Mason Marchment, Logan Stankoven, Scott Wedgewood and head coach Pete DeBoer reflect on another solid performance.
Mason Marchment, Logan Stankoven, Scott Wedgewood and head coach Pete DeBoer reflect on another solid performance.
DALLAS - The Stars earned their second consecutive exhibition victory on Tuesday night with a 6-1 triumph over the Wild at American Airlines Center.
Head coach Pete DeBoer’s contingent scored three times in the second period and three more times in the third en route to another blowout win following Sunday night’s shutout of the Coyotes in Cedar Park, TX.
The Stars have outscored their opponents by a 13-1 margin through two preseason contests.
Here are a few key takeaways from the game against Minnesota:
Marchment trending in the right direction
Mason Marchment’s preseason debut was definitely memorable, and hopefully a sign of things to come.
The 28-year-old Uxbridge, ON native, who skated with Matt Duchene and Logan Stankoven, scored a goal and collected an assist.
“We all know what he went through last year, and I think he’s happy to put that in the rearview mirror,” said DeBoer. “He’s starting fresh, and he looks like a different player than the one in the second half last year.”
The veteran bench boss was of course referencing the sudden passing of Marchment’s father, Bryan, in July 2022, and the forward’s ensuing struggles to find the back of the net with any regularity in December, January and February to the tune of a 32-game goal drought at one point in time.
Now in a much better headspace and completely at ease in North Texas, Marchment believes good things could be on the horizon.
“I’ve talked to some people around the League, older guys that have played. It’s definitely easier coming in your second year [with a team]. You’re more comfortable with the system, the coaching, the guys, and the living situation. All that stuff, it all plays a factor in your mental health,” explained Marchment. “For this year, it’s been great coming in. I’ve had a good start and I feel good, so it’s fun.”
The OHL grad wants to translate that “fun” into more concrete offensive numbers than the 12 goals and 31 points he generated in 68 games in 2022-23, and contribute to the success of the group as a whole in the process.
With that in mind, his training camp outlook is a positive one.
“I think as a team you want to play well, but you definitely look at your personal game because you’re trying to make the team. No matter what kind of deal you have, you want to make the team and give yourself the best possible chance for the most ice time or most opportunities throughout the year,” said Marchment, who signed a four-year contract last summer. “It’s a stepping stone for everyone, and I think if you’re young or old, you want to play hard and earn your spot.”
The kids are making noise
Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque were excellent in the exhibition opener, but they were also equally impressive versus Minnesota.
Stankoven, in particular, showcased his outstanding passing ability with helpers on goals by Jason Robertson and Evgenii Dadonov.
It was an excellent follow-up performance to his two-goal showing against Arizona.
“The past couple of years, my playmaking abilities have kind of increased a bit more. I think it’s good to have both, being a shooter and also being a passer,” explained Stankoven, who logged 13:51 of ice time. “I think it keeps players on their toes. You can be a dangerous player if you can have both.”
DeBoer spoke glowingly about the youngsters during his postgame press conference.
It’s still relatively early in the evaluation process, though, so the next few games will be an important measuring stick.
“I thought both of those young kids did a good job in both games, Bourquey and him. Both look like they belong at this level. Both fit in. Both are going to be good NHL players for a long time, so that’s a good sign,” praised DeBoer. “But, it’s still preseason hockey. This League always goes to another level later in the preseason, then at the 10, 15 or 20-game mark, and again after that, so there’s still a lot of steps to go, but both have had really good camps so far.”
Asked about the evaluation criteria being used to gauge their individual readiness for the NHL, DeBoer provided a few concrete examples.
It’s basically up to Stankoven and Bourque to answer several key questions in the affirmative.
“It’s not just the final result or the numbers or the production, it’s ‘Can you be trusted defensively?’ It’s ‘Can we use you on special teams?’ Because almost everyone in the lineup has to play some type of role,” explained DeBoer. “How are you doing on faceoffs if you’re a centerman? Obviously being able to create some offense and do some of those things are important, but it’s on all those things.”
Wedgewood was truly a Wedgewall
Scott Wedgewood made 34 saves in his preseason debut.
After surrendering an early marker to Jujhar Khaira on a scramble in front, the veteran netminder was flawless the rest of the way.
Wedgewood faced the majority of rubber in the opening stanza with 17 shots from the Wild, which was the ideal way to get back into the swing of things.
“I kind of had a two-period guarantee, and then workload and obviously just how I felt was going to be the question for the third. You just kind of want to feel as many reps and situations as you can, and it went well. We went with the full 60. I felt good about it,” said Wedgewood. “Obviously, we want to stay healthy and I want to play as much as I can this year. It was a good start for me. I did what I wanted to do and came out with a good win.”
Speaking of health, a third-period incident with Wild forward Pat Maroon left Wedgewood in a rather uncomfortable position on the ice.
Fortunately, he was able to complete the game.
“It’s just net-front traffic. That’s one thing that you’re going to get a lot in this League, especially with big bodies like his. I think he was trying to get around our box-out. It’s kind of hard to stop a big guy like that. All of our momentum took all three of us down and just kind of landed underneath my hip with him on it. Nothing major, just an unfortunate feeling,” recounted Wedgewood. “That’s why we warm up and stretch, and thankfully I am flexible, so just a little bit too much weight for what you want on that hip, but it responded fine when I got up and it was more of an in-the-moment type feeling.”
Wedgewood later told reporters that he was OK, but it remains to be seen if there were any lasting effects from the event.
“He’s still getting evaluated,” said DeBoer. “He finished the game, which is good, but we’ll see.”
Next up for the Stars in a matchup against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night at Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, MO. Puck drop is 6:00 p.m. CT.