Game 4 Stray Observations (WC Finals): Dallas on the brink with Edmonton's third straight victory

Does the inevitable await?

Going into Game 4, the big talking point was whether or not Dallas was simply waiting for the guillotine. Despite putting in a really solid even-strength performance in Game 3, the positives were lost to the reality: outscored 8 to 16 in this series, maybe the Stars simply don’t have the manpower to take down Connor McDavid and the Oilers. Maybe gaining Mikko Rantanen at the cost of losing Chris Tanev is a wash. And maybe history will repeat itself.

We got our answer tonight, with Dallas losing 4-1. At first, you had to be hopeful. Dallas dominated the first period despite coming out of it down by one. In small bursts, the Stars have looked dialed in, and capable of containing McDavid. But here’s the thing, and it’s the thing worth considering parallel with the Wyatt Johnston criticism: McDavid is flanked by two forwards who have carried their own weight. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hymen. Both have a pair of goals, and Nugent-Hopkins in particular actually leads Edmonton in scoring. Conversely, Jamie Benn and Evgenii Dadonov are nowhere to be found.

There’s no silver lining, and no words of consolation. There are individual players who show up in spots, but there’s very little structure, and very little success as a five-man unit from game to game. Pete DeBoer has tinkered around the margins, but nothing that has stuck beyond the Matt Duchene w/ Mason Marchment and Tyler Seguin line.

It all feels like the preamble for the eventual exit. Another Western Conference Final, which is great. Another Western Conference Final exit, which is not. For all the doom, however, the Stars are still alive. It may not mean much for many fans who feel like the writing was on the wall last game, but for the players, it’s everything. For them, one game at a time, starting at home.

Dallas’ penalty kill leaking

Dallas’ penalty kill has been, for my dinero, its beating heart. Against Colorado and Winnipeg, it snuffed out whatever momentum Dallas’ opponents hoped to build, keeping them just above water when the ship was threatening to drown everyone. Some of that was unsustainable. Especially the goaltending part of the PK. But a lot of it was genuinely hard, smart work that frustrated elite players over and over. Has the magic gone? It certainly appears so. Edmonton has scored a power play goal in four games straight, and they’ve done it leveraging similar tactics to Winnipeg, attacking down low. Unlike the Jets, however, the Oilers have been more patient with their movement down low, and it’s proving to be downright fatal. As the PK goes, so go the Stars.

Jason Robertson

For all the talk about Wyatt Johnston, Robertson’s postseason has been even quieter. Granted, there’s an obvious reason: Robertson is likely playing with a lingering injury. Nonetheless, 100 percent or 50 percent, Robertson has to be more than a ghost in order for Dallas to have a chance. With two goals in two games, I wouldn’t say it’s enough all of a sudden, but his game has certainly been more visible as he appears to be getting healthier. Is it too little too late, though?

Picks? Called? In this economy?

While the two picks called in this game weren’t the only picks, it was still good to see a crackdown on them, however fleeting. I appreciate the tactical element to running subtle interference. Players, after all, have to stand somewhere. Especially in such a fast-paced game. But in general, I don’t like how normalized it is. So I guess good on the referees for calling the obvious in these games, even if the officiating on the whole still leaves a lot to be desired.

Lineup changes

DeBoer started the game with Robertson next to Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen. It sounds like a line that should work on paper, but in practice, it hasn’t. Not even close. In 156 minutes together in the regular season, they were 46 percent in shot share, and 48 percent in expected goal share. The lack of speed is really felt, IMO, and this game was no different. In their 11 minutes together, they were outshot 5 to 17 (attempts). Maybe they just need more time, but it’s not like they have a lot of it.

On the flipside, Johnston with Jamie Benn and Mikael Granlund were spectacular — at least defensively. They didn’t allow a single unblocked shot in their limited time together.

Game 5, do or die

Dallas needs offense. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mavrik Bourque and Evgenii Dadonov — two players with seven more points than tonight’s entire fourth line combined — draw in. It won’t make a difference, but the Stars need every little bit to count. They won’t be able to defend their way to victory on Thursday. If Skinner is as inconsistent as everyone seems to believe (I don’t, for what it’s worth — at least no in the way many presume), then Dallas needs to challenge him from line one through four.

Beyond that, fingers crossed.