EDMONTON, Alberta — It’s good to be a Dallas Star.
On the heels of their latest blowout win, a 6-2 laugher over the Oilers on Saturday afternoon, the Stars have little to fret about.
They’re off to an 8-3-1 start, the team’s best start since 2015-16, when they were the top team in the Western Conference. They sit atop the Central Division, which houses the defending Stanley Cup champions. At the conclusion of the Stars’ win in Edmonton, no team had more regulation wins than Dallas’ eight.
On Saturday afternoon, they received big games from Jamie Benn (hat trick) and Jason Robertson (one goal, two assists). Joe Pavelski (one goal, one assist), Roope Hintz (two assists) and Miro Heiskanen (two assists) also had multi-point nights. Scott Wedgewood made 28 saves in his third straight start.
The Stars have won three straight games and will try to sweep their road trip when they visit Winnipeg on Tuesday night.
“Your game, from a coaching perspective is never exactly where you want it to be,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “It sure isn’t this early in the year. We’ve got great buy-in and great contributions from a bunch of different people. So that’s a great start.”
Almost every corner of the roster reveals something positive about the Stars.
They might employ a legitimate Hart Trophy candidate in Robertson, who now has 18 points in the first 12 games of the season. The four players with more points have either led the league in points (Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl), in goals (David Pastrnak) or won a Cup (Nathan MacKinnon).
Robertson finished with a career-high 10 shots on goal on Saturday. His previous high was seven.
“He plays a quiet game and then at the end of the night, you look at the scoresheet and he’s all over the place,” DeBoer said. “His name is everywhere. It’s quite a skill. He’s a unique player that way.
“That’s what this game is about is production. It goes to show you that sometimes, you don’t have to look like you’re the hardest working guy on the ice. You just have to go to the right spots. That’s what his game is about.”
Benn has erupted for eight points in the last three games, and notched his seventh career hat trick on Saturday, his first in 33 months.
After going goalless in his first 10 games, Benn has tallied in each of the last two.
“I really felt for him early,” DeBoer said. “It’s never for a lack of effort with him. I think he just needed a bounce to kind of free himself up a little bit. The mental piece of this game is a huge part. Really, I think it was just getting a bounce on the first one and then relaxing a little bit.”
Quietly, both Benn (11 points in 12 games) and Tyler Seguin (10 points in 12 games) are close to point-per-game production.
The power play is second in the league (by goals scored per 60 minutes). The penalty kill is fifth (by goals against per 60).
The Stars are doing this with an injured Jake Oettinger, who was the betting favorite to win the Vezina Trophy at the time of his lower-body injury a week ago. Oh, they might have the best line in the league, and have a Norris Trophy candidate in Miro Heiskanen on the back end.
It feels like there could be a different hero every night for the Stars, whether in goal, on the blue line or up front.
“We know what to do,” Pavelski said. “We’re well on our way to that structure and that team, but on a nightly basis, we’re seeing a lot of good teams throughout the league and teams that are playing well. You’ve got to execute along the way.”
It can be tough to remember in jubilant times like these, but there still are 70 games remaining in the season.
The Stars have survived pedestrian possession numbers at 5 on 5 thanks to stalwart goaltending. They haven’t hit a major lull in either of their special teams. Aside from minor injuries to Heiskanen and Oettinger, the Stars haven’t had to navigate major maladies.
But, for now, it’s fun to be a Star.
“All the guys have contributed so far on this road trip, everyone is and it’s a whole team effort,” Robertson said.
