to come.
Still, the Golden Knights need to provide some additional offensive support for their goaltender.
That means showing a bit more finish than they did in the final three games against the Canucks and generating more opportunities than they had in the series opener with the Stars.
Marc-Andre Fleury did his part in Game 1, turning aside the final 24 shots he faced after allowing the early goal and Lehner figures to be sharp after posting three shutouts in seven meetings with the Canucks and getting a few extra days of rest between starts.
DeBoer didn’t apply any pressure on his forward group when asked specifically about the recent dry spell for several individuals that are used to finding the back of the net with regularity.
If you were looking for DeBoer to point fingers, you came to the wrong place.
“Listen, the last two, arguably three games against Vancouver – against a normal goaltending performance, we’re getting lots of goals. Two totally different games,” said DeBoer, comparing the series opener to the stellar play of Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko late in the last round. “We didn’t do enough as forwards to generate chances last game. In the other games, you’re playing a goalie who is standing on his head. You can’t lump those things all in together. In Game 6 and 7 of the Vancouver series, I couldn’t ask for any more from our top players. We hit a red-hot goalie. Last night, we needed more out of everybody.
“Everybody knows what their good game looks like. It’s (about) who can impose it on the other team for the longest stretches.”
The team that does that best on Tuesday is either going to even the series or build a 2-0 lead.
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