In this edition of Stars’ News & Rumors, Dallas breaks an NHL record, Roope Hintz records his first career hat trick, & more.
Hats Off For Hintz
After a tough start to the season, Roope Hintz has found his stride. In fact, he has found more than just his stride. Since scoring his first goal of the season on November 10, he has scored 10 goals in the last 10 games. During that time, he has tallied 13 points, two shorthanded goals, recorded a career-long five-game point streak and capped it off with his first career hat trick on Tuesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes.
After scoring in the opening minutes for the second straight game, Hintz scored on a breakaway and finished the game with an empty netter to seal the victory for Dallas.
“When you’re getting all those chances and you’re a good player, it’s going to go in. It is, and it was just a matter of time. I know whatever his stats were after 10 games, but if he wasn’t getting chances then you’ll have a whole other conversation and a whole other set of worries, but when you see your best player getting chances like that you know it’s going to go in. It was just a matter of time.”
– Stars head coach Rick Bowness
Hintz has been a huge part of the overall success of the Stars’ top line along with Joe Pavelski and Jason Robertson. Over the last month (13 games), that trio has accounted for 22 goals and 24 assists, seemingly making a difference in every game. Pavelski leads the Stars in points, currently riding four straight multi-point games while Robertson has recorded 15 points over his last 11 games. To put it simply, they are playing on a higher level than any opponent they have faced.
Related: Stars Use Home-Heavy November to Turn The Tide of Season
Robertsons’ Goal is One for The Record Books
When Jason Robertson scored the first goal of the game just 1:08 into the first period on Thursday night, it marked the fourth consecutive game that Dallas scored within the first 75 seconds of a game. Believe it or not, this was the first time in NHL history. Here is a look at each of the four goals leading to the NHL record.
- Nov. 26 vs. Colorado (1:12) | Pavelski
- Nov. 27 at Arizona (0:54) | Hintz
- Nov. 30 vs. Carolina (1:13) | Hintz
- Dec. 2 vs. Columbus (1:08) | Robertson
Aside from the record, these fast starts have helped Dallas control the game during their recent run. Before Columbus took a 2-1 lead in the second period, the Stars had not trailed for any time over their previous five games.
While they did not lead throughout the entire contest on Thursday, the Stars still found a way to win, proving they are a team that can overcome adversity once again.
Stars Face Emergency Backup Goalie
It was a unique Thursday evening as the Stars took on the Columbus Blue Jackets at the American Airlines Center. Due to an illness to both Elvis Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo, the Blue Jackets were forced to use their emergency call-up, bringing in Daniil Tarasov from the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League. Tarasov played well in his NHL debut, stopping 34 of 37 shots in the 3-2 loss to Dallas. Luckily for Columbus, Merzlikins was available to back up during the game. If he was not, they would have needed to call on the Stars default ‘Emergency Backup Goalie’ (EBUG) to fill that spot.
Stars Photo-Bomb The Playoff Picture
The statistics show that most NHL teams who sit in a playoff spot around Thanksgiving, remain in a playoff spot when the regular season comes to an end. While this is just a statistic, it remains good news for the Dallas Stars. After a poor start to the season, the Stars have won six straight games and eight of their last nine overall. This run has propelled them into the third spot in the Central Division, only trailing the second-place St. Louis Blues by one point with two games-in-hand. While the Stars have played nearly perfect hockey over that stretch, they know their success is not something to take for granted.
“You can’t take anything for granted. It can go the other way real quick. It’s important we don’t take anything for granted because there’s a lot of effort and a lot of little things getting done right now. Lots of commitment to the game and details. Those things add up.”
– Stars forward Joe Pavelski
Dallas wraps up their current three-game homestand with a matchup against the Arizona Coyotes on Monday night. This will be the second matchup this season for the new division rivals with the Stars taking the first game 3-2 in Arizona.