First Shift 🏒
The “one degree more” that Glen Gulutzan has been preaching this year is making a tangible difference for the Stars.
The new/old head coach has talked about giving “one degree more” in a lot of areas, especially physicality. That has taken some time to get into the “fabric of the jersey,” as Gulutzan likes to say, but it clearly is becoming a noticeable trait in game after game.
“Definitely,” said defensemen Lian Bichsel. “You see all of the little things that we need to do and we’re doing them better. It makes us harder to play against.”
The Stars showed that Friday in an intense game against the Colorado Avalanche. While Dallas lost in a shootout at the end, 5-4, it was the better team for much of the game. Included in that effort were some competitive plays from smaller forwards like Mavrik Bourque, Justin Hryckowian and Colin Blackwell, and that was noticeable.
“It’s definitely in our jerseys,” Gulutzan said. “There’s no backing off now. It’s got to be a part of our everyday play, so when the playoffs start it’s not foreign to us. It’s just the right way to play.”
And while it includes delivering hits, the push is for a higher level of “compete” in all facets. That could be in faceoffs or puck battles or backchecking. One of the key plays Friday was when Hryckowian pushed in on the forecheck, beat two Colorado players for possession of the puck behind the net, and fed Jamie Benn for a goal in front.
It was a huge moment.
“It was a great forecheck, it was physicality with a great stick and some great puck awareness to find Benny in the slot,” Gulutzan said. “The great thing about him is he can win a lot of puck battles and that’s what makes him successful. He’s proving he can do that at a high level against good players.”
Hryckowian is a 25-year-old rookie who was rookie of the year in the AHL last season, so he’s taking a step forward in his career. Bourque was MVP of the AHL two seasons ago, and he said he definitely is growing in his ability to be physical.
“I think it was always part of my game in juniors, and it took time to bring it to the AHL and NHL level,” Bourque said. “I think I can be even a little bit more involved and compete more.”
Bourque said he can see the impact, especially in the team’s recent 10-0-1 run.
“It gives us more time and space and it slows down the opponent,” he said.
That’s key as Dallas continues to deal with the absence of Rantanen (lower body) and Radek Faksa (upper body) and now has to deal with the loss of Roope Hintz on Friday to a lower body injury. Gulutzan said Hintz could be out for a while.
“He’s going to miss some time,” Gulutzan said. “We don’t know exactly how much, but it’s not a couple of days. He’s got to see another doctor, so we’ll see how long it is going to be, so not good news.”
Gulutzan said he expects Hintz should be back before the playoffs. The timeline is the same for Rantanen, and the thought is that Faksa could be back around the time that the postseason starts.
That’s a challenge, but the good news is that trade deadline acquisitions Tyler Myers and Michael Bunting are ready to come in on Sunday against Chicago. Myers is a veteran defenseman who is listed at 6-8, 229 pounds. He will give the team help on the back end with his reach and physicality. Bunting is an energizer bunny who can mix with players like Bourque, Hryckowian and Blackwell to keep the pressure on within the forward group.
Gulutzan said the coaching staff will do its best to work the players in slowly.
“We’re just going to bring them in like we would an injured player,” Gulutzan said. “We’ll bring them in in small doses and get them acclimated to the way we play.”
Right now, that “way” is with just a little more physicality and intensity.
“That was a big thing this year - we want to bring physicality to our DNA,” Bichsel said. “We can’t just flip a switch in the playoffs, we have been doing it for the last 10 games and that has helped. Everyone is sticking up for everybody. It’s fun to play for this team.”
