The Dallas Stars need just one win to reach the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff semi-finals and if they find themselves in an advantageous position, it’s because of the performance of their players. -keys.
Since the beginning of the playoffs, the best elements of the formation of head coach Peter DeBoer have indeed occupied the top of the pavement. With two goals and an assist in game five of the second round against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, Roope Hintz joined Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers at the top of the Bettman league in scoring; he has 18 points in 11 postseason games, after collecting 75 during the regular season.
Then, Jason Robertson (11), Max Domi (10) and Jamie Benn (10) each have at least ten points, while Joe Pavelski has amassed nine despite a five-game absence due to a body check. of Minnesota Wild Matthew Dumba. So DeBoer is very grateful for the contribution of his stalwarts, especially Hintz, a key player in the 5-2 win that gave the Stars a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
“He was a dominant player for us and he got up in the most important moments. It was obviously a crucial game and within the first 10 minutes he let everyone in the building know he was there to play. He pretty much single-handedly carried our group, which he did for quite a bit the whole series,” DeBoer told NHL.com.
However, everyone’s contribution remains essential in order to accumulate victories in the spring. The Stars believe they have understood the message.
“Everyone has to go the extra mile. These are the series games that you want to play. You want to play, battle, compete for your teammates, your keeper, your fans and everything. These encounters are fun,” said Robertson.
Nothing is lost
On the Seattle side, everyone knows the precariousness of the situation and intends to redouble their ardor in order to orchestrate a decisive comeback.
“They are talented, big and fast, whatever qualifiers you want to use. But I think we played some really good hockey,” defenseman Adam Larsson said. I have confidence that we can return to this series. It’s far from over. We just need to regroup and keep pushing forward.”
Except that in addition to work, it takes logical decisions on the ice and a strategy that works, according to forward Jordan Eberle.
“We want to play aggressively, tiptoe, and skate. […] You want to build a fast formation, but you have to be smart, he said. We can’t dive all over the place and concede overkill or scoring chances. We must count on a presence of experience which will help us to determine when to do this and not to do that. Even if you are 98% certain, the puck ends up in our net in the remaining 2%. So let’s find a way to keep playing like this and reduce the opponent’s chances.”
The sixth Stars-Kraken game will take place on Saturday at 7 p.m. on TVA Sports.