(2024 Playoffs, Round 1) Game 5 Stray Observations: Dallas beats Vegas 3-2
One more folks.
Just one more.
There was really just one story of the game and it was this: penalties. Vegas wasn’t just undisciplined, they were unhinged. The Alex Pietrangalo minor in particular just made no sense. As much as I tend to avoid writing about officiating, somebody has to explain to me — like I’m a five year old — what makes an elbow to the face that draws blood different from a backhand chingaso (this is Mexican slang for punch/haymaker, by the way) to the face that draws blood.
What made it extra frustrating was listening to the ESPN telecast watching the replay, seeing a punch thrown with malicious intent, and automatically respond with “oh that’s not five minutes.” And no, I don’t care what rules code 405.623.half of 400 or whatever says. You sucker someone, that’s no ordinary indiscretion in any universe.
Thankfully Dallas still scored, and thankfully, Vegas’ parade of penalties was no accident. The Stars haven’t just taken the series lead; they’ve taken control of the series. Three consecutive wins, with two of the three being dominant performances.
We revisited the 2021 draft that brought Wyatt Johnston to Dallas, and needless to say, we’ll be doing another for Logan Stankoven. Both players continue this improbably run of typically being the best two forwards on the ice, and it’s frankly — surreal.
For now, you can finally take a deep breath. At least until Friday night. Coolest stat of the night: Game 5 winners in series tied 2-2 win 79 percent of the time. As an aside, I’ll be talking about this series tomorrow with Dimitri Filipovic on Sportsnet’s Hockey PDOcast, so stay tuned for that! And of course, stay tuned for Sean and I at D Magazine for the Game 5 edition of What We Saw/What It Felt Like. Yes, we never rest here.
Now, onto the strays!
Logan Stankoven’s defense
Stankoven is already an elite offensive player, but if you’ve been reading this place then you know that his work ethic exists across all three zones, in multiple layers of attack or counter. He’s not just fun to watch. He’s exhausting to watch. Which is probably exactly how opponents feel. Travis Yost (excellent writer of hockey stats, by the way, and someone you should be following) made a comment about how close Stankoven is to outright being one of the top forwards in the league, and all I have to say is…yea: believe that.
Thomas Harley: top pairing, all-around defender
We know that Harley is good offensively; elite even. And we know his defense hasn’t been porous like the stereotypical puck mover. But he’s gone past the “improving defensively” stage and is now simply good, defensively. Good enough to play defense against the game’s elite players. He’s been somewhat quiet by his standards, and looked shaky early in the series, but he’s been phenomenal lately as the quiet man.
Don’t forget about Jason Robertson
Robertson has had to work hard to shake the narrative about whether or not he’s a playoff performer, and boy is he putting the work. We’ve talked about his defensive work, but his calling card will always be his offense. There are still parts of his offensive game that I don’t like. He still overhandles a lot at times, and sometimes tries to do too much — perhaps owing to his linemates being invisible — but he’s a point per game player versus a Vegas team that has thrown everything they could at him.
The Unhoused Avengers: Again with a good game
I thought Ty Dellandrea and Evgenii Dadonov once again stood out for all the right reasons, exception being, of course, Dadonov blowing a 3 on 0. However, their loose puck speed has made Mason Marchment and Radek Faksa a borderline afterthought. Dellandrea in particular was hard on the puck all night and I just highlight them because it’ll be a shame to see them come out of the lineup; well Dellandrea and Smith I should say, since Dadonov seems to be part of the 12.
Seguin for Selke?
Just another great, mad dog effort from Seguin all night. A really important part of Dallas going deep is gonna be whether or not Seguin and Benn can be more than just depth, but active leaders on the team. They’re doing exactly that, and honestly I can’t think of a single critical thing to say about them. Both have three points, and both are playing just as hard as Dallas’ top forwards.
Still waiting for Hintz and Pavelski
Eventually they’ll score a point or two, but man. Pavelski I understand. He’s just not the player he used to be. But unless Hintz is dealing with an injury, he has no excuse. I haven’t really seen anything in his game either, to make me think he’s simply getting “unlucky.” He’s not being deployed in a way that should drag him down either.
Hintz in a potential series with Colorado should be the kind of series where he shines, so there’s no use making judgments after one series against a team that is stylistically tough on him, but it still makes you wonder.
ESPN camerawork
Yes, there’s that weird blur effect they do, but their replay game is downright bizarre. On the Seguin hit they simply kept showing the same angle. The other night they refused to show what play resulted in a penalty, and then there was filler nonsense of going split screen with action (real action too: Dallas was pressing in Vegas’ zone) on the ice, while we watched Nicolas Roy shake off a puck to the hand. Just bizarre.
Vegas perspective
I didn’t think the switch to Hill was the wrong move, nor did it prove to be. But it’s certainly starting to feel like Cassidy’s group is getting frustrated, skittish, and maybe even a little tired.
If you’re looking for positive signs though, it’s that the home teams can actually win. If they can give their fans a win on home ice, then it’s Game 7, and everyone gets a clean slate. Only the 60 minutes matter. I think their formula is simple: stop taking penalties, even if it means giving up a 3 on 0. After all, it’s not like Dallas can score on them.
Great summary, as usual.
As for ESPN, don’t try to overthink them. They just want Vegas to win. As most probably the NHL executives.
On the other hand, there are 31 fan based teams that want us to win against the masters of LTIR.
It’s not the first time (and the last) that fans are in direct opposition with the league.
You buddy with the locked app said the youth have taken over. I tend to agree. Finally, they are done waiting for the vets. If you watched the whole season this was true. Our team is balanced for a reason. But, you can’t beat Vegas waiting for the vets. Youth and speed is our strength. So fun to watch. Thank you Stars!!