First Shift: Stars look to slow down streaking Flames

Esa Lindell is a penalty killing beast.

The 29-year-old defenseman ranks third in the NHL in average shorthanded time on ice per game at 4:27. He was second last season and fourth the year before. That’s especially impressive because the Stars aren’t really a highly-penalized team. Dallas currently ranks 10th in shorthanded time per game at 5:45. That means Lindell is playing 77.1 percent of the time his team is shorthanded.

That’s astonishing.

But it’s also one of Lindell’s favorite times on the ice.

“I enjoy playing PK,” he said with a smile on Tuesday after logging 5:24 shorthanded and helping to kill two 5-on-3’s. “I feel it’s all about grinding and battles, and I’m comfortable with that. I want to be out there in those situations.”

Lindell has helped the Stars as a team rank third in the NHL at 88.6 percent. They are first on the road at 94.7 percent, a big reason the team is 8-1-1 away from home.

Stars coach Pete DeBoer said Lindell has been the leader of a strong group. In addition to Lindell’s contributions, defenseman Jani Hakanpää averages 3:45 shorthanded, while forwards Ty Dellandrea (2:28), Radek Faksa (2:28) and Sam Steel (2:14) also are key components.

“Our PK has been great all year, everybody on it,” DeBoer said after the 2-0 win at Winnipeg on Tuesday. “Esa had a couple of huge blocks, but Hak did too. Sam Steel and Faksa did an excellent job when they were out there, particularly 5-on-3.”

The Stars have a history of strong penalty killing and have gotten even better under the current coaching staff. Assistant coach Alain Nasreddine is in charge, and he guided the group to third in the league last season at 83.5 percent, so he’s just taking the next step now.

When the team was going through an inconsistent patch earlier in the season, DeBoer said the PK was an anchor to keep things grounded.

“The one thing I have a lot of confidence in is our penalty kill against any group,” DeBoer said. “We’ve shown that all year and all of last year. I think our guys aren’t afraid of a challenge.”

Lindell is the leader of that philosophy, but what makes him so good?

“Obviously, shot blocking, he’s really good,” forward Joe Pavelski said. “But his positioning and anticipation is good. He’s a big body, heavy stick. He’s got a good first step out there and he can get to those pucks and shut it down and get the clears.”

DeBoer added, “He’s got real good feet. He closes quickly. He’s aggressive, makes aggressive reads and he’s a strong guy. I think penalty killing is a lot of one-on-one battles for pucks and clears. There’s not many guys that come out of puck battles with the puck against him.”

The defensive defenseman said he loves to be on the ice when the game is on the line and has compared the impact of the penalty kill to being just as important as the power play. While outsiders might look at goal-scoring and put more weight on it, insiders know a good kill can do wonders.

“We’ve got some guys who take a lot of pride in those situations,” said goalie Jake Oettinger. “You’re not going to see them on NHL Network, but that’s what it takes to win – guys like that.”

Key Numbers

5-2-1
The Flames are 5-2-1 in their past eight games, including a 7-4 win in Dallas on Friday. Included in the wins are victories over Vancouver and Vegas.

340
Calgary has fired 340 shots that have missed the net, third most in the NHL. Dallas is 11th at 298.

11.1
Calgary is 27th in power play success at 11.3 percent.

He Said It

"Not an easy thing. He found out just before my meeting at 5:30. He got his extra work this morning, which isn't easy for goaltenders, and to find out late, he doesn't really have a chance to prepare. He did an amazing job. By far his best game of the year for us, and there were some key moments in the game where it could've went the other direction off of some turnovers and he made some big saves for us. He was most definitely first star in my books tonight."

- Flames coach Ryan Huska on backup goalie Dan Vladar taking a 2-1 overtime win against Vegas on Monday when starting goalie Jacob Markstrom was ruled out with flu.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.