Despite his young age, 21-year-old Wyatt Johnston is no stranger to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After a crushing 5-1 loss at home in Game 1, the Dallas Stars forward dropped a bold statement directed at Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche, reminding them of their meeting during the 2023-24 NHL postseason.
The Stars and Avalanche starred an evenly-matched contest during Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Playoff hockey tends to come down to minute details and fortunate bounces, which went Colorado’s way in the opening game of the First Round series.
Though deflating for the locker room’s morale, Johnston and the Stars won’t let the loss set the tone for the remainder of the series, which is expected to go down to the wire. Colorado and Dallas are in for a long ride, and it’s hard to believe the Stars are out of the fight after a setback on Game 1.
Johnston made sure to remind MacKinnon and the Avs of that after the game, quickly pointing at the previous playoff meeting between the two teams during last year’s postseason.
Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche speaks with the media during the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Final Media Day at Ball Arena on June 14, 2022 in Denver, Colorado.
“We don’t want to be in this situation, but we’ve had a lot of experience being down 1-0 in a series, so I think that gives us a positive note, that we know we’re able to come back from it,” Stars’ former first-round selection in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Wyatt Johnston, said via NHL.com.
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“I mean, we lost Game 1 against these guys last year, and we were able to get it back. Playoff time, you’re going to lose games, you’re going to win games. The most important game is the next game.”
Create their own luck
Though it’d be comfortably easy for the Stars to blame the loss on the unfortunate plays that went the Avalanche’s way, as the strange kick-goal by Artturi Lehkonen which opened the scoring, head coach Pete DeBoer and the team know better than that.
Following the defeat at home, DeBoer sent a clear message to his players, reminding they must help their luck in order to have success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Head coach Peter DeBoer of the Dallas Stars watches as his team plays against the Edmonton Oilers.
“Two of [Colorado’s goals] were basically off a foot and one was off us, but you have to make your bounces in the playoffs and [Colorado] worked for their bounces tonight. We have to work for some bounces around the net,” DeBoer said.
“It was one of those nights where I felt like we got a really good look, and they either got a save or we missed, and then there was a couple where they would go right back down, and [they were] opportunistic.”
No scoreboard watching
Though Colorado will gladly take the win on the road to start off the series, the players in the locker room remain focused on the end goal, well aware that the playoff have only just started. After the win, Avs forward Jack Drury issued a calm and collected statement.
SurveyWill the Stars overcome their deficit and defeat the Avalanche?
Will the Stars overcome their deficit and defeat the Avalanche?
“They’ve got some really talented players that we have to watch out for, and they’re physical, too. It’s a good team and I think it was a hard-fought Game One. The score probably didn’t indicate how tight of a game it was.”
