Heika’s Take: Stars dig in their heels, grind out gritty win over Hurricanes

Mike Rowe could have broadcast an episode of “Dirty Jobs” from PNC Arena on Saturday night.

The Stars were coming to an end of a difficult four-game road trip, had to play a scrappy Carolina Hurricanes team and also had to wait for an 8 p.m. local start time because of an afternoon college basketball game. So Dallas rolled up its sleeves, got down in the muck and found a way to win a 2-1 game.

The victory stopped a season-worst four-game winless steak (0-2-2) and also restored some confidence in a few key players. It also marked the NHL debut of super prospect Logan Stankoven, and helped a Dallas team that is dealing with some injuries.

“It was a gutsy effort by us,” said Stars coach Pete DeBoer. “End of a trip, coming off a tough game the other night, we had a real commitment to defend and playing hard. I think we had 25 blocked shots and got a couple of timely goals and Jake was great in net.”

Jake Oettinger finished with 20 saves after getting pulled early in the second period in Ottawa on Thursday in a 4-1 loss. He was one of the players who bounced back well. Jason Robertson had a huge goal to start the scoring for Dallas – a boost for the top line – and a reworked group of defensemen, who are missing Jani Hakanpää and Nils Lundkvist, led a strong effort at keeping pucks to the outside.

Yes, Carolina only had a 21-16 advantage on shots on goal in a grinding game, but it was up 71-38 in shot attempts and spent a ton of time in the Stars’ end of the ice. Dallas did finish with 25 blocked shots, led by six blocked shots from Ryan Suter, and that was a key to helping Oettinger post his 21st win of the season.

“That’s what separates the really good teams – the ones that pay the price and get the big kills and the blocks, the guys played it on the line and they deserved to win,” Oettinger said. “They’re a really good team and it’s a hard building to play in and win in, and we had to empty the tank for the end of the trip.”

Dallas moves to 35-16-8 (78 points) and stays in first place in the Central Division. Carolina falls to 34-18-5 (73 points) and is now 19-7-4 at home.

Dallas was outmatched and outplayed on Thursday by an Ottawa team that won’t make the playoffs, so an answer was needed. What’s more, Dallas has a home game on Monday against the Islanders and then plays at Colorado on Tuesday and home against Winnipeg on Thursday. Those two teams are battling with the Stars for first place in the Central Division.

Oettinger needs to get his game in good position ahead of them, so a bounce back was a necessity.

“Big response,” said DeBoer. “He’s always been money in those response situations, so I expected that.”

Oettinger said he hates getting pulled, but he understands the challenge of a long season for a goalie.

“Those hurt big time,” Oettinger said. “You never want to let your team down. But that’s not the last time I get pulled in my career, so you shake it off and try to bounce back and play well, and I think I did that tonight.”

Robertson and his linemates have also been struggling. DeBoer has split them up at different times, and even tried Wyatt Johnston at right wing. But he said he wanted Johnston to stay at center and he wanted the top line to figure things out.

Robertson scored on a nice rebound off a good shift for his 19th goal of the season.

“It was a big goal for them, but I also thought they looked dangerous all game,” DeBoer said. “I thought Roope \[Hintz] looked good, had two or three chances tonight and was skating, backing them off with his speed.”

And that’s what the team needs. If Matt Duchene’s line can continue to play well, then getting the top line up and running could make the Stars a very tough team to stop.

“There’s a big onus on us,” Robertson said. “I know we have relied on Dutchy’s line, and Seggy is out right now, so they need us to step up and get back to what we’re good at, and I think it was a good step in the right direction.”

Tyler Seguin suffered a lower body injury in the Ottawa game and flew home early. That meant Stankoven, who is tied for the AHL lead in scoring with linemate Mavrik Bourque, was able to get his NHL debut. His family flew in, and the entire night was a great memory.

“It was really surreal and grateful for them to be here to watch my first game,” Stankoven said. “Props to the guys, they made it a really easy transition for me to come in and play my first game.”

Seguin is being evaluated, so there’s no telling how long Stankoven will be around. But Dallas only has 12 healthy forwards right now including the rookie, so they need him.

The fact he might be heading into a big week with a positive moment on the brain is a big deal. But when you look at how everyone had to get down in the muck and grind this one out, there is a good feeling for the team heading forward.

“It was a great bounce back for the whole group,” said Robertson, who pointed out that he blocked two shots. “That game in Ottawa was tough, but we recovered, moved on, and got it done tonight.”

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.