NEWARK, N.J. — True benchmarks don’t come often in an 82-game season. Whether it’s injuries, venue or any other litany of circumstances, it’s not easy evaluating a single game as a measuring stick. Tuesday night’s showdown in New Jersey against the Devils was one of those rare opportunities for the Stars.
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Dallas was less than 24 hours removed from an emotional loss to one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and had to complete the road back-to-back against a team that is even higher in the standings than the team it played in Pittsburgh on Monday night. To top things off, the Stars would be going to battle with their backup netminder patrolling the crease.
“Pretty close, considering the circumstances,” coach Pete DeBoer said when asked if the 4-1 victory was his team’s best of the season. “Back-to-back with how we lost last game. I was really worried about, mentally, where we were at. I thought the guys were outstanding. It’s a testament to our leadership.”
Tuesday’s win was a testament, in particular, to Scott Wedgewood. The Stars’ backup goaltender began his NHL career in New Jersey after the Devils drafted him in 2010. His initial departure from New Jersey came after the Devils traded him to Arizona, and his second stint in New Jersey ended four years later when he was placed on waivers.
“It’s a place that’s near and dear to my heart,” Wedgewood said. “It’s obviously a little fun, a little challenging, but coming away with the win is a big part of it.”
Wedgewood stopped 35 of the 36 shots he faced, a second-period deflection accounting as the lone puck that got past him. Wedgewood was in a unique spot in that he was the only player for the Stars playing with fresh legs. It required an adjustment on his part, going from a first period in which he saw only six shots to a second period in which he was bombarded with 20. Wedgewood came up with big saves in the chaotic middle frame and in the third period when the Devils looked to make a hard final push, especially on the power play.
“I think he was dialed in,” Jason Robertson said. “He knew what it meant, not just for our team but personally. It was a great performance, and we’re very happy for him.”
Both teams were playing the second night of a back-to-back, and it showed in the first period. The game was played tightly and skill wasn’t taking over, even though both teams have plenty of it. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Devils had a slight edge in expected goals at 0.44-0.39.
Then, the second period happened, and it didn’t take long for chaos to ensue.
Colin Miller’s turnover deep in the Stars’ zone resulted in Wedgewood getting ambushed. As Ryan Suter tried to make a defensive play, his stick was knocked out of his hand, and he found himself standing in the crease, behind Wedgewood.
“I knew Weggie had the bottom part,” Suter said. “I was like, ‘If this thing gets high, I’ve got to make sure to get it for him.’”
Playing honorary goaltender has become familiar for Suter, who prevented a goal with a heads-up play less than a month ago against the New York Islanders.
Robertson is a goal scorer, which means other parts of his game often fly under the radar. He might not be the fastest skater, but he has a knack for deciphering the opposing team’s play before it happens. A little over five minutes into the second period, Robertson read a pass going to the slot and stepped in front to intercept it. He immediately turned around and looked to turn the defense into offense.
It was a favorable scenario for the Stars, who had a man advantage with the four-on-three, with their four players — Robertson, Roope Hintz, Joe Pavelski and Miro Heiskanen — being the top four players on the team. Their puck movement and chemistry were poetic, but Akira Schmid made one of his many superhuman efforts on the night to hold off the damage.
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Following Robertson’s prime look, the Stars had all of the momentum on their side; a score seemed like it was itching to happen. It didn’t take long. Ty Dellandrea made a great effort with the puck on the boards and dug it out to Suter at the blue line. From there, it was back to the lab for Dellandrea. His hours upon hours of work with Pavelski, practicing deflections and a stronger net-front presence, showed once again as he tipped home Suter’s shot.
Following Dellandrea’s goal, the Stars threatened to start piling on when Wyatt Johnston immediately had a good look from the slot on the ensuing shift. The Stars were getting good looks but still had trouble sustaining offensive zone time to establish a firm presence. Just over 90 seconds after Dellandrea scored, Tyler Seguin lost a defensive zone faceoff. After Suter launched a shot from deep to set up a deflection for Dallas’ first goal, New Jersey returned the favor.
Although the Devils tied the score, the ice was still tilted in favor of the Stars. Seguin fed a crashing Dellandrea in front of the net, but the two were unable to connect.
Joel Kiviranta, who has been playing well in this recent stretch, put forth a strong effort to create a turnover and then lead a two-on-one with Luke Glendening. Glendening and Kiviranta played that rush about as well as one would hope from them, with Glendening’s rebound spilling right into Kiviranta’s lap. However, Schmid came up big again for the Devils.
“It was so opposite of the first period,” DeBoer said. “The first period was so tight. There was no room, and then in the second period, things started to open up a little bit. I thought both goalies were excellent. Easily could have had two or three goals each way.”
Instead, the Stars and Devils had only one goal apiece — until the literal final second of the middle frame. A Dougie Hamilton icing gave the Stars one last offensive zone faceoff in the waning seconds of the period. Hintz was initially going to take the draw but was replaced by Pavelski, who won it clean. That was critical because of the limited time available on the clock.
From there, it was a lot of familiarity. Robertson won a tough puck battle, and Heiskanen uncorked a strong shot, hoping to beat the buzzer. After it hit the post, Hintz slammed it home to score the game-winning goal.
“One of my coaches a long time ago told me that first minute and last minute of period goals, they kill you,” Robertson said. “But if you get one, it’s great. It was a big, timely goal by Roope.”
Natural Stat Trick gave New Jersey the slight edge in expected goals in the second period at 1.64-1.46, but it was highly elevated activity for both teams. One of the key differences about the Stars this season is how they’ve been playing with a lead. Instead of sitting back in the third period with a 2-1 lead, they kept their foot on the gas. They had their best overall period to finish things off, staying aggressive offensively while also coming up with a big penalty kill and riding Wedgewood’s brilliance to the very end, when a Wedgewood save immediately turned into the dagger empty-netter.
Scoring distribution
1A (Robertson) — 1G (Hintz) — Pavelski
1G (Marchment) — 1A (Seguin) — 1G (Dellandrea)
Benn — Johnston — Gurianov
Kiviranta — Faksa — Glendening
1A (Heiskanen) — Lundkvist
1G (Lindell) — Hakanpaa
1A (Suter) — Miller
.972 save percentage (Wedgewood)
Three plays
Here are three non-scoring plays that stood out:
Glendening’s best look
The second-period rush was a solid chance for Glendening, but it was more so for Kiviranta. Glendening’s best chance came later in the game, but he was again turned away by Schmid’s heroics.
Marchment’s hit
Between the Robertson interception and robbery sequence and Dellandrea scoring the first goal of the game, Mason Marchment laid a thunderous hit behind the Stars’ net.
Poetry in motion
The play in which Robertson was robbed is a good example of this as well, but it’s a delight to watch the Stars’ top line operate the way it does. Getting caught up in the statistics is one thing, but when the three are on the ice together, it’s the highest form of hockey, highlighted by their chemistry and passing ability. For a cross-sport comparison, it’s a lot like the classical days of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs when they had their big three era of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
(Photo of Roope Hintz: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)