First Shift 🏒
Casey DeSmith said it best Friday: You have to work your way out of a slump.
That’s what the Stars are trying to do right now as they held a practice full of intention after a 2-1 loss to the Islanders, and are hoping they will be in a good place Saturday when they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“Every team goes through it,” DeSmith said. “Nobody is happy about losing and obviously the vibes aren’t as high, but you’ve got to keep them somewhat high to get out of it. You can’t just go to ‘miserable land,’ you have to stay positive and keep working.”
While coach Glen Gulutzan said he hasn’t picked his starting goalie for Saturday’s 5 p.m. local start, DeSmith could get the call against his former team. The 34-year-old played nine seasons in the Penguins organization and has a lot of friends in the area.
What’s more, he’s 14-7-5 on the year and has a 2.40 GAA and .908 save percentage.
“Casey has been great for us,” Gulutzan said. “He’s a big reason why we are where we’re at.”
Dallas still sits second in the NHL at 43-18-11 (97 points) despite a recent 1-4-1 slump. But with Minnesota creeping back closer in the standings, it would be nice to shake out of it quickly. The Stars won’t have a morning skate on Saturday, so they ran through a spirited practice on Friday.
“We’re not where we want to be right now, so we had kind of morning skate with a little bit more intensity to get us ready,” Gulutzan said. “We’ve just got to keep on it and even get stingier in our play. I still think we’re doing some good things offensively, but if we can limit even more of what we’re giving up, that would be the best way to get out of these things.”
The Stars were much better defensively in the 2-1 loss on Long Island, and the hope is that the possible return of Rantanen could help Saturday. Rantanen suffered a lower body injury playing for Finland at the Olympics and hasn’t played since. Rantanen led the Stars in scoring at the time of the injury and was eighth in the league with 69 points (20 goals, 49 assists) in 54 games, so his return would be huge.
Gulutzan would not confirm the return, but said Rantanen is close.
“He’s very close to play,” Gulutzan said. “He’ll certainly play one of these games. If it’s not Saturday then certainly it will be Sunday. We’ll see how he’s feeling after today’s skate.”
Another former Penguin who is returning home is forward Michael Bunting (who was acquired from Nashville at the trade deadline) and he said he would be excited playing in a game with Rantanen.
“I know what he brings to the table,” Bunting said. “He’s a big boy, he’s very offensive, he thinks the game really well. He’s a moose out there. Getting him back would give us a boost.”
Sam Steel suffered a lower body injury on Thursday and flew back to Texas for evaluation.
“It’s probably a hip flexor or a groin, so we’ll see how bad it is,” Gulutzan said. “It wasn’t as bad this morning as we maybe thought yesterday, so that’s a good sign. But we do need to send him back to get it looked at.”
The absence of Steel and the possible return of Rantanen could mean some line juggling. Duchene had a maintenance day on Friday, and Rantanen skated mostly with Wyatt Johnston, who was his linemate before the injury. The question is who would be the third man on that line. Could they load it up with Jason Robertson, who has been playing with Jonhston, or could they put a player like Bunting or Justin Hryckowian with Johnston?
It’s a lot to decide, but every player would likely want some ice time with Rantanen.
“He’s very talkative and chats a lot. He has an outgoing personality and you like that,” Bunting said of his practice time with Rantanen. “I talk quite a bit. I’ve always been a very vocal guy in the room and on the ice. I’m still new, but I’m sure guys are starting to realize that.”
