The Stars received reinforcements during their 3-2 overtime loss to Vegas on Wednesday night, as Jason Robertson and Blake Comeau both entered the Dallas lineup for the first time this season.
Robertson rejoined Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski on a line (the same trio that succeeded last season) and finished with two shots on goal and six shot attempts in 16:30 of time on ice.
“They did a lot of good things,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said. “They created offense, which we want them to do. You know Robo’s going to score. You know Roope’s going to score. You know Pavs’ going to score. They didn’t tonight, but there were some really encouraging signs.”
Robertson missed the season’s first six games with a shoulder injury suffered in his final preseason game against Colorado. He took a hit late in the game, said he felt fine during the postgame press conference, but his condition later worsened, forcing him out for three weeks.
“I thought I was fine afterwards, but adrenaline and everything started to kick in afterwards,” Robertson said. “Just wanted to make sure it healed up and ready to go tonight.”
Entering the lineup during the season’s opening month should be a familiar feeling for Robertson, having emerged as a Calder Trophy runner-up after Bowness scratched him early on.
“He’s saying ‘Remember that? You come in and you start coming guns blazing,’ as opposed to getting a slow start,” Robertson said. “I kind of look back and that coming into this lineup tonight and I’m like: I’ve got to work, I’ve got to win battles. I can’t just go through the motions out there or have time to settle in. I want to be a big part of this team immediately.”
Comeau had one shot and two hits in 13:12 of playing time.
Comeau returned his position on the fourth line after an elbow infection kept him out. Comeau said he fell on his elbow during a training camp practice, opening up a small cut that later got infected. Comeau said he went to the emergency room and had a procedure done to drain his elbow.
“Everything was fine for 10 days, and then it started to swell up and get a little bit red and hot,” Comeau said. “It ended up being infected.”
It was the third straight season Comeau missed time at the start of the season. He had COVID-19 at the season’s start last year. The year before, he injured his knee during an Opening Night loss to Boston.
“It sucks because you grind all summer long to be in shape, you have a tough training camp and then you’ve got to sit and watch for a couple weeks,” Comeau said. “So it’s been tough, but I’m excited to get back with the guys, just get in there and join the fight.”
Peterson down: The Stars sent forward Jacob Peterson down to AHL affiliate Texas on Wednesday afternoon as Robertson and Comeau returned. Peterson, 22, played the first six games of his NHL career this month, scoring a goal during his NHL debut in New York.
“He needs to go back and play a little bit,” Bowness said. “He hit the wall a little bit up here. This is a good league, it’s a tough league. He’s a great prospect. He has a wonderful future with the organization. Now, with it being a healthy lineup, it’s important that we keep him playing. It’s a good move for him.”
Sending Peterson down also gives the Stars enough cap space to recall two players from Texas, if necessary due to injuries.
The decision to send Peterson features two separate choices. The Stars chose Comeau and Joel Kiviranta in the lineup over Peterson, and also chose Tanner Kero on the roster over Peterson.
While the case for Peterson revolves around his ability to create scoring chances on a team that struggles to score, the case for both Kiviranta and Comeau to Bowness and the Stars coaching staff center on their ability to bring energy and play defense.
“He brings the leadership, he brings that grit, he brings that in-your-face attitude that we have to get going again,” Bowness said of Comeau.
Peterson also did not record a point since his first career goal on Opening Night in New York.
Kero was a healthy scratch on Wednesday, the first time this season he was scratched. While Kero demonstrated the ability to clear waivers multiple times last year, he still would have had to have been waived to be sent to the AHL. The Stars also do not need to keep Kero playing in order to continue his development, like they must with Peterson.
Another scorer off the list: Now, there’s only Jamie Benn and Roope Hintz.
Alexander Radulov scored his first goal of the season on Wednesday night, tipping a Jani Hakanpää point shot past Golden Knights goaltender Laurent Brossoit in the second period. He was the latest Stars scorer to record their first goal of the season.
Tyler Seguin scored Friday against Los Angeles. So did Denis Gurianov.
Benn ($9.5 million cap hit) and Hintz ($3.15 million) remain goalless on the season, even though Hintz has looked dangerous but has continuously missed the net on shots. Benn nearly set up the game-winning goal in the final minute, but Luke Glendening could not finish on Brossoit.
Dallas is now shooting 4.52% at 5 on 5, the second-worst mark in the league. It comes after finishing last from 2018-21.
“If there was a simple answer for that, every guy that played in this league would be a 30-goal scorer, right?” Bowness said. “There’s not a simple answer. You get out there and you see an opening and you take your shot. You don’t always have a lot of time. Robo had a lot of time in overtime, had a perfect shot, hits the crossbar. You’re talking a half an inch there, either way.
“The important thing there is you’re putting pucks on net, you’re getting Grade-A chances. It’s up to the player to put the puck in the net.”
Some help: John Klingberg prevented a goal in overtime by denying Evgenii Dadonov on a wraparound attempt. But he also turned the puck over in the corner, leading to Dadonov’s game-winner.
As Klingberg was in the corner, Seguin and Radulov were up the ice opening up for a pass.
“Yeah, John needed a little help there,” Bowness said.
