The Silver Shield, Vol. 12: Stardom in Dallas

“The Silver Shield” is a column by Kasey Kazliner about the National Hockey League.

A Star-studded cast

In recent years, the Dallas Stars are a team that consistently reaches the playoffs, but can’t quite hoist the Stanley Cup. Coming off of a Western Conference Finals loss last season, the Stars are seeking their first title since 1999 this year with a deep, talented roster. Currently, Dallas narrowly leads the stacked Central Division with 76 points on a 34-15-8 record, with the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets close in the rearview mirror.

Under the helm of head coach Peter DeBoer, the Stars operate differently than most premier NHL powerhouses. The Stars are the epitome of a team that doesn’t need to have a bona fide “face of the franchise” superstar to be dominant. In fact, Dallas doesn’t have a single player in the league’s top-25 in points; depth is what is pushing the Stars to new galaxies. Nine players with at least 10 goals this season indicates the dynamic roster’s depth that reigning General Manager of the Year Jim Nill is so proud of.

Left winger Jason Robertson is one clear example of a selfless player. He may not be having the same level of success he had last year when he posted a franchise record of 109 points and was an All-Star, but the 24-year-old still leads the team with 56 points, including 38 assists. While regression is frustrating for any player, the fact that the Stars are still leading the Central speaks a lot to the distribution of scoring across the entire roster, and Robertson is still an elite player nonetheless.

In November, I highlighted Joe Pavelski’s ageless success, which is still holding up over halfway through the season. The first-line right winger started the season on a hot streak and has since slowed down a bit, but is still producing consistent points for Dallas.

Centerman Matt Duchene has been vital on Dallas’ second line. Duchene joined the Stars this past offseason on a one-year, $3 million deal, and his addition has turned the team’s second unit into a goal-scoring juggernaut. A change of scenery is what Duchene needed; at 33 years old, he has 55 points and is bound to have one of the best seasons of his career.

Second-line left winger Mason Marchment leads the Stars with a plus-22 rating and has been versatile in the offensive zone. Marchment has recorded points in all but two games in February, and his aggressiveness and efficiency have contributed to his newfound dominance this season. Winger Tyler Seguin has also been a big part of the second line’s success, with similar numbers to those of Marchment.

Roope Hintz has thrived as Dallas’ first-line center, and his team-leading 23 goals can back this up. Although February has been a rather low-key month for Hintz, he’s still putting together a very solid season in his sixth with the Stars.

Goaltender Jake Oettinger was Dallas’ lone All-Star representative this season. Like Robertson, he’s not having the same success as last year, but, if he’s established one thing, it’s that he’s a pure winner. Oettinger is one of eight goalies to win 20 or more games this season, and he’ll look to raise his .904 save percentage the rest of the way through. Defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley are a stout blueline pair and should continue to protect Oettinger at all costs.

The Stars most recently took a sip from the Clarence Campbell Bowl in 2020, but they had their Cup hopes shattered by the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. But, with talent in all positions in 2023-24, Dallas is bound for a deep playoff run if it can keep up its winning ways.

The Stars will attempt to create space in the Central standings when they take on the Ottawa Senators Thursday at 4 p.m. PST.

The 2024 NHL Stadium Series

MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, was the host site of the 2024 NHL Stadium Series. An annual tradition since 2014, the Stadium Series is always a colorful, jam-packed event that gives fans the unique opportunity to watch their teams skate outdoors. This year, MetLife hosted four Atlantic Division foes for two games: Devils vs. Flyers on February 17 and Islanders vs. Rangers on February 18. This year’s edition of the Stadium Series featured two games for the first time since 2016.

New Jersey Devils vs. Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers may have outshot the Devils 48-40, but New Jersey still found a way to win thanks to its scoring flurry. Devils captain Nico Hischier recorded three points on two goals and an assist in what was a dominant 6-3 victory for New Jersey. The 25-year-old center got things started less than a minute into the game, putting the Devils up 1-0 on a breakaway chance.

New Jersey doubled its advantage 13 minutes later when winger Tyler Toffoli tapped in a rebound off the faceoff. Each team added two goals in the second period, with Flyers winger Owen Tippett lighting the lamp on both occasions for Philadelphia.

Up 4-2 in the third, Hischier scored his second goal of the game off a takeaway. Although Philly scored again, Devils winger Nathan Bastian put the nail in the coffin by scoring on the empty net for his second goal of the contest. Goaltender Nico Daws made 45 saves for his sixth win of the season. Six New Jersey skaters had at least two points in what was a slugfest for the largest crowd in Devils history.

New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers

In a game that averaged 1.6 million viewers, the New York rivals put on a show. The Rangers opened up scoring early in the first period on a slap shot from Erik Gustafsson from the point, but then proceeded to allow four unanswered Islanders goals. Down 4-1 early in the second, center Vincent Trocheck scored back-to-back goals to bring the Blueshirts within one.

The Isles regained a two-goal lead early in the third thanks to a lucky bounce that allowed defenseman Alexander Romanov to tap the puck in with ease. The Rangers, however, showed once again that they weren’t going to quit. On a power play while their net was empty, winger Chris Kreider deflected in a pass from Artemi Panarin from near the blue line to bring the score within one. Next, on yet another power play with the net vacant, center Mika Zibanejad powerfully scored in a one-timer from the left side of the net to force overtime.

The Rangers only needed 10 seconds of overtime before Panarin notched the game-winning goal off a costly Islanders turnover in their own zone. The goal posts were hit out of line during the play, but referees deemed the goal to be good, as the integrity of the net was not disturbed. Panarin earned his third point of the night on the play, with the final score being 6-5.

Houston Rockets owner wants NHL franchise in Houston

According to Bloomberg News, Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta reportedly has been in talks with the NHL to potentially bring a franchise to downtown Houston. The city is home to an NBA, NFL and MLB franchise, but has never hosted hockey at the NHL level.

Fertitta reportedly said that he hopes to either own an expansion team or bring an existing team to Houston. Last month, the owners of the Utah Jazz made their pitch to the NHL about bringing a team to Salt Lake City, so it is clear that the league is open to the possibility of having more than 32 teams.

While Fertitta added that his interest in bringing the NHL to Houston has spanned over seven years, recent discussions have become more serious.

Texas has multiple teams in all major sports leagues except for the NHL, as the Stars are the lone franchise in the state. So, adding a team in Houston would make sense. The Coyotes have been the most obvious candidate for relocation in recent years, so Houston may try to lure them in if they can’t get an arena deal done soon in Arizona. Otherwise, expect billionaire Fertitta to push for an expansion bid in the coming years.

“The Silver Shield” runs every Thursday.