Stray Observations (Game 64): Dallas meets Vegas in the mud to extend their point streak in 2-1 victory

It wasn't pretty. But it was pretty decisive.

So late in the season and and it feels like we’re only just now getting games between division and conference rivals. Dallas has been trending up while Vegas has been doing what all Pacific teams have been doing: which is to say, not much.

The game was a contradiction of elements: equal parts tepid, physical, fast, then slow, loose but also tight. It’s something I’ve grown accustomed to with all teams due to the compressed schedules. So ultimately, I would call this another quality win for Dallas.

We keep going back to this but it’s worth re-emphasizing: this team’s process has never been more aligned with its results. Remember how this team couldn’t possess the puck early in the season to save its life despite picking up wins, which is what explained that losing streak after the Christmas break? Not only is it gone, but they’ve gone ballistic over the last several games.

How much of that is noise, or that it corresponded with a weak schedule is anyone’s guess. But each game is encouraging for what it says about the sustainability of their point streak. This is not a team merely banking points. They’re simply playing good hockey, looking like an elite team even without some elite players.

For most of the game, it seemed like Dallas had the upper hand. Granted, we’re talking some of the lowest-event hockey probably all year, but outside of some lapses in defensive judgment, Dallas was equipped to deal with Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner, even some truly wretched officiating to throw banana peels on their moo moo meadow tracks.

There’s no rest for the wicked though. The Stars play every other night until the 19th of this month. After that two-day break, they’ll play every other night again starting on the 21st, and don’t get another two-day break until April 5th. The last week of hockey before the postseason is another five-game stretch without more than a day’s break. Expect to see a lot of minutes managed going down the stretch.

Thomas Harley is really back

It’s hard to understate just how how much different Dallas is with Harley back to his old self. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Dallas’ winning streak has coincided with Harley’s bounceback. Does that mean he’s single-handedly fueling it? Of course not. But we’re not talking about just any ole’ top four defender. This is someone who — statistically — posted impacts comparable to a Norris-level defender. Last year I went through the tape to confirm what the stats appeared to show. It’s easy to forget who exactly he’s become after his lackluster start. Who he is when he’s at his best is something special. We’ll see if he can keep it going.

Moar depth

It doesn’t happen every game, but I wonder if it can’t happen every game. Colin Blackwell is prone to some head scratchers, but he’s also prone to legitimate gamebreaking plays. That first goal was willed into existence because of Blackwell’s speed and tenacity. It’s why I hope he stays in the lineup. Not just because of that Colorado overtime goal, but because moments like that second period are moments he has, eventually. The Stars are still a top heavy team. But their depth has pulled its own weight with the absences of several key forwards.

Jake Oettinger needed this one

I’m going to write a more extended analysis on Oettinger later this week because I feel like the discourse has reached the proverbial fever pitch. And a lot of these discussions tend to start in bad faith, as it seems people either take their cues from Oettinger’s pedigree and the Calgary series and ignore everything else, or fans feel like the Calgary series was misleading and Oettinger is overpaid, and ignore everything else. Needless to say, it was good to see Oettinger have a normal game after the Colorado bout. But again, we’ll discuss this in depth later.

Meandering Strays

• I was glad to see Arttu Hyry draw in. One of the reasons why I was “really low” on Justin Hryckowian is that Hyry just seemed like the more NHL-ready product along with his added size. I’ve been happy to admit I was wrong about Hryckowian. I doubt I’ll end up being right about Hyry, who is likely destined for the AHL, but I do believe he has a solid fourth line profile. On a team with less depth, I don’t see why he couldn’t be someone else’s less truculent Joel Kiviranta.

• I know I’ve said this before, but if you want proof that Dallas’ power play is well-coached, then compare Dallas’ current unit to the one under Steve Spott and Pete DeBoer. They kept using Benn on the left flank where his passing was front and center and not only did it not work, it failed the Stars. And then some. The fact that they’re extracting value out of him on the man advantage is a testament to how much coaching matters on special teams.

• Mavrik Bourque has had a really good season, but there’s no question that the playmaking portion of his game needs to be front and center. A lot of the goals he scored in the AHL and juniors were midrange heaters. He has a strong shot. But there’s not much elegance in his puck control, so either that develops, and he starts to become some kind of monster, or it doesn’t, and what we’re seeing is what we get. Hard to complain if this is his ceiling though.

• Once again Tyler Myers and Michael Bunting have been so confined to the background that it’s hard to really notice them — outside of that obvious interference on Bunting by McNabb. It’s nothing something to worry about. But we’ll certainly track their development.

• Just once I’d love to see a telecast go over post-faceoff movement and tactics instead of droning on and on about “this is why faceoffs are important.”

• Four years ago I wrote about Noche Mexicana and why it’s important to people like me. If you haven’t read it, you should! Octavio Sequera on the call is fantastic. Now if only the food could include mex-mex instead of tex-mex…but that’s neither here nor there.

• Is Vegas washed? Or are they just washed without Mark Stone? It’s hard to watch them with any confidence about their long term prospects. In fact, watching them makes it easier to see why a team like Anaheim, who is not that great that has been burning teams like Vegas and Edmonton with fresh legs, has risen to the top in the Pacific. Don’t be surprised if Anaheim and San Jose are back to being two of the top Pacific teams in three years. If it could happen to Buffalo…