Defense shines bright as Stars roll to perfect showing in preseason

Maybe the secret weapon in Glen Gulutzan’s plan to create more offense for the Stars is the fact the team is so darn good at defense.

Yes, some tweaks that will potentially make Dallas more aggressive with the puck and more intentional in playing in the offensive zone could involve some risk. But if any team can take chances with the belief the defense can clean up any messes, it has to be Dallas.

“If you limit goals against, you have a good chance to win every night,” Stars forward Jason Robertson said. “It’s been that way ever since I’ve been here.”

Truth be told, it’s been that way ever since the Stars have been here. Since moving from Minnesota in 1993, Dallas ranks second in the NHL in GAA at 2.65. That’s second best over the last 30-plus years. Let that sink in.

Dallas last season was second in the league at 2.71 and finished third in record at 50-20-12. After a 2-1 win over Minnesota on Friday, the Stars finished the preseason at 4-0-0 while allowing just three goals against.

It’s not hard to write that story.

“It’s who we are,” said captain Jamie Benn. “It’s a big part of our game plan, it’s a big part of how we play.”

Dallas was missing goalie Jake Oettinger for the past three games, but both Rémi Poirier and Casey DeSmith stepped up. They were able to do that because the organization has solid defensemen in Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, Thomas Harley, Nils Lundkvist, Tyler Myers and Lian Bichsel. It also has a great group of forwards who understand defense in Radek Faksa, Sam Steel, Oskar Bäck, and Justin Hryckowian. Even offensive-minded players like Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston and Tyler Seguin know how to dig in.

“It’s expected every shift,” said Johnston. “I love it.”

Gulutzan pushed “one degree more” last season in hopes of increasing intensity and physicality. He’s hoping for more puck possession and more even strength scoring this year with a similar mindset of just doing the little things a little bit better.

“Guys take pride in that,” said Robertson, who is not known as an enthusiast of the defensive side of the game. “That’s one of the big advantages of our team. We defend hard, and we always have. Anyone who comes to Dallas understands that guys hold each other to a certain accountability. We don’t allow guys to go on their own page. And as long as you have the foundation of being in the right place at the right time and managing when you (take chances), that’s a recipe for being a top five team.”

The preseason was a great example of that. On Wednesday, Lindell came up with a big goal in a 2-0 win. On Friday, it was Faksa who opened the scoring in a 2-1 win. In both situations, the normally defensive players waited for an opportunity to use their skill…and then cashed in.

That is the balance of two-way hockey – the skill guys gotta defend and the defensive guys gotta score.

“You want it from everybody, you want that same level of expectation,” Gulutzan said. “That’s a big part of who we are, that’s a big part of what training camp is.”

And while the slate will be clean next week when the regular season starts, there is momentum to be gained from this start to training camp. Players like Faksa and Lindell and Harley are riding a little offensive buzz, and players like Robertson, Mikko Rantanen and Seguin know how to make their teammates and coaches feel confident.

“I think it’s important to make changes,” Robertson said. “We’re looking at analytics to make these changes and I’m big on analytics. I don’t think numbers lie, so I’m a big advocate of using them to improve. I look forward to this.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.