Burnside: Five takeaways from Stars' 3-2 overtime thriller in Boston

BOSTON --The Dallas Stars kicked off a four-game road trip to the east with a 3-2 overtime win Monday afternoon over the Boston Bruins, one of the hottest teams in the National Hockey League.
Here are some musings and mutterings on a game played at a blistering pace that revealed more than a little gumption on the part of a Stars team coming off a disappointing loss to Colorado on Saturday.

1. All hands on deck

One of the issues coming out of the 4-1 loss to Colorado was the need for more contributions from up and down the lineup. Not necessarily in terms of scoring goals, but in creating momentum and being a positive force on the ice.
Monday, the Stars got that in spades.
They started the game on their toes and were up 12-1 in shots at one point. Even though the Bruins pushed back, it was Dallas that set the tone with two goals in the first half of the second period with Stephen Johns and Alexander Radulov scoring even-strength goals less than five minutes apart.
The Johns goal was the product of some fine play by Brett Ritchie one-handing a backhand pass to Remi Elie in the neutral zone, sparking the entry to the offensive zone.
Even when the Bruins tied it just past the mid-point of the third period the Stars didn't retreat. It was Tyler Seguin, hanging onto the puck for what seemed like minutes during a delayed penalty situation, who found an opening to beat Boston netminder Anton Khudobin with the game-winner.
"Well, I think you can't play them backing up, there's just too much speed and skill," Dallas head coach Ken Hitchcock said. "You've got to play on your toes, and we kept talking about it on the bench. I thought we got a lot of really good efforts, especially at our center ice position, all four guys really helped us and managed the game properly.
"So it's a good start."
The game marked the 13th straight game in which the Bruins have managed to get at least a point, so if, as Hitchcock insisted, this was a good test for the Stars, well, you'd have to give them an 'A' grade.
"That's one of the best teams we've played in a long time," Hitchcock said. "They're really quick and they've got a lot of composure, and so, the whole game was a test for both teams. But I thought, for the most part, we managed it."
The Stars head to Detroit on Tuesday for their second of four games against Eastern Conference teams this week, but there's no question that Boston was a big domino to knock down.
"It's huge," Johns said. "Obviously, we wanted to have a big bounce-back after Colorado, coming out of the bye week a little slow. We knew it was going to be a fight 'til the end. I'm happy we got the two points."

2. Lehtonen makes most of 'sound' start

The last time Kari Lehtonen saw pucks in a live game, it was a totally different year. Ha. Ha. Get it? But it's true. Before Monday, Lehtonen last started a game on Dec. 15 in New Jersey -- in 2017.
And yet, the veteran stepped into the breach against a dynamic Bruins team and turned aside 30 of 32 Boston shots, and once again, delivered an important performance when his teammates needed just that.
"Sound -- that's what you hope for," Hitchcock said. "He's a backup in word only. He's really a starting goaltender. We've got the luxury, and we've got to start using it right now. Ben (Bishop) gets it (Tuesday) in Detroit, then we'll just see from there. But every time Lehts plays on the road, he gives us a chance to win and that's a really, really good sign."
This was an odd game, too, regardless of whether you hadn't played in a month.
The Stars were the better team through the first half of the first period, but the game was still scoreless. The Stars then took two minor penalties in the second half of the first and the Bruins finished with the final nine shots of the frame.
Dallas built a 2-0 second-period lead, but the Bruins responded to tie the game. Zdeno Chara got Boston on the board with a blast late in the second after the Stars failed to clear the zone. Then, Ryan Spooner knotted it midway through the third with a point shot that bounced off Lehtonen and Esa Lindell's backside before trickling into the net.
From there, however, Lehtonen didn't waver and, frankly, neither did his teammates. His finest stop might have been early in the third period when he dove across the crease to smother a quality chance by Matt Grzelcyk.
"It was fun. I was really excited to play," Lehtonen said after he raised his season record to 6-5-1. "I haven't played in a bit, so there was more excitement for sure. I just tried to stay calm and work 60 minutes. It was fun."
Certainly, Lehtonen's teammates understand the enormity of these kinds of wins coming after long stretches in inactivity.
"Oh, I think he's part of the glue that sticks us together," Johns said. "Whether it's Bish (Bishop) or Karps (Lehtonen) in net, we have the most confidence in them and I think they have the most confidence in us to play in front of them.
"Whichever guy's in there, it's nice to have two great goalies as a defenseman. To see him play, and play that well tonight, it's awesome."

3. Call him a 'one' and be done with it

Yes, Seguin scored the winner in a building where he grew up as an NHLer, having been selected second overall by Boston in the 2010 draft. And yes, it will always be a bit special and a bit weird for him to return "home" to Boston.
"I enjoy the anthem looking up, seeing the banner (from the Stanley Cup the Bruins won in 2011), teams that I was a part of. It's always going to be special playing here and having old teammates on the team, so also happy we only come here once a year," Seguin said.
"So I'll take it."
But this wasn't so much about the goal that ended things, but about the myriad other things that Seguin was asked to do on Monday -- as he is asked to do on every night -- things that denote him as a true "No. 1" center in the NHL, a la John Tavares, Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews or Anze Kopitar.
On Monday, Seguin and linemates Jamie Benn and Radulov squared off almost every shift against the Bruins' top line centered by four-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner Patrice Bergeron. Seguin played 23:13, outscored Bergeron's line, and he finished winning 12 of 21 faceoffs.
"Well, I think he's through testing. I think he has made himself to be a very good player and he's accountable in every situation," Hitchcock said of Seguin's evolution. "He's really matured. I think he's a guy that we don't even worry about anymore. Everybody talked about, 'Well, can you make him a one?' Well, quite frankly he's a one. And he's playing like a one.
"This is what you want in a No. 1 center. He's doing the job. He's killing penalties. He's out there taking key faceoffs. He's quarterbacking a power play, and he's playing against the other team's best player. To me, that's what a one does and that's exactly what he's doing."
As for Seguin, he judges himself differently now, not just in terms of goals and assists.
"Honestly, I mean, I've been thinking a lot more of defense, a lot more of faceoffs, a lot more of little things in judging my performances based on those things more than goals and assists, so that's been the biggest change for me," Seguin said. "Try to put the work in before the skill. Tonight, it worked out."

4. Spezza sits as healthy scratch

Perhaps the biggest news of the day didn't involve a player on the ice for the Stars. For the first time since coming to Dallas in 2014, Jason Spezza was a healthy scratch.
The coaching staff, along with Stars management, had been discussing the possibility of taking Spezza out of the lineup for some time, GM Jim Nill said Monday after it was revealed Spezza wouldn't play. The veteran center, who two seasons ago scored 33 goals, has five goals this season and it has been a struggle finding a spot in the lineup that works for both Spezza and the Stars.
"If you talk to Jason, it's not about position at all," Nill said prior to Monday's win. "He's comfortable playing anywhere. I think he knows he can be better, too, and we need more from him.
"I think we got a really good thing going here and he's a big part of it. He's one of our leaders and we want him at his best."
Spezza was replaced by Gemel Smith in the Dallas lineup, although Spezza is expected to return Tuesday against Detroit.
Hitchcock was frank in discussing the lineup decision after Monday's game.
"We need a reset. He's got to play better --a lot better -- and he's capable of it," Hitchcock said. "He's a big part of what we're doing here, but we need a better player and we'll get one (Tuesday)."
The coach said there had been discussions with Spezza that led to his removal from the lineup.
"He knows what he needs to do better, he'll do it (Tuesday) and then we'll be off and running, but we need to hit the reset," Hitchcock said. "Enough for talk. Let's get going and let's start playing the way you're capable of. He can do this stuff. He's shown the ability to do this stuff, but we can't keep having conversations with no results.
"So we've had the conversation, there's consequences with it. Now, let's play."

5. Odds and ends

If there was an unsung hero award for this game, you'd want to give it to the Dallas penalty killers as a whole.
The Stars killed all four Boston power plays, and that included four straight opportunities, including one to start the third period after Antoine Roussel was whistled for roughing Torey Krug at the end of the second period.
The Stars didn't score on either of their power-play opportunities (the delayed penalty goal in OT doesn't count), but you'd have to count this as an emphatic special-teams victory, or at the very least, a moral special-teams victory.
We were especially impressed with the work of Martin Hanzal, who logged 3:01 in penalty-kill time, tops among Dallas forwards. Dan Hamhuis (3:54 in kill time) and Greg Pateryn (4:08) were once again solid, especially with the Stars down a man.
And finally, one of those small things that turned out to be a big thing. Just before the faceoff that led to the Radulov goal, Benn, who was taking the draw on the left side of the ice, motioned for Seguin to drop back from the hash marks along the boards. The implication was that Benn would try and win the draw back to Seguin, but instead, Benn went with a hard forehand draw and Radulov jumped the defender and put the rebound into an open net.
"Yeah, that was the plan," Seguin said. "I even talked to Chara (his former teammate, who was lined up along the hash marks for the Bruins) a little bit. Right before (Benn) took the draw, he even gave me the old tap back, and we all planned we were going to go forward.
"So, happy it worked out."
This story was not subject to approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club. You can follow Scott on Twitter at @OvertimeScottB, and listen to his Burnside Chats podcast here.