Unsung heroes: Stars penalty kill playing critical role in early season success

The more I think about it, the more I believe that hockey is a form of art. The sport oozes with all sorts of appeal, flair and gusto within each shift, period and game. Not only that, but it’s open to interpretation. Coaches, players, media and fans can all digest a shift, goal, or defensive effort in a unique and different way.

But while a lot of the public’s attention focuses on slick goals off the rush or flashy glove saves, there’s another theme reserved for those who enjoy nerve-wracking intensity.

That’s the penalty kill, an art that the Dallas Stars are in a constant pursuit of perfecting.

The Stars are the only team in the NHL yet to allow a power play goal this season. Through the first four games, they are a perfect 12-for-12 with just 16 shots allowed. It’s their longest streak to open a season since 2001-02 when they killed 26 in a row.

Yes, they’ve done a good job staying out of the box. Their 3.00 penalty kills per game is tied for 5^th fewest in the NHL. But when they do get in a shorthanded situation, the PK unit rises to the occasion.

“The one thing I have a lot of confidence in is our penalty kill against any group,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “We’ve shown that all year and all of last year. I think our guys aren’t afraid of a challenge.”

It’s a trend of success that was established during the 2022-23 campaign. The Stars penalty kill went 83.5%, good enough for 3^rd in the League. It was their best finish since the 2007-08 season, one in which they also advanced to the Western Conference Final. So, a good PK seems to be a big key in overall team success.

“I think we laid a good foundation last year for the kill and now we’ve been working on some things we want to improve on or adjust,” defenseman Jani Hakanpää said. “We’re trying to find ways to be better. We know teams are looking at us and seeing we have a good kill and they’re trying to attack any areas they can find. So, that means we need to be a little sharper again.”

There’s something to be said about playing shorthanded. Your job, simply put, is to prevent the other team from scoring, but you’ll have to do it with one less man on the ice. If you lose the faceoff, you might get hemmed in your own zone for two minutes. And if you’re the only thing standing between a 95 mph slapshot and your net, the expectation is that you’ll step in the way to stop it.

It’s a job that demands sacrifice, grit and a heck of a lot of determination. Luckily for the Stars, they have a number of guys up for the task.

Esa Lindell has been playing on the Dallas penalty kill for the majority of his career. The shutdown defenseman has averaged 3:15 of shorthanded time on ice per game over the last five seasons. That leads the NHL among players with at least 100 games played. Last season alone, he led the League at 3:36 per game.

“I take big pride in playing the PK,” Lindell said. “I kind of like the grind and having to outwork the other five out there. I’ve always enjoyed it a lot. You just go out there, battle, grind and get in the shot lanes. That stuff might not be the most fun part, but I’ve always had a lot of pride being out there on the PK.”

Radek Faksa has been one of the Stars’ top shorthanded options since making his NHL debut in 2015. His size, physicality and ability to win faceoffs make him a prime candidate. He won a career-high 56% of draws last season, many of which were in the defensive zone. And while he knows the PK doesn’t involve the same glamour as the power play, he enjoys the opportunity to play a critical role.

“It’s fun for me,” Faksa said. “It’s how I get into the game a lot. Obviously, it’s not as fun as scoring goals on the power play. Sometimes it hurts blocking shots and stuff like that. Everyone on the team has a job to do, and I love to do this job.”

It’s a job that can turn into a significant game changer when done effectively.

“It can be huge,” Hakanpää said. “When you get a big kill or even a few of them in a row, it’s a big boost and can change the momentum around quick. If you do a good job on the kill and come out of the gate hard, you might just flip the whole game over.”

“It’s pretty much the same as the power play,” Lindell added. “I feel like so many games are one-goal games or tied and it comes down to special teams. So being good on that on both sides makes a difference.”

And while the power play is still trying to find its footing this season, the penalty kill is picking up right where it left off last year. The regulars are still in a groove and newcomers like Sam Steel have fit in seamlessly. As a result, the team is reaping the rewards from the efforts of its unsung shorthanded heroes.

“It’s a challenge we all like and it’s really what sports comes down to,” Hakanpää said. “You’re good at something, then somebody tries to find holes in that, then you try to improve and shut those holes down. It’s a good challenge for us, and I think we’re really taking it well. We’re not resting on being good last year. We want to go out there and do it again.”

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