The Dallas Stars bring a tall game that the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to have to play up to.
PITTSBURGH - The Dallas Stars are a team the Pittsburgh Penguins don’t see very often, given they play in the Western Conference, but are emerging as one of the top teams in the NHL.
The Penguins are sure to have their hands full when the Stars visit and according to head coach Mike Sullivan, it’ll be more than just the MVP-level skill from Jason Robertson.
Sullivan talked about the size that the Stars bring and what the Penguins need to look out for during the match.
“They’ve got some guys having real good years,” Sullivan said. “Some of their young players. I think the challenge against a team like Dallas is they’ve got a lot of size up front.”
The size that Sullivan is eluding to can be seen all over the lineup; by average, the Stars are the fifth tallest team in the NHL this season.
Sullivan highlighted that the Penguins will have to step up in front of the nets if they plan on being successful.
“They make it hard at your net-front,” Sullivan said. “Winning the net-front battles is going to be real important.”
On both ends of the ice, the Stars have players that are willing to use their size and battle in front of the goalie’s crease.
Jani Hakanpaa and Esa Lindell stand out as Stars blue liners who will make the game tough defensively, standing at 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-3 respectively.
While Robertson and Roope Hintz lead the way offensively both at 6-foot-3.
It’s not just the sizable skater that are carrying the Stars this year, but also a tall goalie in Jake Oettinger.
At 6-foot-5, Oettinger showed the kind of goalie he can in last seasons’ playoffs, and has used 2022-23 as his coming out party.
Despite a goalie’s height, Sullivan says the Penguins don’t change much about the game plan, they just try and ‘make the goaltender’s job difficult.’
Being a strong team in and around the crease is exactly the kind of game Sullivan wants to see.
“You’ve got to get in the net-front, get in the sightlines,” Sullivan said. “Goalies in today’s game, not only are they big, they’re athletic.”
The Penguins look to extend their winning streak to six games, but it’ll be a tall task against the Stars.
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