Well, that was fun!
For the first time since Oct. 14, and only the second time all season, the Dallas Stars won a game by at least two goals and did it to the tune of a 7-0 beatdown of the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Thursday night. The Stars now head home for two quick games, riding a four-game winning streak, before heading North West next week.
It might be obvious to say this about a score as lopsided as this one, but this win was the definition of a team effort. Casey DeSmith made 24 stops, two players had three points, two had two points, every defenseman had a point, and in fact, only three skaters did not get on the scoresheet.
Related: Stars Shut Out Canadiens as Johnston Nets 100th Career Goal
It was by far their most impressive win, and it was a long time coming, even if it is only the middle of November. It’s been a season of grinding out victories and battling through injuries, and if it feels good to watch a dominant performance like that, you know the players and coaching staff are on cloud nine.
There’s a lot to get to, so let’s dive in.
Casey DeSmith’s Performance Overlooked in Blowout Win
If you simply look at the score, you would think that the Stars dominated from pillar to post and DeSmith’s shutout was merely a formality. That was far from the case on Thursday night.
The Canadiens put the Stars on their heels early and finished the opening period with 14 shots to Dallas’ five. If it wasn’t for DeSmith, the Canadiens could’ve easily been up 2-0, or more, before Wyatt Johnston opened the scoring on the power play at 14:21 of the first period. By the seven-minute mark of the middle period, the Stars were up 3-0, and a lot of that was due to DeSmith buying his team time with big saves at key moments.
It seems that there was an additional incentive for DeSmith in Montreal.
“I think (DeSmith) told me this is his favorite rink,” Jason Robertson said post-game.” I think he said his father was here, too. It was like a perfect thing, and we wanted to play hard for him at the end. He had to make some big saves and credit to him to stick with it, too.”
If DeSmith’s performance was overlooked on Thursday night, the same can be said for his impact on this season as a whole. Through six games, DeSmith is 4-1-1 with a 2.29 goals against average (GAA) and a .910 save percentage (SV%). His only regulation loss was a 5-3 defeat against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 16. In the five games since, DeSmith has allowed three goals twice, two goals once, one goal once, and obviously, posted a shutout.
You might say that I am overstating Casey’s role in the Stars’ success, but this is a lot more “big picture” than you might think. Starting goaltender Jake Oettinger has started between 54 and 62 starts in each of the last three seasons. Consequently, by the time the Western Conference Final comes around, he seems out of gas. If DeSmith continues to play at a high level and plays more often, this could pay dividends in the form of Oettinger playing out of his mind in late May (especially with Oettinger, more than likely going to the 2026 Olympics.)
This is just my opinion, and if you take a look around Dallas media, I’m not the only one who has it.
Robertson Explodes on Short Canadien Road Trip
What did I tell you?
In my pre-game article Thursday, I mentioned that it felt like Jason Robertson was ready to burst out of his goal-less shell. I know, pretty bold to predict that about a 40-goal scorer, eh?
Before Tuesday’s game in Ottawa, Robertson had only three goals and 11 assists, but he led his team in shots and by a mile at that. He was constantly creating chances and around the play, and it just felt like he was due to break out at any minute.
On Tuesday, Robertson had a goal and two assists en route to a 3-2 overtime victory against the Senators. On Thursday, he had two goals and an assist, totaling three goals and six points in two quick games across the border.
Wyatt Johnston Hits Career Milestone
After 264 regular-season games and two straight 30-plus goal seasons (32 and 33), Johnston scored his 100th career goal on Thursday night.
Johnston’s offensive acumen continues to be a revelation, both 5-on-5 and on the power play, and he seems to be getting to another level playing alongside Mikko Rantanen.
Related: Stars’ Big 3 Clicking as Dallas Heads to Montreal
This season, Johnston has 11 goals and 21 points in 18 games, including eight goals and 13 points on the power play. Last season, he had 25 power-play points. We’re not even a quarter of the way through the season, and he already has a third of the goals he had last season and more than half the power-play points. Game by game, he’s getting better and better, and has quickly become an important part of this Dallas offense.
Final News and Notes
On Thursday night, Alexander Petrovic scored his first goal in 59 NHL games. His last goal in the NHL was on April 2, 2018, against the Carolina Hurricanes as a member of the Florida Panthers.
Petrovic has been a mainstay for the Texas Stars in the American Hockey League, that is, until the playoffs, where he has had regular ice time for the big club in the last two playoff runs. His 16 games this season have already surpassed the six games he played in the NHL over the previous two seasons.
Miro for Norris! Miro Heiskanen has been one of the best defensemen in the NHL for the last seven seasons, but rarely gets the Norris Trophy (award for best defenseman in the NHL) love that the other top defensmen get. The reason for that is that the award tends to go to a player with a lot of points, and less so to a player who is strictly just a solid defenseman. Miro’s numbers have dipped the last couple of seasons, especially last season, due to missing 32 games to injury.
In 2025-26, Heiskanen has three goals and 17 points, which is third in the league amongst defenseman.
