Stray Observations: Seven goals for the second straight game, as Dallas makes easy work of Boston

Game 15 is in the books.

For what feels like a month-plus now, fans have been waiting for a big win; something that represented who Dallas was not just in the current standings, but long term — who they can be when it gets down to the marrow. The Boston Bruins weren’t gonna be the perfect springboard, but they finally got over .500 before Thursday night, making them a better opponent than the Blackhawks or the Sharks at least. Stars fans asked, and they received.

For once, the win represented more than two points, but a team actively crushing their opponent, and being rewarded for the 60-minute performance. Sure, Boston looked scrambly, especially on offense, but they had no answer for any of Dallas’ lines, including the one everyone has been worrying about lately.

Dallas is still well behind the Jets and the Wild in the standings. But at last, it doesn’t feel like they’re far behind; just, behind. Although it’s worth noting that Colorado finally pulled into a wildcard spot. Needless to say, Jake Oettinger (who was really fantastic tonight) and the Stars have their work cut out for them. On Thursday, they looked ready for the rest of the world.

All of this sets up the perfect game to see exactly whether the Stars can ride their momentum. Saturday’s game is versus Kirill Kaprizov and the Wild, on the road. Minnesota is the best defensive team in the league, so if Dallas can win, it’ll require a much different performance; something more patient, more calculated, and a lot less easy.

Quick note: I’ll be on Twitter for as long as I have more followers there than here, but you can find me on Blue Sky now too, where I’ll post more regularly. I even have a hockey starter pack on who to follow on my timeline!

Matt Duchene can’t stop, won’t stop

I keep thinking Duchene will slow down, and he never does. It almost looks like he won’t. But one thing you can say in his defense is that he defies the expected gods. Always has.

Evgenii Dadonov

I got nothing. While I suspect he has a shelf life on the top line, I still appreciate what he brings, and what he still has despite having seen better days. He’s been one of Dallas’ better cherryplanners, and it paid off when he drew a penalty and scored on the ensuing penalty shot. I’m looking forward to the day he’s on the fourth line, where his shift to shift impact will be felt in the playoffs. Not that I’ll complain if he keeps it up on the top line.

Oskar Bäck gets his first

Bäck had a monster game. He was strong on defense, made smart plays, showed details to his game, and in the end, scored his first. I’ve been critical of Bäck not because I’m “Team Mavrik Bourque” (well, I am) but because I didn’t see anything beyond a mature player in the AHL; great for a quick shift, but doesn’t mean much in terms of impact, or being able to play up the lineup. But credit where credit is due. This isn’t like when Val Nichushkin was scratched for Travis Moen, just an empty ‘sending a message ‘ gesture. This is more like when Julius Honka was scratched for Joel Hanley, a symbol of two players going in different directions. This is not as dramatic, granted — for reasons that I hope are clear. But don’t expect to see Bourque any time soon barring injuries. For now, it’s well-earned.

Game Scores

Data and visual courtesy of Cole Palmer via HockeyStaCards.

This is one of the most dominant-looking Game Score charts I’ve ever seen; not a single minus on team defense, and not a single minus for individual offense. Despite getting on the scoreboard, I feel like we’re still waiting for Wyatt Johnston and crew to really get going. Their underlying numbers are fantastic, but it’s been tough to pin down the lack of goals. As long as they’re putting in the work, does it really matter? Matvei Michkov is still right on Stankoven’s heels though.

If you’re unfamiliar with Game Score and how it works, check out my explainer card.

The Boston perspective

If you’re Boston, you can’t help but feel demoralized.

Or maybe you’re feeling something else. Jim Montgomery has been hitting the “angry” and “disappointment” button lately. I don’t know that Montgomery is on the hot seat not just because I struggle to envision a good alternative, but also because the expectations might be finally moving towards ‘it was a nice run.’ For one, they’re just not good as a team, even looking beyond their record and focusing only on team performance.

The other issue is that the future is bleak. EPRinkside ranked their prospect pipeline dead last. Making things worse is the fact that Dean Letournou, and Fabian Lysell, are having bad to mediocre seasons right now, in the NCAA and AHL, respectively. Essentially, the Bruins can only get better through the trade market. To make matters worse, the only real money coming off the books this year is Brad Marchand, who is their best forward behind David Pastrnak.

The future is grim for a Boston team that has relied too much on an aging core, and a few savvy trades. Be afraid, Bruins fans. Be very, very afraid.