First Shift 🏒
The back and forth of a playoff series goes beyond just the scores. Yes, Dallas has been riding a roller coaster all postseason, winning one, losing one, winning two, losing one. So, in a lot of ways, the team is pretty calm in these situations.
But, behind the scenes, the teams are reacting to the wins and losses with tweaks to the lineup or to strategy, and that’s part of what makes the sport so interesting.
Stars coach Pete DeBoer was coming off a 6-3 win in Game 1 against the Oilers, and still felt his team could be better. So he subbed in speedy Colin Blackwell on the fourth line and put familiar veteran Alexander Petrovic back beside Lian Bichsel on defense. Dallas ended up losing Game 2, 3-0, but DeBoer liked the actual game on the ice. The Stars had a 65-50 advantage in shot attempts and had 10 more scoring chances than the Oilers, so the coach was pleased with the moves.
"Regardless of the score, I thought our game was better than Game 1,” DeBoer said on Saturday before boarding a plane to Edmonton for the next two games.
DeBoer said he liked the small changes, but added that a big part of the improved puck possession is getting Heiskanen up to speed. The veteran defenseman was playing his fifth game since returning from a knee injury, and he logged 23:49. That “move” affects everything for the Stars.
"Isn't that shocking how that works?" DeBoer joked because it was pointed out earlier that without Heiskanen the team dropped from sixth in shots against to last in the league. "He does make that big of a difference.”
That difference will possibly be even bigger on the road. DeBoer does not get last change in Edmonton, so Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch has the chance to get Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl away from Heiskanen. Again, that’s part of the chess match.
"We don't have the luxury of that matchup now for the next two games. We've got to rely on our group and there's got to be a trust there with everybody that's out there,” DeBoer said. “That's not just on the defensemen, that's on the forwards, too, to defend as a five-man unit. We've done this before. We went on the road against Colorado and [Nathan] MacKinnon and that crew. We did that. We've done it on the road in Winnipeg against [Mark] Scheifele and that group. I'm confident our group knows how to win in those situations."
Players say they understand the assignment. Blackwell typically uses his speed for defense, but he also wants to provide depth scoring. That’s a fine line to walk, and it’s even tougher on the road.
“I think every time [McDavid] and Draisaitl are on the ice, you have to be cognizant of where they are,” Blackwell said. “I think sometimes you don't want to be over aggressive, because they’ve got world-class talent and skill and speed, so it's always staying above them and finishing your checks when you get a chance to. And then on top of that, for me, my game is forecheck, putting it behind the other team's D and trying to generate offense and some opportunity that way. If I get a chance on the penalty kill to take it, they have four forwards on the ice and one D, you look at the numbers, you have a little bit better of a chance sometimes that way of being more aggressive. But overall, just being smart out there. I'm an older player, where I know when and maybe when not to take some chances, and just take whatever the opportunity gives you.”
Could DeBoer make changes again in Sunday’s matinee? It’s definitely possible. Hintz suffered a lower body injury when he was slashed by Darnell Nurse in the third period on Friday. If he can’t play, DeBoer will likely shuffle a lot of the lines. Is Wyatt Johnston a candidate to jump into Hintz’s spot with Granlund and Rantanen? Could a bigger shuffle be coming?
That’s the fun of the playoffs.
“If Roope Hintz is out, it has a similar effect on our game,” DeBoer said about losing Heiskanen. “But we've got to find a way. We found our way the entire playoffs here. I saw some things we can build on last night. It wasn't perfect by any means, but there's some building blocks there."
Dallas needs an answer on Sunday. They have not lost consecutive games in these playoffs, so they typically have a pretty good response.
“That's huge in the playoffs,” said winger Evgenii Dadonov. “It's best-of-seven, right? So, just need to win four games before the opponent. We've been good, hoping to stay that way. Going game by game.”
