First Shift 🏒
Seguin is in a swirling spot in his career right now.
The 33-year-old forward is about to receive his silver stick for playing 1,000 regular season games in the NHL, but when he was asked about the Stars’ 10-2-1 record in the second half of back-to-back games dating back to last season, he chuckled.
“This is my second back-to-back in like three years, so I’ve been watching a lot of them,” Seguin said with a smile.
And that’s an important note for all of us. Yes, he is the acting captain while Benn recovers from a punctured lung. Yes, he still is one of the driving forces of the offense and the power play. And yes, he has turned himself into a huge defensive element and key faceoff guy.
But, he has had to deal with a lot of injuries.
The Stars are 0-6-2 in their past eight trips to Ottawa, but Seguin has missed a few. He was out last season for a narrow 3-2 loss in January. Maybe that’s a good thing. After rehabbing from a couple of surgeries, Seguin has embraced a new philosophy.
“You know what, I’m waking up every day and trying to have fun no matter what,” Seguin said after a 2-1 win against Seattle on Sunday at home. “Wins, losses, tough travel, tough schedule right now, just trying to enjoy it all and I think that’s the secret sometimes.”
It’s actually the perfect attitude for the entire team. Under a new coaching staff and adjusting to some lineup changes and injuries, the Stars have struggled to find consistency. So why not then seek a quiet place in the middle of the storm and make that your identity?
“We can play better in some areas,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “I certainly think in our last four or five games that our game is starting to develop a little bit. We’re connected, we’re playing as a group of five…but I still think there’s more in our tank. I’d like to get our goals against down a little bit and defend a little better.”
That will be a key on this quick two-game road trip up north. Ottawa ranks sixth in scoring at 3.44 goals per game. Montreal ranks fourth at 3.80. That’s a heads up for a team that allowed seven goals to Anaheim and four to Nashville in the past three games.
Casey DeSmith said he liked the team game in front of him on Sunday, as the Dallas defense was methodical in slowing down a young Kraken team in a 2-1 win.
“Keeping it simple,” said DeSmith. “We’re a good team, we’re just finding ways to win games, stacking up points.”
That’s the same philosophy for Seguin. He had a skillful breakaway goal in the final minute of the first period that stood up as the game-winner, and those are the kinds of memories the team could use more of.
“I saw the puck go in. That was pretty exciting,” Seguin said. “I don’t know. Bouncing puck, I didn’t have much, but trying to get it underneath him, and yeah, it went in.”
Both Gulutzan and DeSmith said it was a huge play in the game.
“It’s kind of a goal-scorer’s goal,” Gulutzan said. “They find those little crevices that things sneak in. Got a bounce off a flip, and he’s got good hands, and in tight, so it was nice.”
While DeSmith added: “That was a great finish. I mean, not many guys can finish that play like that. Even I was shocked at the other end, seeing that go in. I was like, ‘How did it go into the net?’ It was crazy.”
