One shot from three forwards leaves Dallas work to do

Dallas finished with 18 shots Friday night, and Mikko Rantanen, Jason Robertson and Tyler Seguin supplied one between them. That is an unusual way for the Stars to win a hockey game, even when the calendar still says preseason.

Dallas beat Minnesota 2-1 at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul. The attacking total, however, deserves a closer look. Eighteen shots do not prove Dallas played without purpose, and they certainly do not turn one exhibition game into a diagnosis. They do show how little offensive margin the Stars created for themselves.

Rantanen is the reason the criticism cannot be reduced to a box-score scolding. He did not register a shot on goal, but he was credited with an assist on Thomas Harley’s go-ahead goal at 18:38 of the second period. Jamie Benn also assisted.

The goal came at even strength, 12 seconds after Yakov Trenin’s penalty expired, after the Stars had failed to convert that power play.

That involvement mattered. Rantanen helped create the decisive goal without adding to Dallas’ shot total, which is a useful complication when assessing a quiet offensive night. Still, it is only one productive sequence.

Jason Robertson had one shot, and Seguin had none. The three combined for 1 of the Stars’ 18 shots on goal, a number that deserves more attention if it becomes a familiar feature once regular-season games begin.

The Stars’ goals came from players operating farther down the lineup’s star-power chart. Radek Faksa opened the scoring at 9:18 of the first period with his only shot, assisted by Oskar Bäck and Joel Kiviranta. Bäck and Kiviranta each played less than 12 minutes, yet both were credited on the goal.

Dallas received efficient finishing from a group that was not responsible for carrying the attack all night.

That early goal also changed the terms of the game. Minnesota tied it at 1:54 of the second period when Joel Eriksson Ek scored, with Blake Coleman and Matt Boldy assisting. Dallas then restored its lead at 18:38, when Harley scored his second goal of the preseason.

Harley had three shots, sharing the team lead with Wyatt Johnston and Sam Steel, and his finish became particularly valuable because Dallas produced only two shots in the third period.

A team can win with that kind of late attacking lull. It cannot assume the same arrangement will remain comfortable. Harley supplied the timely finish, but the broader offensive burden still sat mostly outside the trio expected to drive Dallas’ scoring. Rantanen’s assist keeps that from being a simplistic complaint about individual effort; it does not make 1 combined shot sufficient on a recurring basis.

Casey DeSmith made the low volume survivable. Minnesota outshot Dallas 13-2 in the third period, and DeSmith stopped all 13 shots he faced in the final frame. He finished with 26 saves on 27 attempts, including 3 saves on Minnesota’s power play.

That was the most important individual performance in the game because it protected a one-goal lead while Dallas struggled to generate much at the other end.

The closing sequence showed how narrow that protection became. With Minnesota using an extra skater, Esa Lindell blocked Kirill Kaprizov’s attempt at 17:47 of the third. Minnesota recorded no shot on goal after Matt Boldy’s attempt at 17:22.

Dallas did not need another offensive push in those final moments, but it also spent the last 76 seconds surrounded by penalties: Harley received a fighting major and misconduct at 18:44, followed by a roughing minor for Justin Hryckowian at 19:08 as additional fighting penalties were recorded.

That disorder did not erase the win. Faksa scored on his only shot on goal, Harley supplied the difference-maker, and DeSmith held the advantage when Minnesota pressed. But the preseason setting makes the shot total easier to examine, not easier to ignore.

Rantanen’s assist showed that influence can appear without a personal attempt. Robertson, Seguin and Rantanen will need to provide more of that influence with the puck reaching the net when Dallas’ games begin carrying consequences.

Sources

Official game data

Official game data

Official game data

Source report