Seeing the Stars blow a three-goal lead after a five-game winning streak is a tough pill to swallow. The Star players excelled through two periods, and fans were catching a glimpse of the team’s capabilities when firing on all cylinders.
Dallas Stars just confirm their singing completed….
After a few key material breakdowns, the Stars’ lead was gone, and postgame reflections began to set in. To that end, I find myself staring at the lines as they’re assorted and questioning the decisions made by the coaching staff. The Star players excelled through two periods, and fans were catching a glimpse of the team’s capabilities when firing on all
Dallas Stars just confirm their singing completed….
After the Chris Tanev trade, Gary Bettman was supposed to walk to Dallas and give the Stars the Stanley Cup, it was the only thing they were missing! At least, that’s how it felt when the team sacrificed little to shore up the weak spots of their defensive right. However, the thing about making up for those weak spots is that you also need to remove them for the strength to be realized. Keeping Jani Hakanpaa in the lineup beneath Tanev anchors them from new heights their defense could reach.
Tanev was brought in to block shots and dissolve offense, which is vital to a potent penalty kill. If Hakanpaa remains with Lindell on the top PK pair, why would the Stars trade for a PK specialist? Additionally, addressing Lindell, I’m dubious about pairing him with Tanev at even strength. With Harley and Heiskanen on the top pair, that’s two puck-moving defensemen on the top pair with 0 on the second. The only silver lining of Suter-Hakanpaa as a third line is both have distinct roles.
The point of acquiring a top 4 RD, in Tanev, was to eliminate the prospect of forcing one of the talented lefties to their off-hand side. Ideally, the top four are rounded out to Heiskanen-Tanev & Harley-Lindell, or swap Lindell & Tanev to get similar results. The only lefty that grades out better playing on the right side is Lindell, as his pairings with Heiskanen & Harley have yielded expected goal percentages of 67.6% and 67.1%, respectively (the highest on the team by 5% each). The top four are evident but need to be reimagined, unlike the last pair.
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