Dallas came away with the victory, but there's room for improvement.
DALLAS - The Stars (3-0-1) were certainly tested by the Flyers on Saturday night at the American Airlines Center, but still managed to come away with a 5-4 victory in overtime.
Here are a few key takeaways from the contest:
Collect the points and run: It wasn’t exactly the cleanest of efforts by the home team, to say the least, and head coach Pete DeBoer didn’t mince words during his postgame press conference.
He clearly wasn't thrilled with his group’s effort in the puck management department.
“The stats had the turnovers 13-1. I think that’s being generous for us. Our puck management was horrendous, and that’s the great equalizer. You can do everything else right, but if you’re going to mismanage the puck, your defensemen can’t keep gaps because they don’t trust the forwards are going to get it in, and that’s what it looks like, so we’ve got to figure that out,” explained DeBoer. “We’re a smarter team than that, and we’re lucky we didn’t get burned.”
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb8nfnjr1yA[/embed]
Dallas surrendered three short-handed goals, including two in a span of 47 seconds in the third period that ultimately allowed Philadelphia to tie the game and force an extra frame.
That especially didn’t sit well with DeBoer and his troops either.
“Philly, they played their ass off. We knew they would. They played hard, they played heavy, they played quick. I think the short-handed goals were a symptom of our entire game,” said DeBoer. “We turned the puck over 5-on-5 all night, too, and it just happened that they ended up sticking them in the night when we were on the power play, but it was the same symptoms, just reckless with the puck.”
Joe Pavelski, who scored the game-winner, was frank in his assessment of the situation, too.
“It’s something that when you give up one [short-handed goal], it happens occasionally, a breakaway here and there, a breakdown,” said Pavelski. “Give up three, it’s unacceptable out of our group, and we’re not happy at all.”
Thankfully, goaltender Scott Wedgewood had a solid season debut with 36 saves on 40 shots.
Enjoying OT success: The Stars put a heavy emphasis on improving their 3-on-3 play during training camp, and they’re getting their fair share of opportunities to put those fresh tactics into practice early in the year.
This was Dallas’ third overtime game in four outings to begin the campaign, and some important modifications were made from a strategy standpoint that are already paying dividends.
“We have some different personnel and we’ve used them a little bit differently than we have in the past. I think we tried to turn some stones over to try and get that figured out, and this group realized what it cost us last year, the number of points it cost us, so they came back as an attentive audience,” said DeBoer. “Hopefully, we’ll be as attentive on the turnovers and get that fixed for next game.”
Pavelski addressed the overall mentality change in overtime situations this year.
Remember that Dallas compiled a 4-11 record in 15 games decided in the extra frame last year, which translated into a less-than-stellar .267 success rate.
“We definitely are a little bit different, a little bit more patient, try to possess the puck a little bit more and accomplish certain things out there, and it’s led to more chances,” said Pavelski. “It’s good to be generating those looks and feeling like you’re creating the chances, creating momentum in overtime, and if you do that a lot, you’re going to create a few more wins.”
The kid can play: Wyatt Johnston was outstanding for the Stars with a goal and two assists, including the feed to Pavelski that led to the winning backhand snipe.
Johnston, 20, is picking up right where he left off last season when he registered 41 points (24 goals, 17 assists) in 82 games as a rookie.
The fact that he didn't play any exhibition games due to injury is making his performance all the more impressive.
"He missed camp, and I know he wasn’t feeling great about his game on our trip that we went through Vegas and Anaheim, so it was great to see. I thought right from the drop of the puck tonight, he was our best player," praised DeBoer. "I thought he had that swagger back, he had that confidence back. He missed a lot of time, so I think he’s just getting up to speed."
The Toronto native currently ranks second in club scoring with four points alongside defenseman Miro Heiskanen, one point behind Pavelski.
Johnston also blocked three shots against the Flyers as well.
The Stars are back in action on Tuesday night when they visit the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Puck drop is 6:30 p.m. CT.
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