Smooth, like the grip of a firearm
[Mavrik] is the moniker
Untamed, as an Oregon gale
Sweeping through a gorge
Easier to domesticate
This particular contest was conducted under specific limitations, which initially proved to be quite restrictive.
With Lian Bichsel and Adam Erne sidelined, three of the Stars’ reserve defensemen stepped in due to Heiskanen’s absence. Additionally, Michael Bunting and Radek Faksa rejoined the lineup after a hiatus, naturally prompting some experimental configurations.
When a game’s outcome is inconsequential, this strategic approach is likely a coach’s optimal choice. Resting key players when possible and exploring various tactical alignments that might be needed in the future is prudent. Playoff campaigns are (hopefully) extensive, and the necessity to adapt a player’s role can arise unexpectedly. Gaining even a preliminary understanding before critical moments demand such adjustments makes this the ideal game for such trials.
This explains why Arttu Hyry was deployed on the wing instead of his usual center position. It also clarifies why Michael Bunting was elevated to the Johnston/Rantanen line and Tyler Myers was paired with Esa Lindell. Early on, these experimental combinations created more difficulties than they resolved.
Gulutzan highlighted that a couple of mismanaged line changes resulted in conceded goals that night. The Stars did indeed appear disjointed at times, but given the significant departures of this lineup from their standard configuration, a degree of initial disarray was somewhat understandable.
“I believe it was a match against a skillful team that was playing somewhat loosely, and they had a very strong first period,” Matt Duchene reflected post-game. “We weren’t at our best, but they came out aggressively. Then we managed to score a couple of quick ones. Ultimately, we persevered. I think that’s the positive takeaway.”
No one will be declaring a ‘Mission Accomplished’ after conceding five goals, but as Duchene further noted, the playoffs can present any type of game, and the Stars demonstrated resilience to secure a victory in a chaotic affair.
However, another aspect of constraints is their potential to inspire remarkable performances. Amidst the pandemonium, the Stars’ primary orchestrator was Mavrik Bourque, whose four-point evening commenced with a brilliant solo effort early in the second period. He intercepted a hazardous pass from William Nylander and scored unassisted, igniting the first comeback. Five minutes later, he added a second goal by fearlessly driving to the net and converting a rebound, putting Toronto on the defensive.
Bourque subsequently notched an assist four minutes later, initiating a brilliant play that culminated in Robertson’s 45th goal of the season. Among all the line combinations, these three players likely shared the most recent experience, and it was evident in their performance tonight. Duchene accumulated three assists, while Robertson also contributed two points.
However, after the Stars found themselves trailing 5-3 early in the third period, it appeared the otherwise meaningless game would conclude in defeat for the participants. But then, another crucial asset the Stars will need in the postseason emerged: Wyatt Johnston, on the power play. Because, naturally, he couldn’t simply allow Jason Robertson to be the sole player to reach 45 goals that night, could he?
Still, the Stars required another goal to complete their second comeback, and that’s when their depth players ultimately delivered. After an evening marked by frustration and adjustments, Arttu Hyry’s skill shone through. Having previously sent a shot off the crossbar in one of his three earlier scoring opportunities, Hyry ultimately netted the tying goal thanks to relentless forechecking and a fortunate turn of events, as Troy Stecher frantically swatted the puck away from Hyry, only to redirect it into his own net.
“As coaches often remark, effective forechecking leads to goals,” Hyry commented. “I didn’t even need to take a shot, but I’m certainly happy that one counted.”
However, it would be disingenuous not to mention the overall sloppiness from both teams throughout the game. This was most glaringly illustrated when Kyle Capobianco mishandled the puck at the point, resulting in a dangerous turnover and a breakaway for Nicholas Robertson in the third period of a 5-5 game. Yet, with the lead hanging precariously, DeSmith delivered his most crucial save of the night. Mavrik Bourque had a perfect vantage point for that entire sequence.
“Significant stop, truly significant,” Bourque observed. “I was seated right next to his brother, who was quite thrilled about it, so it was actually pretty amusing.”
Still, that wasn’t Bourque’s finest moment of the third period. With five minutes remaining, he completed his first NHL hat trick by again driving to the net, outmaneuvering Oliver Ekman-Larsson to tap in a rebound for what became the decisive goal.
“Let me tell you,” Duchene stated, “I’ll be actively seeking him out every time I possess the puck in Buffalo, aiming to help him achieve that 20th [goal]. Given it’s a contract year for him, reaching that milestone would be excellent.”
When the chaos subsided, a truly entertaining hockey game had unfolded. High-scoring affairs often are. Furthermore, Bourque reaching 19 goals on the season is a notable achievement. In fact, he now holds sole possession of fourth place on the team in goals and trails third place by only three. If tonight’s performance is any indication, that deficit is certainly not insurmountable for the second-year forward.
Both goaltenders were tested early, with Easton Cowan and Wyatt Johnston generating quality scoring chances in the initial minute. However, Arttu Hyry caught Troy Stecher with a high stick on his first shift, leading to a Toronto power play.
Dallas successfully defended the initial phase of the penalty kill, but a questionable decision by Myers to attempt a bump pass to Blackwell at the netfront went awry. Tavares swiftly capitalized, burying his 31st goal of the season:
Dallas earned its own power play midway through the first period when Colin Blackwell’s individual effort drew an interference call on Morgan Rielly. However, the most interesting aspect of this power play was Kyle Capobianco quarterbacking the second unit, and the two minutes elapsed without a goal.
Benn directed a quick one-timer through traffic towards the net just after even strength play resumed, but it was stopped by Akhtyamov. Following another rush opportunity for Dallas where Rantanen, Johnston, and Bunting attempted a tic-tac-toe play that Johnston couldn’t complete to Bunting, the Leafs extended their lead with a wraparound that snuck past DeSmith just in time for Jacob Quillan to, let’s say, “guide” the puck in with his skate, marking his first NHL goal:
I was somewhat surprised there appeared to be no review of the goal, but considering the game held no significance for Dallas, perhaps everyone simply wanted to continue playing. Still, I found it curious that Rantanen’s goal the other night warranted a more extensive review than this one did.
Also, if we’re being particular, Myers probably should have held his position at the post rather than diving for the puck—a tendency he’s exhibited a few times with Dallas thus far—as he would then have been in a better position to help contain Quillan. But again, the game’s outcome is irrelevant for Dallas, so I don’t imagine anyone is overly concerned with it.
The Leafs then added a third goal, benefiting from a fortunate deflection and a skillful play, as William Nylander found a airborne rebounding puck and batted it through DeSmith’s five-hole as if executing that precise maneuver:
In summary, it wasn’t an ideal first period for the Stars, but as Brien Rea mentioned during the first intermission, Toronto could be expected to play with extra vigor, as they were competing for pride in their final home game of the year—and potentially Morgan Rielly’s last home appearance as a Leaf.
Mavrik Bourque, however, is not one to be intimidated by the occasion. After Wyatt Johnston committed a turnover early in the second period, generating a scoring chance for Toronto, Mavrik Bourque then intercepted a highly questionable pass from William Nylander and snapped it five-hole, reducing the deficit to 3-1 just 52 seconds into the frame.
The sloppiness was quite reciprocal in this game, and the Leafs had three near-misses shortly thereafter, including a Matthew Knies poke after Lyubushkin was caught out of position on the rush.
But Bourque struck again, doubling his tally for the night by finishing off a Robertson backhand shot from the rush to make it 3-2:
Jamie Benn immediately incurred a tripping penalty on Stecher, but this time, Dallas successfully killed the penalty, though it required a crucial DeSmith save and a painful Oskar Bäck block.
Nevertheless, good fortune favors those who excel at hockey, as the saying I just invented goes. Jason Robertson proved that adage as true as ever when he capped off a superb shift—during which he and his line repeatedly regained possession—with a goal to level the game at three.
Arttu Hyry then had two opportunities to put Dallas ahead, but one shot ricocheted off the crossbar, and the other (a deflection) was thwarted by Artur Akhtyamov. The Faksa line also generated a couple of dangerous looks soon after.
Dallas’s pressure persisted late, and Rantanen was brought down by Ryan Tverberg during a Stars rush, resulting in a power play with 1:59 remaining in the period. The top unit remained on the ice for the entire duration, creating no fewer than four prime scoring chances, only for Akhtyamov to make significant saves each time, from two looks by Johnston to a clear shot by Rantanen alone in the slot. The period concluded 3-3, which somehow felt like less than Dallas deserved. (Perhaps Toronto isn’t performing well this season.)
Nick Robertson nearly matched his brother with a tip attempt early in the third period, but DeSmith held firm. That would not be the case a moment later, however, when Johnston’s turnover in the offensive zone led to a 2-on-1 rush in the opposite direction. Nylander fed Domi, leaving DeSmith defenseless. The score became 4-3, Leafs.
Johnston almost immediately atoned for his error, hitting the post on a low chance after Toronto failed to clear the puck past Harley at the blue line.
But only chipped paint resulted, and the Leafs capitalized on a less accurate shot moments later.
A Troy Stecher point shot missed both the goalie and the posts, only to carom hard off the end boards directly to Nick Robertson. With DeSmith having advanced to challenge the initial shot, the angle was perfect after the unintentional pass, making it 5-3:
Bunting struck another post through traffic right after that goal, following some effective work along the boards, but in Canada, posts do not count. (Nor do they anywhere else.) This point was further emphasized on the Stars’ subsequent power play when Rantanen advanced from the point following a face-off win and unleashed a sizzling shot—you guessed it—off the post and out of play.
But events somehow grew even stranger thereafter, as Dallas once again overcame a multi-goal deficit. First, with a Wyatt Johnston power play goal from his customary spot, as if it were a routine play (which, for him, it is):
And then the crowning achievement of the absolutely wild game, when Arttu Hyry so thoroughly disoriented Troy Stecher in a puck battle that Stecher inadvertently directed the puck past his own goaltender and into his net:
Just like that, it was 5-5. At this juncture, one might reasonably begin to suspect that the Leafs had some significant defensive vulnerabilities.
However, they weren’t the only team in this game to earn that assessment. The already loose affair became even more chaotic when Nick Robertson capitalized on a Kyle Capobianco turnover high in the zone, receiving a breakaway pass that only DeSmith’s right pad could thwart.
Hyry later took a puck to the face during that sequence and was clearly in discomfort. Yet, being resilient, he still played the puck before heading to the bench for attention. He would also return for the game’s final minute, appearing none the worse for wear.
The Stars then secured their first lead of the game after Mavrik Bourque executed a strong play along the boards and an even better one in front of the net to complete his first NHL hat trick with five minutes remaining:
Berube pulled the netminder in the concluding minutes, and it required a critical block by Matt Duchene to prevent a dangerous Nylander shot from between the circles from reaching the net. Toronto was unable to pull their goalie again until there were only 20 seconds left, however, and Benn combined with Bourque to smother the puck along the boards as time expired.
What began as an early 3-0 deficit culminated in a memorable night for Bourque and the Stars, who now boast 110 points with one final regular-season game left to play.
Dallas’s player lineup consisted of:
Bunting-Johnston-Rantanen
Robertson-Duchene-Bourque
Benn-Hryckowian-Hyry
Bäck-Faksa-Blackwell
Lindell-Myers
Harley-Lyubushkin
Capobianco-Petrovic
DeSmith
Toronto’s lineup featured:
Cowan-Tavares-Nylander
Knies-Domi-Robertson
Maccelli-Haymes-Jarnkrok
Lorentz-Quillan-Tverberg
Rielly-Stecher
Benoit-McCabe
OEL-Villeneuve
Akhtyamov
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Frank Seravalli reported during the first intermission that Sam Steel is traveling with the team and might play on Wednesday in Buffalo, which offers a moderately optimistic update for the Stars winger, aligning with previous statements from Gulutzan over the past week. As always, we await further developments.
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The Robertson Duel invariably delivers an entertaining game, as Mercedes Robertson’s attire demonstrated:
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However, the more significant intermission content was the segment featuring Very Good Dogs:
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I’m still puzzled by how Jake McCabe misfired on this shot, but it was merely the initial part of an amusing sequence early in the second period:
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The subsequent humorous moment involved Casey DeSmith, who literally vaulted over a shot to avoid being used as a backboard for a shot on goal:
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This remarkable reflex save by DeSmith on Knies more than compensated for that brief moment of levity, however:
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Arttu Hyry unleashed this shot off the crossbar, serving as a reminder of his deceptively powerful release:
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I thought Michael Bunting’s performance improved as the game progressed. He’s an intelligent player, and he sent a sneaky shot off a post. If he can develop chemistry with Rantanen and Johnston, it allows Hryckowian to play further down the lineup. We’ll see how everyone is positioned tomorrow, but again, having options is beneficial.
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Radek Faksa, in my opinion, was similarly consistent. There was no hesitation in his play, which is a positive indicator. However, evaluating his response in his first game since February will likely be the more accurate assessment.
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Tyler Myers’s action on the first goal was subpar, but his involvement in the second Leafs goal was, I felt, more intricate. If you don’t mind, I’d like to quickly review it.
Initially, Myers attempted to keep a puck in at the point that had come back to him high, and he could only shovel it to the side to avert a clear breakaway. It wasn’t an ideal play, but he was in a difficult situation from the start and prevented the worst-case scenario.
From there, he was tightly positioned on his man at the blue line, only for the weak-side forward Lorentz (18 blue) to outpace Benn along the wall because Lorentz had superior momentum when the initial turnover occurred. This forced Myers into a drastic, belated adjustment.
Myers extends his full reach, which is just enough to prevent the shot initially…
…but regrettably, DeSmith had advanced to challenge what initially seemed like a potential breakaway, and he was too far out to easily transition post-to-post after Lorentz carried the puck behind the net, as depicted here.
The outcome: DeSmith desperately dove across, and the puck slid past him to Quillan for his inaugural NHL goal.
Given the game’s ultimate conclusion, perhaps everyone can accept that. Honestly, I’m still reserving my judgment on Myers until we reach the postseason.
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Is this favorable? It certainly appears to be good. I suspect it might be quite positive.
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Finally, it was a truly heartwarming moment to witness Joe Bowen receive a prolonged, heartfelt ovation from the crowd in his concluding home game. Each time a long-standing play-by-play announcer concludes their tenure, it feels like a loss for the hockey community, and this one particularly so. Nevertheless, it was wonderful to see Bowen garner such well-deserved recognition from the fans he has dedicated himself to serving.
