After a two-week break for the majority of NHLers and the rest playing in a physically and emotionally intense best-on-best tournament, the NHL is back, and it was fair to expect a brand of hockey that wasn’t necessarily polished. Take one look at Saturday’s scoreboard, and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. Scores of 8-2, 6-3, 8-3, and 5-1 were all over the place, and the Dallas Stars game against the New Jersey Devils was no different.
Related: Stars Put Up Great Performance at 4 Nations Face-Off
Yes, the Stars won 4-2. Not the most outrageous score, by any means. However, if you watched the game, it was full of sloppy play. That came to fruition in a four-goal third period, with three of those coming in 100 seconds. But, a win is a win, and the Stars got one on Saturday night.
Sunday night against the New York Islanders was a little more structured as they beat the Islanders 4-3, but was still sloppy at times and certainly back and forth.
I must admit, as fun as the 4 Nations Face-Off was, I’m so happy the NHL is back and I can write about some on-ice action. With that being said, let’s dive into the weekend that was.
Start Strong, Finish Strong
The Stars didn’t play the tightest game on Saturday, especially in the first period. They were outshot 12-9, and goaltender Casey DeSmith kept them in the game early with a couple of great saves. Yet, they still found a way to get two on the board and finish the opening 20 minutes with a 2-0 lead. The Devils also outshot the Stars 3-1 on the power play, but after Evgenii Dadonov opened the scoring, they needed just one Thomas Harley wrist shot on the power play to double their lead.
In the third period, Jack Hughes brought the lead to within one exactly halfway through the final frame. Matt Duchene restored the two-goal lead 35 seconds later. That 3-1 lead didn’t last long, as Jack Hughes scored yet again, 65 seconds after that. The back and forth slowed down a little bit, but the Stars held on just long enough for Wyatt Johnston to seal the deal with an empty netter.
These are the games that mark great teams. They had two weeks off, their backup goalie in net, and played rusty defensively, but still, they found a way to get the job done. “This was a tough game to play after a break, on the road, especially when you look at some of the scores around the league,” head coach Pete DeBoer said after the game. “I liked our grit, and I loved our goalie. (DeSmith) was our best player tonight and we needed him to be. We did enough to win.”
Harley Rides 4 Nations Momentum
Harley had quite the few weeks before the season got back underway on Saturday. He became the go-to guy on the Stars’ blue line after Miro Heiskanen went down with an injury. Then, after not being named to Team Canada, Harley, Johnston, and a few other teammates were on their way to Cabo when Harley was called up on an emergency basis to join Team Canada. After no practice time and not being allowed on the ice, he played against Team USA last Saturday. In the final on Thursday, Josh Morrissey was ruled out shortly before the game due to illness, and Harley was back in the lineup on short notice, getting an assist on the first goal of the game.
Harley had a goal on Saturday against the Devils, and logged the most ice-time on the team, racking up 24:22 and four shots on goal. Only one other skater played more than 20 minutes, and that was fellow defenseman Esa Lindell, who had 22:13.
According to Sam Nestler of alldlls.com, DeBoer, who was an assistant coach for Team Canada, had a lot to say about the 4 Nations whirlwind that Harley went through. “The way he handled it was really impressive. I mean, just unflappable is probably the best word. And when you know Thomas’ personality, he’s probably the one guy that you know in that room that you could give that news to, and it wouldn’t affect him as much as someone else just because of the way he’s wired. But boy, he played some great hockey for us under those circumstances,” DeBoer said (from ‘3 Dallas Stars: Lian Bichsel goes full freight train in win at Devils’, All Dlls, Feb. 22, 2025).
He continued that great play into the next phase of the Stars’ season.
Lian Bichsel Continuing to Make a Name for Himself
For all the talk about Lian Bichsel and his importance for the future of the Stars’ blue line, both for this season and beyond, it’s hard to believe the kid has played only 18 games in the NHL. He has two goals and five points, most of which happened in his first few games, and is a plus-6. It’s been fun to watch his maturation as his season has gone on.
In the beginning, he was a strong, big defenseman who did the little things right, especially in his own end. Now, we’re seeing him evolve as his confidence continues to grow, specifically, with his physicality. The Swiss rookie, at 6-foot-7 and 231 pounds, is a big dude, and he’s used his body from day one. However, we’re seeing him use it more tactically and purposefully now. He has 73 hits in 18 games. To put that into context for this team, Colin Blackwell has 72 hits, but in 49 games, and Jamie Benn has 82 hits in 57 games.
The Stars have not been a physical team for a while now. They have the skill, defensive acumen, and goaltenders to hold it all together. What they don’t have, is the killer mindset that will punish opponents and make them think twice before battling for 50/50 pucks. They have it now with Bichsel, and it will be interesting to see how that progresses moving forward.
Bichsel sustained an upper-body injury against the Islanders and did not return, but no update has been given on his status. With big names already out of the lineup and his importance to the team that we’ve highlighted, the Stars can ill afford to lose another player.
Jason Robertson Continues to Bounce Back From Slow Start
On nights like Saturday, you need a few not-so-usual goal scorers to step up and get the job done. But on games like Sunday, your game-breakers need to take control, and that’s exactly what Jason Robertson did. With the game tied 1-1, he proceeded to score three goals in under nine minutes, including two on the power play. He was the first Stars player to score three goals in a single period since Jamie Benn did it on April 7, 2018.
After starting the season with nine goals and 28 points in 36 games, Robertson now has 14 goals and 26 points in his last 21 games. The scoring struggles of the 2024 portion of this season have been well-documented for the Stars, and Robertson had a lot to do with that. Well, that ship has sailed, and Robertson has had a lot to do with that too. The Stars’ depth scoring has been terrific, and every team needs those depth scorers. But, when the chips are down, your best players need to be your best players, and that’s what Robertson is right now for the Stars.
Jason wasn’t the only Robertson lighting the lamp on Sunday. His brother, Nicholas Robertson, scored two goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs in their 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. It was the first time brothers scored multiple goals on the same day since Pavel and Valeri Bure did it two and a half decades ago.
Picking Up Where They Left Off
Despite the sloppy nature of Saturday’s contest, the Stars got back to business with a much-needed win, and another one on Sunday. With two losses by the Colorado Avalanche, the Stars are now eight points up on their division rivals, four points up on the Minnesota Wild, and sit in second place in the Central Division. They are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and 20-7-1 at home. Remember when they stunk on the road? Well, they’ve flipped that narrative on its head, going 17-11-1 on the season, after starting the campaign 8-8-0 away from Dallas. On top of all of that, they are 15-5-1 in 2025, which makes them one of — if not the — hottest team in the NHL.
Not only were these wins important for the standings, but the 2025 Trade Deadline is next Friday, and the Stars need a clear picture of where they are at before that date hits. They already made a big move a few weeks ago, and with the emergence of Bichsel and the addition of Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci, we’ll see if the Stars feel like they need to add more. After all, the time is now for the Stars to win the Stanley Cup.
The Stars are in Columbus on Tuesday night to take on the Blue Jackets and will wrap up the work week back home on Friday when they face the Los Angeles Kings.
