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Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporterMay 18, 2024, 02:00 AM ET
CloseRyan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.
The Dallas Stars outlasted the Colorado Avalanche in double overtime to advance to the Western Conference finals.
Next up for Dallas will be the winner of the Vancouver Canucks-Edmonton Oilers series, which Vancouver leads 3-2.
Here’s a look at how the Stars got here and how they match up against either Vancouver or Edmonton.
Going farm-to-table has allowed the Stars to eat this postseason
Executives are always discussing the importance of trying to build a team through the draft and develop the sort of talent that can someday carry a franchise. The Stars have done just that recently, and this postseason has shown the value of taking such an approach.
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Exactly how beneficial has the Stars’ model been? Eleven of the 21 players who’ve played at least four games for the club were drafted by the Stars. That’s tied with the Bruins for the most homegrown players to play at least one playoff game this postseason Their three top point leaders this postseason are homegrown talents — Miro Heiskanen, Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson — while four of their top five scorers were drafted by the club.
The same goes for the three players — Heiskanen, Thomas Harley and Esa Lindell — who lead them in average ice time. In fact, five of the six players who led the Stars in ice time during this playoff run were all drafted by the team — the lone exception being trade deadline acquisition Chris Tanev, who is fourth in minutes per game.
And then there’s goaltender Jake Oettinger whose performances have seen him post a 2.27 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage this postseason. Yes, there are key contributors who came over via free agency and trade, but this is a notably homegrown crew.
The young star who keeps burning bright
When Johnston scored 24 goals and 41 points as a rookie last season, it created the belief that the Stars might have something special….
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/40154334/nhl-playoffs-2024-stanley-cup-dallas-stars-takeaways-conference-finals-bracket
Author : Ryan S. Clark
Publish date : 2024-05-18 13:07:31
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