First Shift: Stars look to wrap trip on winning note against Red Wings

Being a professional athlete is a great job. But it’s also a tough job.

Nowhere is that more apparent than for players who are on the bubble of getting in and out of the lineup. Dallas has a few, most notably Ty Dellandrea and Nils Lundkvist.

Both were first round draft picks in 2018 – Dellandrea 13th overall to the Stars and Lundkvist 28th overall to the Rangers – and both have had strong moments in the early part of their pro careers. But because the Stars have loaded up on veterans and have been relatively healthy, the two also have had to sit out their fair share of games.

Dellandrea sat eight consecutive games and then came in Saturday against New Jersey because Mason Marchment had the flu. Dellandrea played 15:01 and had one assist in a 6-2 win over the Devils. But with Marchment returning Sunday against the Islanders, he was scratched again.

“I thought Ty had a good game,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “They’re tough decisions. He played well, he probably deserves to play again, but then you start looking at the list of guys who have to come out. Those are tough decisions.”

DeBoer earlier in the season made healthy scratches of Radek Faksa, Sam Steel and Evgenii Dadonov to get Dellandrea into the lineup. In the end, he decided it would be best to play those other players on a more regular basis. That’s tough for Dellandrea, who played all 82 games last season and tallied 28 points (9 goals, 19 assists) in 14:11 of ice time per game. This year, Dellandrea has played 20 of 46 games, has 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) and is averaging 12:09.

But players in these situations have to be patient. Lundkvist was unhappy with his progress with the Rangers and asked for a trade. He was moved to the Stars and had an up and down year last season. He played 60 games and had 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) in 16:18 per game. However, after Thomas Harley was called up for the last six games, Lundkvist didn’t play another regular season game and played no games in the playoffs.

He worked hard over the summer and put on some weight, but he was again the odd-man-out on the blue line. When Miro Heiskanen went out with a lower body injury, Lundkvist stepped in and has played well so far. He is averaging 17:30 a game and has two goals and five assists in the past 12 contests. He had a goal against the Islanders on Sunday and played 18:09.

“We’ve been talking to Nils about shooting the puck more all year,” DeBoer said. “When he does, good things happen.”

Lundkvist had four shots on goal Sunday and has 18 shots on goal in his past seven games.

“Obviously, it’s a confidence boost,” Lundkvist said of the goal. “I’m trying to shoot the puck more, get it through, and hopefully good things happen. Luckily, it went in today, try to build on that.”

Heiskanen is nearing a return, and when he does, it will force more “tough decisions” for the coaching staff. Craig Smith left Sunday’s game with an injury, so Dellandrea might get another chance against the Red Wings. For players in this position, you just have to be ready every day.

“You learn every day in this league and I’m just trying to play my best and work hard and trying to prepare,” Lundkvist said. “It’s an opportunity. It’s tough when Miro is out, but it’s an opportunity for us other guys to step up and play a little more minutes. I’m trying to make the most out of it.”

Key Numbers

9
Stars forward Jason Robertson has a point in nine straight games against the Red Wings (7 goals, 9 assists, 16 points). It’s his longest streak against any team.

3.43
Detroit ranks sixth in the league in scoring at 3.48 goals per game. Dallas ranks third at 3.63.

11
Stars forward Roope Hintz has 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) in his past seven games against Detroit, including six points (2 goals, 4 assists) in his last two games at Little Caesars Arena.

He Said It

“Johnny has got that jump, that extra step, that energy and skill that he brings, I think we just feed off of that. We had quite a few good looks tonight.”

- Stars forward Jason Robertson on how he and new linemate Wyatt Johnston are building chemistry. The two combined for 11 shots on goal and 18 shot attempts in a 3-2 OT loss to the Islanders

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 Twitter @MikeHeika.