Jim Nill could teach Nico Harrison a thing or two about how to make a trade that sends shock waves through the rest of the league without pulling the props out from under your own front porch in the process. Both general managers made blockbuster deadline moves in an attempt to win now. As of Friday night, Nico’s officially a year in arrears.
Even after Saturday’s 5-1 opening-game loss to Colorado at American Airlines Center, Nill still has a pretty good shot at his first Stanley Cup as a GM.
Might as well go ahead and win it all now, too, before people start to think it’s a Dallas thing.
On one hand, the Stars go into Game 2 with not just one eight-game losing streak but two. There’s eight straight this season as well as eight in a row leading off a playoff series.
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On the other hand, they’ve bounced back after a Game 1 loss before. Five of the last seven playoff series, to be exact.
“There’s no confidence issue,” said Pete DeBoer, who seemed to believe it.
Certainly the Stars are good enough to turn this around. Also good enough to win their first championship this century. Even without Jason Robertson for a few more games, and Saturday’s evidence to the contrary, they’ve got the firepower and the goalie in Jake Oettinger.
Once Miro Heiskanen returns — he looked like he might be close at Saturday’s morning skate — they’ll have enough defense.
“He’s a world-class player,” Thomas Harley said, “and we miss him.”
Unfortunately, the Stars’ bigger problem Saturday was they didn’t miss Mackenzie Blackwood nearly enough. Just once, in fact, on a power-play goal by Roope Hintz in the third, when Blackwood’s stick was stuck in the net.
The breakthrough cut Colorado’s lead to 2-1, which is when it all went to pieces. The Avs’ last three goals included an empty netter and another goal so bad it nearly emptied the building.
If there’s been any criticism of Nill’s deadline work, it’s that he doubled down on offense with the acquisition of Mikko Rantanen instead of dressing up his blue line. Rantanen is clearly still feeling his way along. As for DeBoer’s defense, he said his only problem was giving Colorado eight minutes of power play to play with.
In the scoreless first period, it was tough sledding for both teams. Broken sticks littered the ice like driftwood on a beach.
Related:Full coverage: Stars’ Game 1 woes continue as Avalanche pull away with late flurry
But, even before Colorado’s late barrage, they proved to be the better team Saturday. Through two periods, as the Avs took a 2-0 lead, they’d won more face-offs (24-17), outshot (18-17) and outhit (23-12) the Stars, who looked like they were still trying to shake the cobwebs out of their heads from a seven-game losing streak to end the regular season.
Were the Avs also lucky? Sure. They got their first goal after Oettinger stopped Artturi Lehkonen’s shot, only to watch the rebound hit Lehkonen’s skate as he slid toward the crease, the puck caroming over Otter’s shoulder.
“Hell of a soccer play,” DeBoer said, smiling.
On a Colorado power play after Hintz’s double-minor, Nathan MacKinnon also flicked a puck that clipped Otter’s glove.
That was pretty much all that was needed Saturday to undo the Stars, who haven’t won the first game of a playoff series since 2020. Not ideal to keep digging themselves a hole early, but not a deal-killer, either.
Even if they don’t pull this series out, chances are nobody’s getting fired. Certainly not Nill. Could Pete DeBoer be on the hot seat? He got 106 points out of a team missing its best player (Heiskanen) and Tyler Seguin for a chunk of the season. Some bitterness lingers from how he handled the end of the Stars’ playoff run last year, but Nill isn’t firing him now.
Not when he lacks a front-line replacement for a team built to win now.
For the record, Nico’s probably not getting fired, either, even if he deserves it for trading Luka Doncic. For one thing, Patrick Dumont backed the trade publicly. He can’t back off Nico now.
Besides, before making the worst trade in Dallas sports history, Nico had shown a knack for making deals that led to a conference finals appearance and a finals run. He should get the opportunity to prove he can still make this work.
Missing the playoffs again next year ought to do it for all those unhappy campers out there.
Maybe even a one-and-done.
Fortunately, the Stars, though down a game once again, play on. Even if most left early, enough fans hung around with two minutes left to mount a decent “Fire Nico” chant. Only one GM working at AAC is safe these days.
Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN
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