first shift 🏒
The Stars’ power play is the best in the NHL, and last week may explain why.
Dallas recently had a golden opportunity to go ahead with a two-man advantage in the third period in Calgary, and was extremely patient and conservative. The man advantage failed, and the Flames won in the shootout.
After two games, the boys from Victory Green had a two-man advantage against the Edmonton Oilers. Head coach Glenn Gulutzan called a timeout and assistant coach Neil Graham gave passionate instructions to the bench, and Dallas scored within 20 seconds. The Stars were so efficient that they added a second power play goal en route to an 8–3 victory.
Then, on Friday, the Stars once again earned a two-man advantage and once again used urgency and aggression. This time, the goal came within 30 seconds and provided the winning margin in a 4–3 victory over Utah.
“You need to take advantage of them,” Gulutzan said. “It’s not always how many you score, it’s when you score. We’ve been good at scoring at the right time.”
Overall, they’ve been really great – and that’s a big reason why the team is 16-5-4, which is the second-best record in the NHL. Dallas currently ranks first in power play success with 31.8 percent. What’s even more impressive is that the Stars’ 27 power play goals are well above second-place Minnesota, which has 22.
This is a big boost for the new coaching staff after Dallas finished 17th in shooting percentage at 22.0 percent last season and 10th in power play goals with 55. Gulutzan was an assistant coach running the power play in Edmonton, so he has had a lot of success in his career. Graham was the head coach of the Texas Stars, so he and Gulutzan have formed a bond.
Gulutzan said he understands the dynamics of being an assistant coach, so he gives his assistants the chance to make decisions. He calls himself a sounding board for Graham and it seems to be working pretty well.
“They’re giving us a different perspective and helping us be successful on different (penalty kills) that we’re facing,” said Johnson, who scored Friday. “I think they’ve done an amazing job of letting us get that information and then letting us use our skills to take advantage of it.”
Johnson leads the NHL with 10 power play goals and said he’s fortunate to be in a group that has so much talent. Rantanen put together a great setup against Utah and players like Heiskanen, Hintz, Seguin and Robertson have also had great assists in recent games.
“The biggest thing for me is being ready for the puck,” Johnson said. “The guys we have are making plays and trying to find you around the net. We did a great job of creating chances on the power play. It was a great pass by Mikko to find me to score.”
As far as lessons learned from Calgary? Well, Johnson said that’s what good teams do.
“We’re always making adjustments and trying to find those different looks,” Johnson said. “That one from Calgary would have been good, but we learned from him. You’ve got to score at 5-on-3, so it’s important we execute when we get our chances.”
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