dallas — Dallas Stars manager Pete DeBoer is a little concerned about the possibility of a hangover affecting his team after a long postseason run that ended with a loss in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals last May. This season has arrived.
With six games left before the playoffs resume, DeBoer feels pretty good about his team.
The Stars have won a franchise-record eight straight games, and Jake Oettinger has won his last two games, leading the Western Conference with 105 points and trailing the New York Rangers for the most points in the NHL. . . They are playing their best hockey this season.
“This is the right time,” DeBoer said after the Stars defeated Edmonton 5-0 on Wednesday night. “Forget about wins and winning streaks. I like the details of the game. I like the way we played for the most part, so that's good. That's what everyone wants at this time of year. , winning is a byproduct of that.”
Dallas already has seven players with 20 goals, and captain Jamie Benn, who scored 19 goals against the Oilers, is within striking distance of reaching a franchise record of eight points. Wyatt Johnston, 20, in his second full season, became the first Stars player to reach 30 this season with his goal as part of four goals from the penalty box in less than seven minutes in the second game. It became. period.
“The team is in a really good place,” Johnston said.
“We're just trying to focus on the little habits and the little details, trying to focus on the playoffs,” forward Radek Faksa said. “We have a lot to play for. We've already earned a spot. We want to win the conference… so we have a great berth to the playoffs.”
Faksa, who plays part of the fourth line, put the Stars ahead of Edmonton with a goal just 2:08 into the game. He also had two assists on a goal by Johnston and a score by Sam Steele. Ten different Dallas players tallied points.
“I think our depth helped us,” DeBoer said. “Twelve months ago, everyone was describing us as a one-track team.”
The Stars qualified for the postseason for the third straight year last week, the longest stretch since the 2008 playoffs, when they also lost in the conference finals. Of his first 14 seasons after joining Dallas from Minnesota in the summer of 1993, he made the playoffs in 12 of them, including winning the Stanley Cup in 1999.
Dallas lost at home to Las Vegas in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals last year, and Las Vegas won the Stanley Cup. That was after the Stars opened the playoffs with a six-game series against Minnesota and won a seventh-game series against Seattle.
As for the current eight-game winning streak, there were six other times in franchise history that the Stars won seven games without extending it.
They returned home against Edmonton after their previous four games were on the road. Overall, they have won their last seven road games and will play their final regular-season games on the road against Chicago and Colorado this weekend before concluding with a four-game homestand.
Oettinger did not allow a goal in seven and a half periods, or approximately 152 minutes. Against a top-scoring Edmonton team, he went 0-for-4 on the power play and stopped 35 shots.
“It's great. He gives us a lot of confidence and he's performed very well all year,” Johnston said of the goalkeeper. “It feels really good when he's back there. And I mean, it's pretty hard for him to lose a game without conceding a goal.”
Sharks sign college star Graf
The San Jose Sharks have signed undrafted free agent and star college forward Colin Graf to a three-year contract.
The team announced the deal on Thursday. It begins immediately for the remainder of the 2023-24 season and continues for two more seasons.
“Graf has excelled at the collegiate level, finishing as a Hobey Baker Top 10 finalist the past two seasons,” general manager Mike Grier said. “His on-ice awareness allows him to handle the game at a high level, and (he is) a unique player with a quality 200-foot game that excels in the offensive zone.” I'm excited to join the organization. ”
Graf, 21, led Quinnipiac in scoring this season with 49 points and 22 goals and was named ECAC Player of the Year and the conference's top defensive forward.
Graf helped the Bobcats win a national championship in 2022-23 as a sophomore, scoring the game-tying goal with 2:47 left in regulation in the third period, sending the game into overtime. Graf led the team that season with 21 goals, 38 assists, and 59 points.
playoff tracker
atlantic ocean
▶ Bruins (103)
▶ Panthers (99)
▶ Maple leaves (95)
metropolitan
▶ Rangers (106)
▶ Hurricane (101)
▶ Flyers (83)
Wildcard
▶ Lightning (91)
▶ Capital (82)
(Top 2 wild card teams advance to playoffs)
▶ Red Wings (82)
▶ Islanders (81)
▶ Penguin (79)
▶ Sabers (77)
▶ Devils (76)
If the playoffs started on Thursday
Eastern Conference Playoffs bracket
▶ (1M) Rangers vs. Capitals (WC2)
▶ (A2) Panthers vs. Maple Leafs (A3)
▶ (1A) Bruins vs. Lightning (WC1)
▶ (2M) Hurricanes vs. (3M) Flyers
Remaining games of wild card race
Flyer (83 points)
▶ Home (2): devils, capitals
▶ Away (4): Sabers, Blue Jackets, Canadiens, Rangers
Capital (82 points)
▶ Home (4): Penguins, Senators, Lightning, Bruins
▶ Away (4): Hurricane, Wing, Saber, Flyer
red wing (82)
▶ Home (4): Rangers, Sabres, Capitals, Canadiens
▶ Away (3): penguin, leaves, canadian
Islanders (81)
▶ Home (4): predator, ranger, canadian, penguin
▶ away (3): Blue Jackets, Rangers, Devils
Michigan area hockey this week
Wednesday
▶ Grand Rapids 5, Chicago 4
Friday
▶ New York Rangers, Red Wings, 7 p.m. (BSD Extra/97.1)
▶ Rockford, Grand Rapids, 7 p.m. (AHL/106.9/1300)
▶ NTDP U18 @Muskegon, 7 p.m.
▶ NTDP U17 at Madison, 8 p.m.
Saturday
▶ Muskegon, NTDP U18, 7 p.m.
▶ NTDP U17 at Madison, 8 p.m.
Sunday
▶ Buffalo at Red Wings, 1 p.m. (TST/97.1)
▶ Rockford, Grand Rapids, 7 p.m. (AHL/106.9/1300)
Monday
▶ Red Wings 4, Tampa Bay 2
