Why Dallas Stars are the most compelling story left in Stanley Cup playoffs

Maybe it’s hometown bias, but the Stars seem like the best story remaining in the Stanley Cup chase. Pete DeBoer facing off against the team that fired him last year. Roope Hintz losing his underrated label by leading Conn Smythe betting. Jake “Jekyll-or-Hyde” Oettinger raising expectations or blood pressures every night in goal.

Wyatt Johnston, the Stars’ resident foreign exchange student, boarding with the Pavelskis.

Joe got you doing any chores around the house, Wyatt?

“Cooked dinner last night, actually,” the 20-year-old from Toronto said Wednesday.

Johnston’s done some cooking on the ice, too, like Pavelski and most of the Stars. In the first two rounds, they’ve generally gotten better as the series progressed, which is better than the alternative, for sure.

Just the same, seeing as how the Western Conference finals open on the Strip and the Golden Knights are favored to advance as a result, it seems like now would be a good time to get off on the right foot.

Consider five storylines about how they could do just that.

First and foremost, even though they’re underdogs, the Stars must play to their considerable strengths and advantages over the Knights, which starts with Oettinger performing more like the goalie in Game 7 against the Kraken than the one pulled in Game 6 for the second time in the series.

Oettinger is universally considered one of the game’s great young goalies, but he hasn’t always played like it lately. Time to ratchet up the intensity. No reason he shouldn’t be better than Adin Hill, the Golden Knights’ fourth man in net this season.

The Stars’ second-best advantage: special teams. They lead the playoffs in power-play goals with 13 and are fifth in success rate at 31.7%. The Knights’ penalty kill, meanwhile, was mediocre all season, and it’s been worse in the playoffs at 60%.

Bruce Cassidy, Las Vegas’ coach, says one of the keys to slowing the Stars’ prolific offense is making sure Miro Heiskanen doesn’t “waltz out of his end every time.” That means wearing down the Stars’ best defenseman by finishing checks. The drawback is that it risks penalties, and the Knights simply can’t give the Stars the man advantage.

Third storyline: The guy behind the bench. DeBoer worked Las Vegas’ before he got canned after missing the playoffs last year. He knows the Knights as well as anyone.

“Fortunately for us,” Jamie Benn said, “he’s here now.”

Like Ron Washington, who set Rangers lineups in April and put it on cruise control thereafter, DeBoer didn’t tinker with his lines as much as Rick Bowness did. Players like certainty and continuity.

And you have to think a return to Vegas by their head coach gives an appreciative bunch extra incentive.

Fourth point: Hintz, whose 19 points give him the playoff lead now that Connor McDavid’s gone home, must continue his break-out performance.

“To do it in the playoffs is a whole different world for young players,” DeBoer said. “I mean, you guys write about it more than anyone. You know, there’s a guy on every team, a young player that produced all year or was expected to carry a team and then in the playoffs gets shut down.”

Jason Robertson, in other words.

In fairness, Robertson hasn’t been bad. A point a game is pretty good, in fact. But it’s not the same rate he demonstrated during the season, when he scored 109 points, including 46 goals. After netting two in the first round, he got shut out in the second. The Stars have plenty of offense with an expected goals rate of 54.13%, tops in the playoffs. But it wouldn’t hurt if Robertson joined the party.

Fortunately for the Stars, Hintz, whose speed and skill is a game-changer, keeps picking up the slack.

“For him to be able to carry over his game and be equally as effective or more effective even at this time of year,” DeBoer said, “is a giant statement for a young player.”

Speaking of young players, what more can you say about Johnston? The kid has already scored two series-clinching goals in his first playoff experience, one while still a teenager.

DeBoer, who raved about Johnston’s game-winner against the Kraken, said he’s never had a player so young, so good.

“And it’s not close,” he added.

Johnston’s precocious play on the third line serves as yet another example of the Stars’ depth, a key to advancement. It was no accident that the Stars set him up with Pavelski. The in-home tutoring and model for a good diet and exercise has sped up the maturation process. Johnston will look back one day, DeBoer said, and realize his good fortune.

By all accounts, chances are he already does. Sounds like the ideal tenant to me. Cleans up, keeps a small footprint, even knows his way around the kitchen.

Tuesday’s menu?

“I did some fancy dinner,” he said, smiling.

Steak, crab and shrimp, in fact.

Not sure about the length of Johnston’s lease with the Pavelskis, but, if he doesn’t talk back, we’ve got a spare room or two. I’m a sucker for surf and turf.

Twitter: @KSherringtonDMN

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