First Shift 🏒
Since coming into the NHL, Esa Lindell leads the league in shorthanded time on ice, averaging more than three minutes per game. The Stars have the fourth best penalty kill in that span.
In the past three seasons under Pete DeBoer and Alain Nasreddine, Lindell has upped that average to 3:34 per game and the Stars have the second-best penalty kill in the league.
So, it wasn’t surprising on Wednesday when Dallas held Colorado to an 0-for-6 night on the power play and Lindell played 8:09 shorthanded in a 2-1 overtime win that gives the Stars a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
“He’s the best PK’er in the league,” said Stars goalie Oettinger. “He saved the game with that block, and that’s all second effort, doing whatever it takes to win.”
Dallas had more than three minutes of shorthanded time to start overtime and Lindell was key. He blocked a shot when Oettinger was out of position, and he did a great job against a Colorado team stacked with talent. It’s just part of what the 30-year-old defenseman has done throughout his career.
“He’s one of those invaluable guys that doesn’t take you out of your seat with his skill or his speed but is just quietly very effective in whatever situation you put him in,” DeBoer said. “Those guys are the glue and the meat of the teams that win.”
Stars forward Seguin has played with Lindell for 10 seasons but said even he didn’t realize how good Lindell was until an injury forced Seguin to watch on TV and from the press box for four months.
“I told Esa a little while ago that I haven’t fully appreciated him over the years,” Seguin said. “I haven’t seen it as a player as much as I saw it over the last months of watching on TV.”
Lindell can be that way. He is a soft-spoken leader who shies away from the spotlight. Fellow Finn Mikael Granlund said he has seen Lindell’s impact on Team Finland or as an opponent.
“I’ve known this for years,” Granlund said. “He’s one of the top defensive defensemen in the league. You can see in practice how smart he is, how strong he is. He doesn’t get in trouble out there a lot and having those guys on your team, it’s a big thing. His impact is so big. Obviously, he should get more attention, but I think he likes it this way.”
Lindell always has a quiet smile, and that’s part of his charm. But he is a competitor on the ice.
“He’s such a nice guy off the ice,” DeBoer said. “He’s always smiling like a gentle giant, and then you go in the corner with him, and most of the time, he’s coming out with the puck. He’s got that quiet competitiveness.”
