SUNRISE, Fla. — When the Stars and Panthers took the ice for warmups at FLA Live Arena, Scott Wedgewood and Sergei Bobrovsky led their respective groups on the ice. When the Stars’ 6-4 victory was full a couple of hours later, it was Jake Oettinger and Spencer Knight vacating the creases.
In between, 10 objectives had been scored, there was a terrifying sight of a participant being taken off on a stretcher and rather more. Let’s dive in.
Scott Wedgewood’s damage
The results of this recreation grew to become irrelevant at 8:33 p.m. ET, with 5:55 left within the second interval. That’s when Stars backup netminder Scott Wedgewood went to his proper and all the way down to the ice to make what gave the impression to be a reasonably routine save. The state of affairs grew to become rather more complicated as Wedgewood instantly reached for his decrease again.
Over the subsequent 9 minutes, Wedgewood’s teammates huddled across the space the place the medical workers labored on the goalie, who lay immobile on the ice. Eventually, a stretcher was introduced out. Wedgewood was carted off down the tunnel on the far facet of the ice.
Wedgewood appeared to seize his again when he went down. Didn’t discover a lot motion as he was stretchered off. pic.twitter.com/UKI4Gyp1yI
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) November 18, 2022
“Terrified right away,” Tyler Seguin, who has recognized Wedgewood since childhood, stated of how he felt. “And then kind of just listening to the doctors of what they were saying and overheard that hopefully it wasn’t too crazy serious. He was a warrior for us tonight, making some incredible saves. It’s the only reason we got up early.”
During the sport, Michelle McMahon reported on Bally Sports Southwest that Wedgewood was not taken to a hospital and was being tended to by the medical workers within the locker room.
“It was a sense of relief to see him and he was in good spirits,” Seguin stated. “Gave him a high five.”
Wedgewood apparently has eluded any severe ramifications to day-to-day life, which is much extra essential than something hockey-related. What which means for him on the ice continues to be to be decided.
“We’re going to go home and get him checked out,” coach Pete DeBoer stated. “Obviously, you never like to see that. … I mean, he’s not in any danger, he’s coherent and all of that stuff. I don’t know that he’s fine, I’m not sure Tyler’s medical degree qualifies to give that diagnosis. I think he’s OK.”
Stars aren’t brief on good tales, and Wedgewood is one in every of them. Before final season, Wedgewood had began 36 video games in his NHL profession. He turned 29 years outdated getting into final season and ended up enjoying in New Jersey and Arizona and ending in Dallas as an important commerce deadline acquisition. From the beginning of final season by way of Thursday night time, Wedgewood has began 39 video games and is on a cut price deal with the Stars.
Wedgewood can also be one of many nicest individuals within the group. In the locker room on the Stars’ follow facility, Wedgewood’s locker is subsequent to that of 19-year-old rookie Wyatt Johnston. After practices, Wedgewood typically engages with Johnston, whether or not it’s conversations or joking round and holding a microphone as much as Johnston whereas the rookie does media interviews. These issues could appear mundane, however having a backup goaltender who’s well liked by all and a good dude and can maintain the puck out of the online is essential to any group’s success. In Wedgewood, the Stars have all of it. Hopefully, the constructive news continues and Wedgewood is ready to return to motion quickly.
Fast begin
The Stars obtained off to a blazing begin towards the Panthers, racing out to a 4-0 lead after the primary interval and bumping the score to 5-1 at one level within the second body.
The objective that obtained the fireworks going was one for the spotlight reels. After the Stars killed off a penalty, Seguin and Roope Hintz discovered themselves in a two-on-one towards Gustav Forsling. The Panthers defenseman definitely helped Seguin and Hintz by enjoying the push poorly, however Seguin additionally did his half in turning again the clock with a toe-drag move. From there, it was a easy dish to Hintz, who, on his twenty sixth birthday, simply completed previous Bobrovsky.
“He’s electric,” DeBoer stated of Hintz. “He’s got such great speed, compete and he plays the right way. His finishing ability is what’s impressing me. He gets in on the goalie, he makes it look easy.”
An underrated a part of how the objective materialized occurred earlier than the push by Seguin and Hintz. Miro Heiskanen was despatched to the field for hooking. As quickly because the penalty expired, Heiskanen jumped proper into the play and was concerned with the puck, finally resulting in the springing of Seguin and Hintz.
The Stars’ second objective was a one-man present. Nils Lundkvist was marketed as an offensive defenseman. He’s held up his finish of the cut price fairly effectively within the early elements of the season, relative to the expectations of a 22-year-old defenseman enjoying his first full NHL season. Nonetheless, scoring a objective had eluded him by way of the primary 16 video games. He modified that within the first interval.
Less than a minute later, Jamie Benn continued his scoring rampage with a objective that was assisted by his two younger linemates, Johnston and Ty Dellandrea. With simply 9 seconds left within the interval, the Stars scored a fourth time when Mason Marchment, in his return to his outdated stomping grounds, discovered Seguin for a objective and a damaged stick. Midway by way of the second interval, after the Panthers lastly obtained on the board, the Stars wanted a fast response. Hintz offered that with his second objective of the sport, however the score was created by Jason Robertson.
“I didn’t see (the work Robertson did) because my back was to him,” Hintz stated. “But he was yelling my name so I heard that he’s coming to me, and then I was looking that I was alone there. But I didn’t know what happened there before that.”
It’s simply one other in a protracted record of examples of not simply the intelligence of two very good hockey gamers but in addition the chemistry of Robertson and Hintz, alongside with Joe Pavelski. It’s why they’re arguably the perfect line within the NHL. And whereas loads is alleged about Robertson’s goal-scoring, and rightfully so, not sufficient will get stated about his playmaking capability. This dish was Robertson’s fifteenth help of the season, and it additionally prolonged his factors streak to 10 video games. Hintz’s first-period objective additionally gave him a 10-game factors streak. Both numbers are profession highs for the younger stars.
Late-game shenanigans
Penalties proceed to be a difficulty for the Stars. They had six Thursday, and these errors would dominate the narrative in the event that they hadn’t slipped out of the sector with a win. When the Stars had been everywhere in the Panthers and profitable 4-0, it was a power-play objective by Florida that obtained the Panthers on the board within the first half of the second interval. When the Stars had been dealing with the emotional baggage of watching their teammate faraway from the ice by stretcher, it was one other Panthers power-play objective late within the second interval that made it a legit 5-3 hockey recreation with 20 minutes left.
Fortunately, the Stars had been in a position to stave off a valiant six-on-five effort from the Panthers late within the recreation. After some shut calls, to not point out a powerful save by Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour on an empty internet, the Stars had been lastly in a position to put the Panthers away within the waning seconds. Benn had the puck at impartial ice and might have elected to shoot the puck into the open internet. Instead, he selected the affected person and unselfish route, dishing on his proper facet to Dellandrea, whose shot fought by way of a deflection and iced the sport.
Three performs
Marchment’s struggle
With 2:33 left, the Stars led the Panthers 5-4. Sam Bennett slashed Marchment’s stick, which might have put the Stars on the facility play for nearly the remainder of regulation. Instead, Matthew Tkachuk confronted Marchment.
The referees assessed Bennett the penalty for slashing, then 5 minutes every to Tkachuk and Marchment for combating and additionally a penalty to Marchment for unsportsmanlike conduct. Here’s how the interplay between Marchment and Tkachuk started.
When the referees turned on their microphones to announce the penalties, Benn might be heard saying, “Unbelievable. F—— unbelievable” whereas he skated away. DeBoer was irate on the bench. After the sport, DeBoer was requested what clarification he acquired for the Stars’ not going on the facility play.
“They said Marchment instigated with Tkachuk, which, uh, might be the first time Tkachuk has been instigated on,” DeBoer stated.
Oettinger’s short-handed save
Oettinger was thrust into the sport after Wedgewood’s damage, and he performed effectively. One of the most important performs got here when the Stars had been on the facility play within the third interval and the Panthers had a two-on-one short-handed look. Oettinger tracked the puck effectively and denied the score
Pavelski and Hintz
While Seguin’s two-on-one with Hintz resulted in a objective, a Pavelski and Hintz odd-man rush didn’t, for the second consecutive recreation.
Scoring distribution
1A (Robertson) — 2G (Hintz) — Pavelski
1A (Marchment) — 1G1A (Seguin) — Blumel
1G1A (Benn) — 1A (Johnston) — 1G1A (Dellandrea)
Kiviranta — 1A (Faksa) — 2A (Glendening)
Suter — Heiskanen
Hanley — 1G (Lundkvist)
1A (Lindell) — Hakanpaa
Wedgewood: .913 save proportion
Oettinger: .905 save proportion
(Photo: Jasen Vinlove / USA Today)
