Dallas Morning News
-----------------------
September 28, 2005 - The Dallas started the preseason very strong, playing some dominating games and some overall, solid hockey. Over the length of the preseason though, things took a bit of a turn, and the Stars offense sputtered. The team ended with a disappointing 4-4-0-1 record, losing their last 3.
The first line, which for most of the preseason included Gary Roberts, Jeremy Roenick and Jaromir Jagr dominated and clicked immediately. Roenick led the team with 12 points, which also led all players in the preseason. Roberts and Jagr followed with 7 points in 8 games, with Roberts scoring a team leading 4 goals.
But after that, the offense didn't click. The second line never found any consistency, possibly due to the merry-go-round of players that saw ice time on the line. Injuries and suspensions forced Coach Ted Nolan to make the necessary adjustments. The three players expected to make up the second line include, Jeff O'Neill, Steven Reinprecht and Trent Hunter. O'Neill and Reinprecht played in all 8 preseason games but combined for only 6 points and a -5.
When asked about the 2nd line, GM Benjamin Yoskovitz expressed some concern, "I'm not terribly happy with the way those guys played. They never clicked. But it's a long season, and while Coach Nolan might decide to change things up for the regular season at the outset, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw that line soon enough, and performing well."
The 3rd line was equally disappointing, but again, many players switched places on the line during preseason. At the beginning of preseason, it was expected that Mike Leclerc, Wes Walz and Dallas Drake would make up a solid, fast 3rd line. Drake and Walz performed well on the penalty kill which ranked amongst the top 10 in the preseason at 94.7%, but otherwise haven't shown much. And Leclerc, who was one of the team's last acquisitions has been nearly invisible.
Possibly the best 3rd liner was Manny Malhotra who ended up with 4 points in 8 games and an even plus/minus. He saw time on the 3rd and 4th lines and consistently put out a solid effort. It's possible that he'll replace Leclerc on the 3rd line.
Another question mark for the team is Anson Carter. Brought in to provide offensive depth, Carter bounced from the 2nd line all the way to the 4th line during all 8 preseason games. He ended up with 1 goal and 1 assist, registering only 7 shots. His ice time was limited, but the team hoped for more.
"We wanted one of the guys to stand out, one of the guys brought in to provide depth," said Coach Nolan. "Leclerc, Carter, Malhotra, Drake...those guys are still fighting for ice time, and unless one or two of them steps it up quickly they'll be fighting all year."
The 4th line often saw Roenick and/or Jagr doubleshifting, along with the likes of Denis Hamel, who is expected to make the team. Any one of the guys that slumped during preseason may find themselves getting a handful of minutes on the 4th line as well.
On defense, Wade Redden and Mattias Norstrom had excellent preseasons, although Redden failed to score, which frustrated him. "I was hoping to find the back of the net a few times," said Redden. "I played well defensively, but with all the powerplay time I'm seeing, I need to help out more offensively."
GM Yoskovitz quickly squashed any rumors of Redden being traded, but he gave an uncommitted answer when it came to Colin White. Rumors circulated all preseason that White was on the trading block, and his preseason performance didn't help matters. White was arguably the worst defenseman for the team, playing all 8 preseason games, registering 0 points and going -3. He supplied 17 hits, but otherwise played poorly.
Coach Nolan said that it's very likely he'll spread out his defensive pairings a little more, and try to avoid doubleshifting players as much, now that the long season is beginning. It's expected we'll see the following on opening night:
Redden - White
Norstrom - Visnovsky
Vishnevski - Melichar
Ehrhoff
The team is likely only going to carry 6 defenseman since there's a glut of forwards that can't be sent to the minors, while Ehrhoff can, without clearing waivers.
Coach Nolan explained the lineup: "I kept the defensive pairings pretty steady during preseason, hoping to generate some chemistry. Redden and Norstrom did that, but the rest of the guys didn't. So, I'm moving things around. Redden can help stabilize White, who I still have supreme confidence in, and I'm spreading the offensive and defensive talent from the 1st to the 3rd line.
Andrew Raycroft played excellent hockey most of the preseason with a 1.75 GAA, .930 PCT and 1 shutout. His backup, Trevor Kidd saw extremely limited action and proved very disappointing. It's expected that Raycroft will carry most of the load during the regular season.
Although the regular season is still a bit a way, given what we've recently seen in practices and Nolan's comments, the lineup is expected to look as follows:
Roberts - Roenick - Jagr
Leclerc - Reinprecht - Hunter
O'Neill - Walz - Drake
Malhotra - Arkhipov - Carter
Hamel