First Shift 🏒
Harley is certainly happy to be back on the ice.
The injured defenseman returned to play on Tuesday after missing 12 games with a lower-body injury, and his energy was noticeable. Harley and teammate Johnston were messing around at the pre-game skate, flipping pucks around and banging into each other. They continued that attitude on Wednesday at practice in Minnesota as they were the last guys on the ice.
“It’s a lot of fun being out there with the boys,” Harley said with a smile. “It’s why we play this game, because we love it. I was away for three weeks and you get a little lonely. It’s nice to be back.”
Johnston said the “fun” activities do have a purpose.
“We’re trying to work on the game a little bit and get some touches,” Johnston said. “It’s a long season, so it’s just trying to get some time with the puck. In the games, you don’t get as much time with the puck, so in practice it’s a chance to hone in on your skills.”
The Stars have found a way to mix frivolity with purpose while forging a 21-5-5 record. They are on an 11-game point streak (9-0-2), and seem to come up with the right play at the right time every night.
“You can see if you watched today’s practice, the energy in the practice,” Gulutzan said. “Winning helps, winning solves all of the problems in the league. But it’s a really good group of people and a really good group of players and you put that together and you get good chemistry.”
Health also is important. Harley missed three weeks. Duchene and Nils Lundkvist were out for nearly two months. All are back, and now the challenge is to mix them in properly. Lundkvist had a bad giveaway that led to a goal on Tuesday in Winnipeg, but the Stars rallied and won the game 4-3. Gulutzan said that sends a message.
“It’s a moving train, so it’s hard to get on,” Gulutzan said of stepping into the NHL that is 30 games into flow. “It’s not easy. The game is fast for guys coming in off a break, and you expect some hiccups. But we worked ourselves out of it and picked each other up through it. That’s just part of it when you have injuries.”
That, and remembering why you play the game. With snow swirling in both Winnipeg and Minnesota, players were reminded of their youth.
“That stuff we do out there is silly games, but that’s the most fun,” Harley said. “On an outdoor rink, that’s the most fun you’re ever going to have is just being out with your buddies.”
That applies indoors, too. Call it fun with a purpose.
“He needs to get back in the flow, and same with Dutchy,” Gulutzan said of Harley and Duchene. “It’s kind of our first practice day that we’ve had with our whole group. It will take them a few days to get going, but it’s part of the process.”
