Heika’s Take: Stars rout Senators at home to wrap up dominant November

The Stars are feeling it right now.

And with good reason.

Yes, the power play is the best in the league. Yes, the top scorers are keeping pace with the other top guns in the NHL, as Jason Robertson had a three-point night to push to fifth in scoring with 35 points, and Wyatt Johnston had a hat trick and now sits at 16 goals (tied for fourth in the NHL).

But setting the table right now is solid defensive play, scrappy goaltending and just good, honest hockey. That was at the heart of a 6-1 blowout win over Ottawa Sunday at American Airlines Center.

“It probably was our most complete game, for me, of the year,” said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. “The big four - goaltending was great, the PP was great, the PK was real solid, and I thought our 5-on-5 play was probably the best of the year defensively. So, when you get those four things all working, it's hard to beat.”

Dallas allowed just 16 shots on goal, and netminder Casey DeSmith was fantastic when he was tested. The Stars killed three opposing power plays, including a key one to start the third period. And this team basically wore down a hard-working Ottawa team that is nearing the end of a seven-game road trip.

“We knew they were on a long road trip, so we tried to get after them,” said Robertson, who finished with a goal and two assists. “I’m glad we got it going in the second.”

So, yes, the Stars did what they were supposed to do – but that’s not an easy thing in today’s NHL. Remember, this was their fourth game in six nights, with significant travel in between.

“The team has been playing really well,” said forward Mikko Rantanen, who had three assists. “Tonight was probably the cleanest 60 minutes we’ve had in a long time. Obviously, they did a good job for the first 40 minutes to make us frustrated, but we didn’t fall into the trap.”

Dallas scored two minutes into the second period on a great shift from the line of Mavrik Bourque, Justin Hryckowian and Oskar Bäck, with Bourque getting his fourth goal of the year. Ottawa tied it up six minutes later, but then Robertson scored on a beautiful shot from the slot a minute after that, and Dallas really seized momentum. It was the 13th goal in the past 10 games for Robertson.

Johnston then scored two power play goals in the third sandwiched around a Jamie Benn tally, and that allowed the Stars to breathe easily. Dallas has the best power play in the league at 32.6 percent, and Johnston leads in man advantage goals at 12.

“They were feeling it and they wanted to get Johnny the [hat trick] goal,” said Gulutzan. “They're making great plays. Great players making great plays. Us coaches, we all talk about structure, and you need that. But it’s that creativity, that gift of those special players, that is ultimately going to take you to that level above.”

Right now, the Stars are getting that. That’s a big reason why they are 17-5-4 on the year. But the fact they are also finding a “team” way to play hockey – the “right” way – that is a significant part of the journey.

“I didn’t expect the record to be like this, but we are figuring it out,” said Gulutzan, who replaced Pete DeBoer as head coach this summer. “You’re seeing everything come together a little bit . . . but it’s one night.”

That stark reminder came Sunday as defenseman Lian Bichsel crashed into the boards and had to leave with a lower-body injury. Gulutzan said Bichsel will be evaluated on Monday, but any injury adds to a defensive group that already is missing Thomas Harley and Nils Lundkvist.

“We’re hoping that it won’t be as bad as we first thought,” Gulutzan said. “We’re hoping for good news.”

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.