'I'm grateful for that opportunity': Jacob Peterson set for NHL debut

Stars (0-0-0, 0 points) at Rangers (0-1-0, 0 points)

NEW YORK --Braden Holtby will start in goal for the Stars tonight, and that's a pretty strong statement for the team and the goalie.
Holtby, 32, was signed as a free agent for one year at $2 million after being bought out by the Vancouver Canucks. So, the fact he's leapfrogged over both Anton Khudobin and Jake Oettinger to earn this honor is a feather in his cap.
"We felt whoever had the best camp was going to play," Stars head coach Rick Bowness said. "Not that Dobby didn't, but (Holtby) had a really solid camp. He knows this team, he's played in this rink an awful lot over his career, all those years in Washington. Actually, pretty easy decision."
Holtby posted a 1.71 GAA and .938 save percentage in 140 minutes of play during the preseason. He's played most of his career in the East with Washington and has a 13-10-1 record against the Rangers with a 2.47 GAA and .918 save percentage. He said playing at Madison Square Garden is a treat.
"I love it here," he said Thursday morning. "It's been my favorite place to play on the road, probably my whole career. You look at the arenas that are being built now, and they all kind of have the same feel. This is one of the few that are left with that unique character to it. When you step into this place, you know you're at MSG."

The unfamiliar part will be playing with the Stars. While he did have plenty of time to adapt in the preseason, it'll be different when the regular season starts. Holtby is part of a four-man goaltending team and that means there could be different answers at different times of the year. He and Khudobin will share the load in the NHL, Jake Oettinger will play in the AHL and Ben Bishop will work out with the team while trying to come back from knee surgery.
It's an interesting mix, and Bowness said the team is ready to give Holtby a fresh start after he posted a 7-11-3 record with a 3.67 GAA and .889 save percentage last season.
"We've moved on. He had a good camp, that's all that matters," Bowness said, pointing out that goaltending coach Jeff Reese has worked well with Holtby. "Reeser has done a good job with him, so whatever happened in the last couple years, to us, is irrelevant. He just looks really confident and poised in the net and that's what matters right now."
Holtby agrees. Asked if he sets any targets for wins or save percentage, he said none at all.
"I've never really set those types of goals," Holtby said. "You can wrap your mental game up in that and it can really affect you that way. My goal is every single game give our team a chance to win. That's really the thing that breeds consistency and breeds success over the course of a long year. One game at a time."
That first game starts tonight.
"I'm excited to get the season going," he said. "I thought we had a good training camp, but all of us are ready to get the real thing going now."

What to watch

Jacob Peterson has come a long way in the past month. The 22-year-old came over from Sweden to start his North American career and participated in development camp and then the NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan. He then looked really good during the preseason and worked his way onto the NHL roster.
Now, with an upper-body injury to Jason Robertson, Peterson will start the year playing left wing on a line with Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski.
"I'm really excited, it's going to be fun," Peterson said. "I'm grateful for that opportunity."

Peterson had one goal, one assist and 15 shots on goal in five preseason games. He showed strong hockey sense when playing beside Tyler Seguin, so replacing Robertson seemed like a natural fit.
"We're certainly hoping," Bowness said when asked if he'll work well with Hintz and Pavelski. "When you have the hockey sense that he has, he's an easy fit to go wherever."
Peterson said his family will be watching back in Sweden, although it'll be early in the morning there. He said he knows the aura of Madison Square Garden and is excited about making his NHL debut there. Bowness said he doesn't expect the young winger to be riled at all.
"First NHL game, MSG, it doesn't get any better than this," Bowness said. "But he's earned that opportunity to play. We've talked in camp that he's been special, he's been very, very good. You can tell he's played at an elite level, he's 22, so he's not going to be intimidated by the surroundings. He's just a good player. He's got hockey sense, he's got really good skills and he's got the confidence to use them."

Lineup updates

Alexander Radulov was held out of practice on Wednesday because of an illness but was fine Thursday morning. He's expected to play on a line with Seguin and Jamie Benn.
"You saw him jumping out there," Bowness said after morning skate. "When he gets jumping, stay out of his way."
Peterson will fill in with Hintz and Pavelski, while Radek Faksa will center a line with Denis Gurianov and Michael Raffl, and Luke Glendening will center a line with Tanner Kero and Joel Kiviranta.
Bowness said Benn could move back to center on the third line at any time, and that might be easier when Robertson returns. That way, Peterson might slide to the Seguin line, and Benn might slide to the third line.
"As you know, we're trying to get more goals out of that third line, however it looks," Bowness said. "We need more goals from that line."

The reshuffled D-pairs have a chance of sticking together this season, but this will be the first game for Ryan Suter next to John Klingberg, Esa Lindell next to Miro Heiskanen and Andrej Sekera next to Jani Hakanpää.

Numbers

32

Stars defensemen scored 32 goals last season, tied for third most in the NHL. The 32 goals made up 20.5 percent of the Stars' goal total, which was most in the NHL.

11

Rangers forward Ryan Reaves has just 11 penalty minutes in 29 career games against the Stars.

6

Benn has six points (one goal, five assists) in his past four games at Madison Square Garden.

He said it

"We have one objective, and that's regardless of your term on your contract: Get in the playoffs, get as high in the standings as we can, take another run at the Cup." -- Bowness when asked if the fact the Stars have expiring contracts for several players and coaches is a motivating factor this season.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.