Game Day Guide: Stars vs. Blackhawks

First shift 🏒

The Stars coaching staff enjoyed rare and glorious consistency last season.

Dallas had relatively few injuries and essentially ran on the same top three lines for most of the season. Hintz was flanked by Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski. Duchene had Mason Marchment and Seguin on his wings. And Wyatt Johnston played a lot of time with Benn and either Evgenii Dadonov or Logan Stankoven. This created a team that had the second-best record in the league and was in the top 10 in goals scored, goals conceded, power play and penalty kill.

Unfortunately, that consistency hasn't been there this season and the team is still trying to find its rhythm at 7-4-0.

“In a perfect world, I think every coach would like to put the same four lines and the same D pairs on the ice, but that's not how it works,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said.

In recent games, DeBoer has tried Benn on the left wing with Hintz while moving Robertson to Johnston's left wing. He also moved Stankoven up and down and dealt with nagging injuries to Seguin and Marchment. As the team returns from a two-game trip to Finland and tries to get back to routine, the starting lineups in practice were Robertson-Hintz-Dadonov, Benn-Johnston-Stankoven and Sam Steel with Duchene and Seguin. That's still very different and is largely based on the fact that Marchment might not be playing, but it's closer to the “consistency” this team has enjoyed.

“One of our tools is to reshuffle the deck when it’s not working,” DeBoer said of the coaching strategy. “In 11 games we got consistent games out of the Duchene line. To me, that's the only line that says there's no point in messing with something that's going well. As for the other lines, I don’t have that yet, I’m looking for them.”

This is worrying because every line has its problems. Hintz and Robertson are missing Pavelski, their linemate from the last three seasons. Nevertheless, the two are considered top scorers and Hintz currently has 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists) and Robertson 7 (4 goals, 3 assists). Stankoven played well on that line, collecting 10 points (1 goal, 9 assists), but DeBoer hopes Stankoven can help bolster Johnston, who only has 1 goal and 5 assists.

Dadonov is a versatile veteran who can help in many roles, but DeBoer said the weight falls to Hintz and Robertson.

“I'm looking for Roope and Robo to grab it and take off, and then I wouldn't have to change that line for the rest of the season,” DeBoer said. “That would be great, but it hasn’t happened yet. Roope, Robo and Pav were an integral part and we don't have that. But whoever we put there, Roope and Robo have to push that line. It doesn't matter who the winger is, these two guys have to drive that line. I’ve been saying that since Day 1.”

Likewise, Benn and Johnston need to find their chemistry. Johnston is only 21 years old but has been the team's best forward in the playoffs and is in his third NHL season.

“I think he's on the verge of a breakthrough,” DeBoer said of Johnston, who missed training camp due to an injury. “I don’t think his game has fallen off a cliff.”

And this feeling also applies to the players who play well. Duchene leads the team with 15 points but has struggled in the past when Seguin or Marchment were out. Marchment could miss Thursday's game with a nagging injury and the duo may have to find a way to get Steel fit for a game or two.

“If one of them fails, it shouldn’t have such a dramatic impact,” DeBoer said. “We’re trying to avoid that.”