The good: Mikko Rantanen collected one goal and one assist in his debut with the Dallas Stars.
The bad: The Stars lost despite the contributions of the newly acquired forward, a 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers to open a four-game road trip.
Back to the good: Rantanen and the Stars return to action Sunday when they continue the swing at the Vancouver Canucks.
“Hopefully it gets better and better,” said Rantanen, who was dealt to the Stars on Friday and signed an eight-year contract extension.
“I could tell, this team likes to play with the puck. That’s a big reason I wanted to play here. … It’s good to get legs underneath you right away, and see the chemistry. There’s really good centers on the team, and all the guys can make plays.”
Back to the bad, though, beyond the fact the Stars had their four-game winning streak snapped. Roope Hintz left the game in the middle of the second period after a puck hit him in the face. Coach Peter DeBoer said the standout center went to hospital.
“Everyone’s optimistic it’s not serious, but we won’t know until we get testing,” DeBoer said.
The Stars are riding a 12-3-1 run, but the loss was a reminder how they must be at their best from start to finish to have success. After Wyatt Johnston scored yet again — tallying a goal in a fifth consecutive game and running his point-scoring streak to nine games — the Stars surrendered five goals to the Oilers before the end of the second period. The comeback attempt fell just short but it was little consolation.
“We deserved what we got every period,” captain Jamie Benn said. “Details were sloppy in the first (period). We come in down 3-1. Dig yourself a hole against a good team like that and it’s hard to come back.”
The Canucks are aiming for a third consecutive victory after claiming a much needed 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild following the trade deadline on Friday.
Vancouver has won two consecutive contests to kick off a four-game homestand, after winning only one of five outings on a road swing.
“We’re into March now,”coach Rick Tocchet said. “You got to be up for every game. It doesn’t matter who you play. Dallas is a really good hockey team. They’re very well-coached, (and) obviously, getting Rantanen is going to give them another star player. This is where you need 21 guys playing. We can’t come in here and have 12 guys playing. We need everybody. All hands on deck.”
Vancouver, which is on a 5-0-1 run at home, is one point back of the Calgary Flames for the Western Conference’s second wild-card position.
With 20 games remaining in the regular season, time is running out for the Canucks — who finished atop the Pacific Division last season — to go on a winning streak.
On the positive, embattled forward Elias Pettersson snapped a 15-game goal-scoring drought when he opened the scoring against the Wild.
“Like I said the other day, I’m not perfect,” Pettersson said. “I know this hasn’t been my best season, but I can’t change it, and I’m just trying to get better every day. And (Friday) was a good day — we got a win, had a goal.”
Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes (lower body) did not practice on Saturday, and there was no update as to when the club expects him back in action.
–Field Level Media
