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Stars provide blueprint for how to frustrate the Maple Leafs – Sportsnet.ca

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TORONTO – As his production fell off a cliff and a monkey hopped aboard his back, Tyler Seguin kept buying back into a philosophy that was destroying his stat line.

Since arriving in Dallas, the most familiar face on the Stars has ripped off six consecutive seasons in which he’s tallied between 72 and 84 points.

And yet, it’s this seventh season in green, when he’ll be hard pressed to hit 20 goals and 60 points (and still be a safe bet to lead the club in scoring), that his Stars have all the attributes and attitude of a group primed to make a deep run.

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The once run-and-gun Stars — just four years removed from wielding the most potent offence in the NHL — have invested the better part of two years now renovating and refining their identity.

They have emerged as the stingiest team in the West, allowing a mere 2.49 goals per game. And they are more than happy to fly up north, trudge through the snow, and bully and bore their way to a 3-2 regulation victory in Toronto against one of the sport’s most action-packed rosters.

“We played our identity. It can be boring, especially for some of our forwards. It can be boring to the camera. But it works. It produces wins, and we obviously love winning,” Seguin said.

So, is this suffocating, structured, life-sucking style more conducive to playoff success?

“One hundred per cent,” Seguin answered, smiling.

Make no mistake, Seguin was more than a little relieved to finally snuff out his epic 17-game, 71-shot, career-worst goal slump Thursday night in his hometown. So when he pounced on a power-play to strike in the third period, Seguin asked pal Jamie Benn to reach around and chuck the invisible primate off his back.

“Even the last time we played against the Leafs [on Jan. 29], I was thinking about goals a lot. And as of late, I’ve just not became discouraged,” Seguin admitted during the drought.

“I honestly had more people trying to reach out to me… just wondering if I’m OK or whatnot, and I tell them all I’m fine. I’m grinding through it. Our team has been playing well, I know I’m contributing to that, and we have a heck of a hockey team. We are winning games, so it’s definitely still exciting times.”

Stars coach Rick Bowness has a line for individual narratives: “Listen. The most important points are the two points the team gets — that’s what we’re selling.”

To a man, the Stars are buying in wholesale.

And if there’s a lesson Toronto can glean from the guys in green, so be it.

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In a near-perfect first road period, the Stars’ Denis Gurianov beat Frederik Andersen five-hole on the game’s first shot, then Dallas restricted the Leafs to a measly three shots on net.

Purveyors of the game’s gruntier arts, the Stars won the shot-block battle 18-4 and the hit parade 27-12, escaping with a victory despite getting outshot 31-19 by clamping things down and not giving up a single even-strength goal.

“They just play a really structured game. They don’t really give you much. They’re a patient team, they wait on their chances, and they just kind of all fall inside,” Auston Matthews said. “They got a good neutral zone, and they give up the least amount of chances in the NHL.”

Matthews had been flanked by dynamic wingers Mitch Marner and William Nylander to start the contest, but Keefe quickly abandoned the MNM Line when it failed to navigate the Stars’ land mines.

“They’re the kind of line,” Seguin said, “when they’re in the offensive zone, they maybe wait around an extra second to see if the puck gets turned over, so you can sometimes use that to your advantage. Just play them hard, defend hard, and you should get some odd-man rushes.

“If you’re a points guy, offensive guy, it can obviously suck sometimes if you’re looking for that, but we’ve all bought in and we understand the system and our identity and what works, and we go play all these teams that can score a lot of goals and just frustrate them.”

Once these Stars grab a lead, they hold it like a grudge. They don’t wander around cheating for cookies.

“Them getting a lead is huge for their style of play,” Andersen said. “They just try to shut ’er down and make the best of their opportunities.”

Maybe the contrast between the Stars and Leafs is more pronounced because Toronto is coming off a wild, flu-stricken week in which they found ways to squander a series of third-period leads.

Maybe age and experience could be a bigger factor here than some are ready to believe. (The Stars’ game-day dressing room playlist features classics from David Bowie and John Cougar, while the Leafs lean more toward the future classics of Young Thug.)

But there is a sense that the brand of space-limiting, 3-2, lockdown hockey we witnessed in Scotiabank Arena Thursday night is foreshadowing for the post-season aesthetic.

“It will depend on who we play. I don’t think it’s the kind of thing you flip a switch and do overnight. That team has been committed to it all season — they’re doing that as good or better than anybody in the league,” Keefe said. “That’s a real tough team to play against when you’re chasing a game.”

Thing is, they weren’t always this way. Since Seguin arrived, Dallas has a history of whiffing on the playoffs or going one-and-done. A more structured, stifling approach brought the Stars within an overtime goal of upsetting the eventual Cup champions in Round 2 last year.

Now, they believe they’ve stumbled upon a blueprint, and they’re aiming higher.

“We should be proud of how we played tonight. I think that’s the recipe,” said Andrew Cogliano, earning the right to spread wisdom after his 1,000th game. “It doesn’t look pretty sometimes, but there’s a reason why we’re third [in the West], and I think good defence and checking well goes a long way.

“Everyone likes to score. We know that. But we saw with St. Louis last year how you win in this league and how good teams win.

“So that’s our identity, and if we want any chance of having success, we need to play like that.”

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Allen on trade to Devils from Habs: 'Sometimes you've got to be a little bit selfish' – Yahoo Canada Sports

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Jake Allen loved being a member of the Montreal Canadiens.

The hockey-mad market, the crackling Bell Centre on a Saturday night, the Original Six franchise’s iconic logo.

The 33-year-old goaltender is also realistic.

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With the Canadiens still in full rebuild mode — and two young netminders in Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau ready for more playing time — Allen could see the writing on the wall.

Desperate for help in their own crease, the New Jersey Devils asked Montreal about the veteran’s availability. But the team, general manager Tom Fitzgerald told reporters earlier this month, was initially on Allen’s no-trade list.

There wasn’t anything the Fredericton product disliked about the organization or city. The Devils simply appeared to have their crease set for years to come.

But when the club that finished with 112 points and made the second round of the playoffs in 2022-23 was badly hampered by poor play from Vitek Vanecek, Nico Daws and Akira Schmid — each netminder owned save percentages below .900 — the Devils circled back.

And Allen had changed his tune.

“Loved my time as a Hab,” he said of pulling on Montreal’s red, white and blue threads. “I always will cherish that. Put on probably the most special jersey in hockey, in my books. But you realize in your career, it doesn’t last forever.

“You’ve got to make decisions sometimes.”

Allen, who is signed through next season, eventually agreed to a deal that sent him to New Jersey ahead of the NHL’s March 8 trade deadline for a conditional third-round pick at the 2025 draft.

Apart from playing meaningful hockey on a team trying to claw its way back into the Eastern Conference playoff race, the swap gave him more runway to get his family settled in a new city instead of waiting to see what this summer’s crowded goalie market might bring.

“Sometimes you’ve got to be a little bit selfish,” said Allen, a Stanley Cup champion with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. “Look yourself in the mirror and wonder what’s best for you and your family.”

He’s been really good for his new team.

Allen was lights out in Tuesday’s first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs, making an eye-popping 25 saves in what would turn into New Jersey’s 6-3 victory.

So far he’s 4-2-0 with a .925 save percentage and a 2.51 goals against average in six starts for the Devils, who sit five points back of the East’s second wild-card spot.

“A real pro,” said interim head coach Travis Green.

Allen is a combined 10-14-3 in 2023-24 with a .900 save percentage and a 3.39 GAA. Across his 11 seasons with St. Louis, Montreal and now New Jersey, he’s 193-164-41 with a .908 save percentage and 2.75 GAA.

“Makes the saves we need to get some momentum back,” Devils captain Nico Hischier said. “If you have a solid goalie in the net, that makes your work easier.”

Allen is also 11-12 with a .924 and a 2.06 GAA all-time in the playoffs — a good sign for his new club should New Jersey manage to make the cut.

For now, though, he’s just enjoying being back in a post-season race.

“I thought this was a good opportunity to come in the rest of this year, play some games,” Allen said.

“It’s been a good start.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2024.

___

Follow @JClipperton_CP on X.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press

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Matthews game-time decision for Maple Leafs against Capitals with illness – NHL.com

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TORONTOAuston Matthews will be a game-time decision for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SN1, MNMT) because of an illness.

“It’s going to be on how he feels throughout the day,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said.

The forward did not participate in Toronto’s morning skate. Max Domi took his place as the center on a line between Tyler Bertuzzi and Mitch Marner, a right wing recovering from a high-ankle sprain sustained March 7 and will be out the next two games.

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Matthews leads the NHL with 59 goals, one from becoming the ninth player in NHL history with at least two 60-goal seasons. He scored 60 in 73 games in 2021-22, when he won the Rocket Richard Trophy, Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award. He had one goal and nine shots in 23:44 of a 6-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, which extended his point streak to five games (four goals, seven assists).

He missed one game this season with illness, a 7-0 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 16.

“Of course, it’s an adjustment when your best player is out of the lineup,” Domi said, “when anybody is out of the lineup, but I think we’ve done a great job all year of guys stepping up when they have to, and we just have to continue to do that.”

Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly will miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury.

“He just remains day to day,” Keefe said. “We’re hopeful he’s going to bounce back here. The one thing that is good is once he gets through this day or two here, it’s not going to be a lingering situation. It’s not going to be an injury that’s ongoing. Once he’s past it, he’s past it so we just need to give him some time.”

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Canucks place goalie Thatcher Demko on long-term injured list

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The Vancouver Canucks have placed all-star goalie Thatcher Demko on the long-term injured reserve list retroactively.

“It’s just cap related,” coach Rick Tocchet said after practice Wednesday. “We get some cap relief, that’s all it is.”

The 28-year-old netminder has been considered week to week since being sidelined with a lower-body injury midway through Vancouver’s 5-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on March 9.

That injury designation hasn’t changed, Tocchet said.

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Demko boasts a 34-18-2 record this season, with a .917 save percentage, a 2.47 goals-against average and five shutouts.

Casey DeSmith has taken over the starting job for Vancouver, going 3-2-1 since Demko’s injury. He has a .899 save percentage on the season with a 2.73 goals-against average and one shutout.

The earliest Demko could be back in the Canucks’ lineup is April 6 against the Kings in Los Angeles.

He’s expected to be a key piece as Vancouver (45-19-8) prepares for its first playoff appearance since the COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign.

Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin also announced Wednesday that the club has called up forward Arshdeep Bains from the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League.

“I’d like to see where [Bains is] at,” Tocchet said, noting he isn’t sure whether the 23-year-old winger will slot into the lineup when the Canucks host the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

WATCH | Bains makes NHL debut

 

Surrey, B.C.’s Arshdeep Bains makes Canucks debut

1 month ago

Duration 2:20

Arshdeep Bains from Surrey, B.C., has made his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche. As CBC’s Joel Ballard reports, it’s been a hard-fought journey for the hometown kid to the big leagues.

Bains played five games for the NHL team in February before being sent back to Abbotsford.

“He went down, he’s done a couple of things that we like, and he’s got some speed,” Tocchet said.

Vancouver may get another forward back in the lineup Thursday.

Dakota Joshua practised in a full-contact jersey on Wednesday for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury in Vancouver’s 4-2 win over the Blackhawks in Chicago on Feb. 13.

The physical winger, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, has a career-high 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) this season.

Sitting out injured “hasn’t been fun,” Joshua said.

“It feels like forever,” he said. “But at this point, that’s behind me and I’m moving forward.”

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