GAME NOTES
Dallas Stars vs. Florida Panthers
American Airlines Center
Wednesday, Sept. 29
DALLAS STARS FLORIDA PANTHERS Overall Record: 0-0-1 Overall Record: 2-0-0 Home Game: #1 Road Game: #1 Home Record: 0-0-0 Home Record: 2-0-0 Road Record: 0-0-1 Road Record: 0-0-0
2021-22 PRESEASON SCHEDULE
Scoring by Period Shots by Period Power Penalties- GW Goalie
Date Opp. 1 2 3 OT F 1 2 3 OT F Plays Minutes Goal (Saves-Shots) Attn. 9/27 at STL 0 1 0 1 2 7 9 9 4 29 1-3 4-8 33 J. Binnington (12-13)/J. Hofer (W) (11-11) 14,201 DAL 1 0 0 0 1 13 8 3 0 24 0-3 4-8 B. Holtby (15-16)/J. Oettinger (L) (12-13) 9/29 vs. FLA
DAL
10/1 at FLA
DAL
10/3** vs. ARI
DAL
10/5 vs. STL
DAL
10/7 vs. COL
DAL
10/9 at COL
DAL
** Denotes Kraft Hockeyville game played at El Paso County Events Center in El Paso, Texas
DALLAS STARS NOTES
HERE’S TO YOU, MR. ROBERTSON
Forward Jason Robertson finished second in voting for the Calder Trophy in 2020-21, ranking first among all NHL rookies and sharing second on the Stars with 28 assists, while ranking second among League rookies and second on Dallas with 45 points (17-28=45). His 45 points are the second-most by a rookie in Dallas Stars history behind Jussi Jokinen’s 55 points in 81 games during the 2005-06 season and are tied for 16th in franchise history. His 28 helpers in 2020-21 are fourth in Dallas history and tied for 18th in franchise history, while he’s the first rookie to post 28 assists in a season since John Klingberg logged 29 in 2014-15.
Robertson posted two point streaks of at least five games during the 2020-21 season, logging a five-game point streak (2-4=6) from Feb. 7 – 22 and a nine-game point streak (4-9=13) from April 13 – 29. He is just the second rookie in Dallas Stars history to record multiple point streaks of 5+ games in a single season, joining Jere Lehtinen who did so in 1995-96. His nine-game streak is the longest recorded by a rookie in Dallas Stars history, surpassing Jamie Langenbrunner’s mark of eight games during the 1996-97 season. It also marked the longest recorded by a rookie this season, while he’s the first rookie to earn points in at least nine-straight games since 2017-18 (Clayton Keller – 10 games).
The native of Arcadia, Calif., was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for April this season after leading rookies with 10 assists, 18 points (8-10=18) and a +11 rating in 17 games. His 18 points in April mark the most points by a rookie in a single month in Dallas Stars history and are tied for the fifth-most in franchise history. The last rookie in franchise history to record at least 18 points in a single month was Neal Broten, who tallied 20 points (8-12=20) in March of 1982.
MOST POINTS BY A ROOKIE IN A SINGLE MONTH:
PLAYER SEASON MONTH POINTS GP
Neal Broten 1981-82 February (10-15=25) 13
Jude Drouin 1970-71 February (3-18=21) 11
Neal Broten 1981-82 March (8-12=20) 13
Neal Broten 1981-82 January (6-13=19) 10
Mike Eaves 1979-80 March (7-11=18) 12
Jason Robertson 2020-21 April (8-10=18) 17
Jere Lehtinen 1995-96 February (4-12=16) 13
Bobby Smith 1978-79 January (7-9=16) 14
Jason Robertson 2020-21 March (4-11=15) 16
Jussi Jokinen 2005-06 March (5-10=15) 15
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
The Stars finished the 2020-21 season tied for third in the NHL with 32 goals by defensemen. Of the team’s 32 goals from blueliners, five came on the power play and four marked game winners, sharing eighth in the League in both categories. Club defensemen accounted for 20.5% of all of Dallas’ goals during the campaign, the highest percentage of any NHL team in 2020-21. This marks the first time in franchise history that team blueliners have scored at least 20% of all team goals.
The team’s 32 goals by defensemen in 56 games this season puts them on a pace to score 46 goals in an 82-game season. That would have ranked fourth in franchise history and the most goals scored by club blueliners since the 2005-06 season when Stars defensemen logged 47 goals.
MOVING UP THE RANKS
Stars captain Jamie Benn enters the 2021-22 season as the longest tenured Stars player, having played 866 games in Victory Green since entering the League in 2009-10. Last season, Benn climbed the franchise leaderboard, playing in his 840th career game on March 25th vs. Tampa Bay to move into fourth place in franchise history and recording his 723rd point (311-412=723) on May 10th in Chicago to move into third place in franchise history.
In 52 games, Benn ranked fifth in goals, assists and points (11-24=35) among Stars skaters. He ranked third with 26 points (8-18=26) recorded at even-strength and first with two overtime goals. On April 26th vs. Carolina, Benn recorded a season-high four points (1- 3=4), including his ninth career overtime game-winning goal, which ties for the most in franchise history (M. Modano) and marked the first time a Stars player scored overtime goals in consecutive games.
TOP TEN SCORERS IN FRANCHISE HISTORY:
PLAYER GP GOALS ASSISTS POINTS
Mike Modano 1,459 557 802 1,359
Neal Broten 992 274 593 867
Jamie Benn 866 311 412 723
Brian Bellows 753 342 380 722
Dino Ciccarelli 602 332 319 651
Bobby Smith 572 185 369 554
Sergei Zubov 839 111 438 549
Dave Gagner 609 247 287 534
Brenden Morrow 835 243 285 528
Tyler Seguin 541 225 291 516
AGE IS JUST A NUMBER
Forward Joe Pavelski matched his career high of four points in a game three times during the 2020-21 season, doing so on Jan. 22 against Nashville (2-2=4), on Feb. 2 at Columbus (2-2=3) and on May 7 at Tampa Bay (2-2=4). Pavelski becomes the first player in Stars franchise history 36-years-or-older to record at least three four-point outings in a single season. He’s one of just 14 players in NHL history to accomplish the feat and the first since Joe Sakic (three games) and Mark Recchi (four games) did so in 2006-07.
Pavelski recorded the best start to a season in his career, recording seven goals and 14 points (7-7=14) through the first seven games in 2020-21 for the most he’s posted in a single season over that span. He became just the fifth player over the age of 36 in NHL history to register at least 14 points through his first seven games and the first to do so since Mario Lemieux (16 points) in 2003-04. He is also the fifth player over 36 in NHL history to score at least seven goals over his first seven games and the first since Keith Tkachuk (eight goals)
in 2008-09. The Plover, Wis., native is also the first player 36-or-older to have scored at least 10 goals in his first 15 games since Pavel Datsyuk scored 11 goals in the first 15 games of the 2014-15 season, while Pavelski is the first player with 20 points since Martin St. Louis posted 21 points over the first 15 games of the 2012-13 season. His 10 goals and 20 points through 15 games of a season also marks the most in his career.
Pavelski led the Stars with 25 goals this season, reaching the 20-goal plateau for the 11th time in his NHL career. He is one of just seven NHLers to have recorded at least 11 20-goal seasons since the start of the 2008-09 campaign. The forward also paced Dallas with 51 points (25-26=51) on the season, also marking the 11th time in his NHL career he’s reached the 50-point plateau, while he’s one of just eight NHL players to have done so since 2008-09.
SUT SUT SUTER-O
After nine seasons in Minnesota, defenseman Ryan Suter signed a four-year contract with the Dallas Stars on July 28, 2021. Suter joins the Stars as the most experienced NHL player on the roster, having played 1,198 games in 16 seasons. He has played more games than any active defenseman in the NHL, and among that group, he ranks fourth in points and second in assists (93-514=607).
In a shortened season, Suter, 36, was one of only four Minnesota skaters to play all 56 games. He averaged 22:11 minutes of ice time per game, third highest among Minnesota defensemen. He ranked third on the team with a +9 rating and tied for fourth with six power play points. He appeared in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the 12th season, skating in seven games in a first round series against Vegas. Suter led Minnesota in average ice time, playing 24:03 minutes per game and recorded one assist, five takeaways, 10 hits and 10 blocked shots in the playoffs.
HINTZ YOU’VE BEEN GONE
Stars forward Roope Hintz excelled in a shortened season, establishing new career highs in points, assists (15-28=43) and power play goals (6) in only 41 games. His totals for assists and power play goals double his previous career highs (2019-20: 14 assists, 3 PPGs) and his scoring pace increased by nearly double from the 2019-20 season, rising from .52 points per game to 1.05 points per game. Hintz finished tied for second the Stars in assists (28) and ranked third in goals (15) and points (43) in 2020-21, despite missing 15 games due to injury.
Hintz, 24, recorded two seven-game point streaks last season, tallying nine points (4-5=9) from March 18 – April 1 and 14 points (3- 11=14) from April 8 – 22. On April 8, Hintz recorded four points (1-3=4) at Chicago, earning his first career four-point our and establishing a new career-high for points in a single game.
With 98 career points (43-55=98), the Tempere, Finland native ranks 17th in points among forwards in his 2015 draft class and third among forwards drafted outside the first round (S. Aho, A. Cirelli).
ONE KLING TO RULE THEM ALL
Defenseman John Klingberg opened the 2020-21 season with a five-game point streak (2-6=8) from Jan. 22 – 30, marking the second time he’s started a campaign with points in each of the first five games (2018-19). The blueliner tallied an assist (0-1=1) on Jan. 24 against Nashville for his 295th career NHL point, moving him into fourth place for the most points by a defenseman in franchise history and passing Derian Hatcher (294 points). Klingberg also skated in his 473rd career NHL game on May 1 at Nashville, moving him into 14th place on the franchise’s all-time games played list among defensemen, passing Brad Maxwell (472 gams).
Klingberg registered a team-leading 29 assists in 2020-21, while he finished first among club blueliners and fourth among all Dallas skaters with 36 points (7-29=36) in 53 games. With his 36 points, the native of Gothenburg, Sweden has now reached the 30-point plateau in each of his first seven seasons, becoming the first defensemen in franchise history to do so. His seven 30-point campaigns are tied for the second-most by a defenseman in franchise history with Darryl Sydor.
FLORIDA PANTHERS
LAST GAMES
GAME 1: Panthers 5, Predators 4 [OT] – Sept. 26 – FLA Live Arena
FLA Goals: Vatrano (1, 2), Heponiemi (1), Vatrano (3-PPG), Bennett (1-OT)
NSH Goals: Jeannot (1), Trenin (1-SHG), Pitlick (1-PPG), Jeannot (2)
FLA Goalie: Montembeault – 17 Saves, Fitzpatrick – 9 Saves
NSH Goalie: Cooley – 11 Saves, Ingram – 20 Saves
FLA Shots: 36
NSH Shots: 30
GAME 2: Panthers 3, Predators 1 – Sept. 26 – FLA Live Arena
FLA Goals: Duclair (1-PPG), Verhaeghe (1-PPG), Montour (1)
NSH Goals: Afanasyev (1)
FLA Goalie: Knight – 29 Saves
NSH Goalie: Rittich – 27 Saves
FLA Shots: 30
NSH Shots: 30
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
– Sept. 28: D Evan Nause, D Braden Hache and F Justin Sourdif returned to junior clubs – Sept. 24: F Justin Sourdif signed a 3-year, entry-level contract
PANTHERS vs. STARS
ALL-TIME vs. DAL: 23-19-3-1
ALL-TIME HOME vs. DAL: 11-11-1-1
2020-21 vs. DAL: 6-2-0
LAST TIME OUT
Florida opened the preseason with a doubleheader matchup against the Nashville Predators. In Game 1, Frank Vatrano recorded a hat trick, Patric Hornqvist notched two assists, Aleksi Heponiemi tallied a goal and Sam Bennett notched the overtime game-winner and added an assist as the Cats downed the Predators, 5-4. In the second game, Anthony Duclair and Carter Verhaeghe each produced power-play goals, and Brandon Montour added an insurance marker and two assists en route to a 3-1 win.
FROM THEN TIL NOW
The Panthers enter the 2021-22 preseason coming off of their best regular season in club history in terms of win percentage. In 2020-21, Florida posted a record of 37-14-5 for a franchise-best .705 win percentage, earning the second seed in the Central Division. The Panthers 79 points were the fourth-most by an NHL team during the regular season, and they led the league with 34.9 shots on goal per game.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Away from South Florida in 2020-21, the Panthers recorded a 17-9-2 record for a franchise-record .643 road win percentage, scoring a club-record 3.36 goals per game on the road. The Cats’ 26.3 road power-play percentage and 33.3 shots per game ranked as the second-best among NHL teams, and Aleksander Barkov’s 1.17 points per game on the road was tied for fifth highest among league forwards.
BARKOV COUNTY
Panthers Captain Aleksander Barkov was named the recipient of the 2020-21 Frank J. Selke Trophy, becoming the first Panthers player to be named the league’s top defensive forward. He led FLA in goals (26), even-strength goals (18), even-strength points (38), shots (176), and a career high 54.9 faceoff win percentage during the regular season. He ranked second on FLA in assists (32), points (58), power-play goals (7), power-play points (19), game-winning goals (6), overtime goals (2), takeaways (39), and total time on ice (1,046:52), and became the only Panther in club history to record six consecutive 50-point and 20-goal seasons. Barkov was just one of 10 NHL forwards to take over 1,000 faceoffs in 2020-21, and his 50 games played were the fewest of those 10 players.
SAM’S NEW CLUB
Sam Reinhart will play his first game in a Panthers uniform after being acquired by the Cats on July 24. Reinhart led Buffalo with 25 goals and 40 points (25-15-40) in 2020-21 and his 10 power-play goals ranked tied for the fifth-most in the NHL. Over his six full NHL seasons, Reinhart has recorded at least 40 point six times and has tallied at least 20 goals five times.
NEW FACES
Joe Thornton signed with Florida as a free agent on Aug. 13. Entering his 24th NHL season, Thornton’s 680 NHL games played stands as the sixth-most in league history. Playing in tonight’s game, goaltender Chris Gibson and forward Zac Dalpe signed with Florida as free agents in the offseason. Gibson has appeared in 16 career NHL games with Tampa Bay (2020-21) and the New York Islanders (2015-16 to 2018-19), registering a 4-5-3 record, .901 save percentage and a 3.33 goals against average. Dalpe is a veteran 153 career NHL games, amassing 28 points (14-14-28).
CUP OF JOEL
Head Coach Joel Quenneville enters the 2020-21 season with 962 career regular season wins as an NHL bench boss, the second-most wins in league history. Over two seasons as head coach of the Panthers, Quenneville owns a record of 72-40-13 for a .628 win percentage and has led the Cats to the postseason each year.
