Give Jason Robertson this: He has a knack for being memorable. His first NHL goal two years ago was comically strange, a Miro Heiskanen shot bouncing off of his buttocks and into the net. His first career hat trick came on a 97-second shift in overtime, with him scoring the game-winning goal while tumbling into the boards in full exhaustion.
Advertisement
Friday night in Arizona, though, takes the cake.
In the Stars’ critical 5-2 win over the Coyotes, Robertson was everywhere. In all four non-empty netter Dallas goals, Robertson’s name is on the scoresheet. And while the three apples were key, the goal Robertson scored was player-defining.
The Stars were tied 2-2 late in the second period with the Coyotes in a game they critically needed to win to keep pace in the division race. Dallas had just wrapped up a power play in which they had some looks but failed to score. The score remained tied heading into the final minute of the middle frame. So often this season, Stars players and coaches have emphasized the importance of late-period goals and how game-changing they can be. The empty power play felt like a missed opportunity.
As the clock ticked under 30 seconds left in the period, Robertson got the puck alone crossing into the offensive zone. With the puck on his stick, Robertson had nobody to his right and three Coyotes players waiting to form a triangle around him to his left. Robertson went left. He slowed his pace, made a quick move to avoid getting puck-jacked and froze for half a millisecond.
Then, he unleashed.
All great players have their iconic image. If you had to pick one for Robertson, this is it. Robertson has a lethal shot and a remarkable hockey brain. “The game slowing down” is often just an expression. It’s not often even the most common eye can see that happen for a player. But when the puck gets around Robertson’s stick — and especially when it’s on his stick — the entire game seems to momentarily fall into slow motion. Once that happens, Robertson contrasts the speed with a rocket of a shot that, most times, either finds the net or creates chaos at the net front.
Advertisement
“I took an awkward route to try and get that puck to Roope but I didn’t know if I could beat the (defense),” Robertson said. “So, I pulled up and tried to shoot through them and lucky it went in.”
At this point, it’s certainly not luck.
It’s hard to pile any more accolades onto a single goal than Robertson did with that score.
Change the momentum of the game in favor of the Stars? Check.
Serve as the game-winning goal of the game? Check.
The 100th goal of his dazzling NHL career? Check.
Surpassing a Hall of Famer and the greatest player in franchise history for points in a season? Check.
“When you’re breaking records of guys like Mike Modano, that’s something pretty special,” Stars head coach Pete DeBoer said. “That’s rare air. The fact that (Modano) was here tonight shows you what a class act he is, to come down and (say) a few words to the team and to Robo. That’s the kind of thing you’ll be able to tell your grandkids about.”
Robertson’s success is not an accident and it’s not one-dimensional. Four-point nights don’t come along often — this was Robertson’s second career four-point domination — but if you watch Robertson on a nightly basis, you know he’s capable of having this sort of performance in any game. Puck luck varies and other factors, such as a hot goalie or a teammate converting a great pass into a great shot, come into play. But Robertson is a model of consistency.
After he picked up a secondary assist on the Stars’ first goal, an awkward looking score credited to Joe Pavelski, Robertson had a soft, subtle tap to Roope Hintz on the Stars’ second goal to tie things up. Robertson didn’t initially get the assist on the goal but was awarded the dime after review.
His fourth point offered a glimpse at another strength. On the power play, Robertson is at his best when he has a quick trigger and can find the lane through the traffic of a penalty kill cluster. He did just that in the third period, slicing the puck through to where Jamie Benn could direct it home.
Robertson has 95 points this season with seven games left on the schedule. All eyes will now shift to the point counter to see when it hits triple digits and Dallas gets its first ever 100-point season. When No. 21 is on the ice, you’ll want to be watching. Because when he reaches his next milestone, chances are he’ll provide you another unforgettable moment.
Advertisement
Miro the hero
For all that gets said about Dallas as a hockey market, Robertson isn’t really underrated. He’s a charismatic figure in the sport that everybody is justifiably enamored with. Jake Oettinger stole the national spotlight last year in his playoff series against the Flames and has mostly stayed on everybody’s radar. Hintz is still grossly underrated but is starting to pick up steam as the face of one of the best lines in hockey.
And then there’s Miro Heiskanen. For years, the knock on Heiskanen was that his offensive production didn’t match his defensive prowess. Honestly, the critique was fair. Nobody dismissed Heiskanen’s defense but when your career-high is 36 points, there needs to be an uptick to be talked about amongst the best of the best, especially in this era.
So, what’s the excuse now?
As Robertson blistered the headlines, Heiskanen had one of the quieter three-point nights you’ll ever see, and yet his impact was every bit as monumental as Robertson’s or Oettinger’s. On that second goal that Hintz scored, it was Heiskanen who got the secondary assist by quickly tapping the puck into position for Robertson to make the pass to Hintz.
On the fourth goal, Heiskanen shuffled the pass over to Robertson before he shot the puck that Benn deflected in. But Heiskanen’s role on the third goal, the iconic one that will be plastered with Robertson’s name forever, was the true masterpiece. With the puck gliding down the ice the wrong way, Heiskanen fully contorted his body and effortlessly skated up the ice with Jack McBain.
He quietly whispered Wingardium Leviosa and waved his wand, igniting the entire play that ended with Robertson’s goal.
Heiskanen got credit for the secondary assist but he was the play. Heiskanen may very well set the Stars record this season for points in a season by a defenseman. Sergei Zubov currently holds that mark with 71 points. Whether he does or not, Heiskanen shows every night why, on a team with a Vezina, Hart and Selke candidate, he, the Norris candidate, is the best player.
Advertisement
Jake Oettinger’s show
Oettinger obviously got the nod to start in Arizona. It was slightly surprising if you’re an outsider and have built up Saturday night’s tilt in Denver as a heavyweight fight between two of the best teams in the conference. But it’s less surprising when if you look at the patterns of the season, as well as Pete DeBoer’s comments last week after practice.
Here is how the Stars have handled their goalie starts in back-to-backs this season.
Scott Wedgewood-Oettinger
Oettinger-Wedgewood
Oettinger-Wedgewood
Oettinger-Wedgewood
Oettinger-Murray
Oettinger-Murray
Oettinger-Avalanche Saturday night
Last week, prior to the Stars playing the Canucks on Saturday, I asked DeBoer how far in advance he makes his goalie schedule. His answer was telling.
“We lay out a plan. The plan is simple right now,” DeBoer said. “We don’t want to use Jake back-to-back but that doesn’t mean we won’t. We don’t want to overplay but that doesn’t mean we won’t down the stretch because we might have to. It’s important to finish as high as you possibly can. We’ll see. A lot depends on (Scott) Wedgewood and where he’s at.”
Wedgewood went down to Austin for a conditioning stint, where he stopped 24 of 26 shots Friday night and got the Texas Stars a point to clinch a playoff berth. Without Wedgewood, the Stars faced an interesting conundrum. They could start Matt Murray in Arizona and save Oettinger for Saturday night’s game. But if Murray struggled in Arizona, the Stars could lose an attainable point or two. After seeing how the game went, going with Oettinger in Arizona looked like a great decision because there’s no telling if Murray would have made the necessary saves that Oettinger did.
In terms of Saturday, the Stars could go with Murray, but the more likely option is that Oettinger gets his first back-to-back assignment of the season. It’s something he’s confident about, especially given his college days, when he played back-to-back routinely. Beyond that, a big, measuring-stick game against the defending champs on the road is exactly the kind of stakes and atmosphere Oettinger lives for.
“Absolutely, yeah,” Oettinger said of the prospect of being called upon for Saturday. “I would love that. I’m planning on it. We’ll see.”
(Photo: Norm Hall / NHLI via Getty Images)