3 thoughts on Dallas Stars preseason win against Colorado Avalanche

The Dallas Stars are 4-0…in the preseason. But who cares? Let’s get into some thoughts.

Kole Lind is separating himself a bit

In my opinion, Kole Lind has impressed the most–of the guys battling for a roster spot– during the preseason. Oskar Bäck has also been great, and I feel that those two have a leg up on the rest.

Tonight, Lind was all over the ice. He once again demanded the puck, was constantly in the right spot, and made smart, creative plays once he had possession. On the power play, he made two nice passes coming down the flank and nearly scored on another one he snapped on net.

But its’s not just what he does on the attack that impresses me. He gets in on the forecheck and causes turnovers–did it a few times tonight with Matěj Blümel on a two-man forecheck.

Equally as important, Lind looks like he is not overthinking things. His 128 points in 134 American Hockey League games over the past two seasons, plus two deep runs into the Calder Cup Final probably has a lot to do with that.

“You definitely have to work smart and hard,” Lind said. “But you definitely have to find the balance between the two because you don’t want to be running around doing other people’s jobs… Managing the game and managing the puck.

Lind also added an empty-net goal to seal the win.

“Feel strong and powerful out there, and I’ve done a good job showing what I bring,” he said.

On the flip side, Blümel has admittedly been trying a bit too hard. And it has shown in certain aspects of the game. His hands have looked jumpy at times, and he has held onto the puck too long or not long enough. He told me that he has had to work hard to keep his confidence and avoid frustration over the past two seasons after not yet reaching his ultimate goal.

Blümel did finish tonight’s game with four shots, including a nice play to spring in on a breakaway–he missed the net with a rolling puck– and he had some good moments as well.

Dallas was not so good in their own zone

The Stars will certainly not think of this game as one of their best defensively. There were far too many instances of a wide-open Avalanche skater getting the puck in a scoring area. A perfect example was the second Colorado goal.

Both Thomas Harley and Ilya Lyubushkin, along with Matt Duchene, chased the puck behind the net and vacated the high-danger area. The pass got through, and Parker Kelly had an easy goal.

Harley and Lyubushkin had some adventures, Lian Bichsel and Esa Lindell had even more and looked a bit lost at times. And the entire team went into a lull in the second period just as they did on Wednesday against Minnesota.

But those are the sort of things that get worked out during the preseason. And it is nothing that the coaching staff is worried about.

Preseason hockey is so weird

It really is weird.

Sometimes it is incredibly difficult to judge a preseason game, whether looking at the team overall or an individual. When Lindell makes a few mistakes, how much of that is a bunch of new faces mixed with some prospects that haven’t played together? How much of it is a preseason game against a very young Colorado lineup? And how much do you actually take stock in?

I don’t have the answer. But this game, like the other three, was very sloppy and wide-open at times. It was also pretty fun to watch.

One thing that is not weird is the chemistry between Duchene and Tyler Seguin. The two, along with Mason Marchment, were one of the best lines in the NHL last season before the injury to Seguin. Tonight, the duo picked up right where they left off on Wednesday and last year.

Duchene loves playing the Avalanche–he has seven points in his last seven games against Colorado–and the former Av did not take long to get things going tonight:

Despite playing without Marchment, this line was great again. Seguin and Duchene each finished with three points. They began the game with Evgenii Dadonov on the wing but swapped Jamie Benn to their line to begin the third period.

They created chances and scored twice with Dadonov, and they tallied immediately on their first shift in the third… on a play that brought back some old memories:

“That play is all Jamie Benn with that sauce… Gave me a little spark. Felt like the old days, little sauce backdoor,” Seguin said.

Dallas will wrap up the preseason with two road games–Sunday in Minnesota and Thursday in St. Louis.