First shift 🏒
The Stars defense has been a bit of a mess this season.
Sure, the top three have all been to the Olympics and are one of the most solid blueliners in the NHL, but the second group is still a mixed bag. That means any pairing is subject to change, as was the case Monday against the Kings.
Heiskanen and Esa Lindell have formed the top pairing for most of this season. The two Finns have good chemistry and can see a lot of playing time, so bringing the two together was a big focus for the new coaching staff. Heiskanen has played nearly an extra minute per game this season, leading the team in average time on ice at 26:04. Lindell increased his time by 40 seconds from last year to 23 minutes and 50 seconds, placing him second on the team.
Thomas Hurley has been plagued by injuries this season and is down about one minute per game, while Ilya Lyubushkin, who often paired with Hurley last season, has also been moved through the lineup and is also down about one minute per game.
Combined with the loss of Cody Ceci to free agency, the Stars had to look elsewhere. Nils Lundqvist is playing even more minutes after battling injuries last season, playing 15 minutes and 35 seconds. He’s a plus-7 right now. Meanwhile, veterans Aleksandar Petrovic and Kyle Capobianco have stepped up after spending most of last season in the AHL.
Petrovic’s average time was 15 minutes 48 seconds. He appeared in 41 games but was hurt for the second straight game before Monday’s game against Los Angeles. He flew back and Lyubushkin earned a scratch against the Kings.
Stars coach Glenn Gultzan said he is allowing assistant coach Alan Nasreddin to make the big decisions, but added that the entire group will work together. If Heiskanen and Lindell split, it’s only natural.
“We split them up and Haars played Miro,” Gultzan said. “Nas is doing a good job in that regard. And what we found is Capo came in and played good hockey for us, so he’ll stay.”
Capobianco scored a goal in a 5-4 overtime loss to San Jose on Saturday. The 28-year-old was one of the Texas Stars’ top scorers last season with 50 points (seven goals, 43 assists) in 64 games. He said he’s trying to bring that philosophy to the NHL.
“That’s the feedback I’m getting: be aggressive and just play your game,” Capobianco said. “It’s moving forward in the play and pushing the play up, but it has to be from the right area.”
Liane Bichsel is out with a lower-body injury and may not return until just before or after the Olympics, so players like Capobianco, Petrovic, Lundqvist and Lyubushkin will be riding for a few minutes in the meantime.
“All of our players have played great hockey, and now we have to play a good game as a group as a whole,” Gulzan said.