Heika’s Take: Depth continues to shine bright as Stars fend off Golden Knights

Maybe the most impressive thing about the Stars’ 13-game point streak is the fact it has been forged with so many different irons.

Dallas on Tuesday had to rely on a gritty, methodical game to beat Vegas, 2-1 – a noticeable difference from the average scoring of 4.17 goals per game in the previous 12 contests. What’s more, the team continues to get scoring throughout the lineup, as Colin Blackwell and Oskar Bäck were heroes on this night and Jamie Benn added a rare power play goal. If that wasn’t enough, the lads in Victory Green received more contributions from everyone in the absence of injured forwards Roope Hintz, Mikko Rantanen and Radek Faksa while continuing to fold in “new guys” Tyler Myers and Michael Bunting, along with depth players like Arttu Hyry.

It has been a beautiful juggling act that has included all members of the organization finding a way to bond together.

“It’s just different guys stepping up,” said goalie Jake Oettinger, who made 26 saves to run his record to 26-10-5. “We’ve had so many different guys contribute. It’s just been by committee and when you can beat good teams without two of your top guys, it shows you how deep you are.”

Both Rantanen and Hintz are among the team’s top scorers, but Dallas continues to get goals from players like Bäck, Adam Erne, Justin Hryckowian and Nathan Bastian. Heck, Bastian scored a goal last game and was a healthy scratch Tuesday so that both Bunting and Hyry could get into the lineup. That’s a sign of just what the team has been sacrificing.

“I told the guys we’re looking for soldiers this time of year,” Gulutzan said. “Every player has played well and we just need guys who are willing to do whatever it takes to win hockey games.”

Blackwell was the perfect example in a gritty first period as he made several great plays, including almost scoring on a backhand that hit the post.

Instead, Vegas scored early in the second period on a Jack Eichel shot, and it looked like Dallas was in trouble as the Golden Knights grabbed the momentum and started flinging pucks at Oettinger. However, the big Stars goalie held the fort, and then Bäck scored after depositing a rebound that Blackwell created with a fiery shift.

It would have been easy for the veteran, who is listed at 5-9, to get frustrated by his earlier miss, but he instead dialed up the intensity.

“That’s not the kind of guy he is,” Gulutzan said when asked about the potential for a letdown after the first miss. “You’re not playing in this league at 5-8, 5-9 without having an internal engine that never quits. Probably that chance actually got him going.”

Blackwell admitted as much.

“I’ve been a little snake-bit,” he said. “But as I get older, you just have to put it behind you.”

That was huge for the Stars, as Lian Bichsel drew a high-stick and Dallas scored on the ensuing power play. Matt Duchene fed Wyatt Johnston for a one-timer that was tipped in by Benn. That stood up as the game-winner and was the 10th consecutive game in which Dallas has scored on the man advantage, something the team hasn’t done in 20 years.

“It seems like every night you’re talking about different guys chipping in,” said Benn, who now has 12 goals on the season. “That’s what’s great about this hockey club. It takes a team to win in this league, it takes 60, sometimes 65, minutes, and I think the guys are doing a great job.”

Dallas battled through a scoreless third period and then the game came down to Vegas pulling its goalie. The Stars had allowed both Colorado and Chicago to tie the previous two games with their goalie pulled. Colorado won in a shootout and Dallas beat Chicago in overtime.

This time, it was nice to take two points in regulation.

“It's important for our mindset so it doesn't grow into something bigger,” Gulutzan said. “I thought the guys did a good job of packing it in a little bit more and blocking when we could. You don't want those things to get out of control. It's good that you can lock down leads especially when it's 6-on-5 because it can become something and I thought we were good in that area.”

Among the players on the ice in the final two minutes were offensive-minded forward Jason Robertson, Mavrik Bourque and Wyatt Johnston. Among players taking faceoffs in the final three minutes were Hyry, who went 9-5 on the night, and Hryckowian, who went 7-4. It was just one more sign of why this run to 40-14-10, second-best in the NHL, has been so impressive.

“I think the one thing that we have done a good job in is that they all feel they’ve got a little piece of this thing and that’s important,” Gulutzan said. “You’re not going to win it with one line or two lines, you’re going to need your depth. Our group has a lot of guys who have bought in and they know they are counted on to make a difference.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.