Stars Game Day: Oettinger Starts, All-Swede Line vs Blues

The all-swede line will make its debut tonight when the Dallas Stars travel to Kansas City to take on the St. Louis Blues. Jake Oettinger will dress for the second time of the preseason and is expected to play the entire game. 

Fredrick Karlstrom, Fredrik Olofsson, and Oskar Back have skated together a few times throughout camp and will look to continue their push towards an NHL roster spot tonight. 

“It comes natural, we are three different types of players,” Karlstrom said after morning skate. “You’ve got Backer that is really good defensively, a really good two-way center, Freddy that is really skilled, and then you’ve got me with good reach and a good skater.”

Karlstrom is one of a handful of players balancing on the bubble among this Dallas group. Along with Riley Damiani, Ty Dellandrea, Riley Tufte, Jacob Peterson, and Marian Studenic, the bubble group features many players that got to know each other well at the AHL level last season and are enjoying the experience of competing with one another this fall. 

“We were a tight group last year down there [AHL] and we were all good buddies, so it’s just fun,” Karlstrom said about competing with his friends from last season. 

For Pete DeBoer and his staff, the key to any of the bubble players is to stand out and separate yourself from the pack. 

“I think he [Karlstrom] is in that big group of guys that is fighting for those depth positions,” DeBoer said. “We have an abundance of guys here in that nature. How are you going to separate yourself from the pack and make yourself an everyday NHLer? That’s what those guys have to do.”

Projected Lines

Marchment-Johnston-Stankoven

Tufte-Damiani-Studenic

Peterson-Bourque-Kiviranta

Karlstrom-Back-Olofsson 

Hanley-Miller/Karow

Harley-Petrovic

Shea-Butcher

Oettinger

Poirier

Blues Projected Lineup 

He Said It 

“Last year was something I haven't experienced in 15 years in the NHL, that was just one thing after another,” DeBoer said about the injury issues in Vegas early last season. “What it did do is made me appreciate having a healthy team. And so far in camp, so good. That can change overnight, we are very aware of that. We are trying not to overextend guys, the goal here is to get as healthy as we can for game one and still be prepared, and that's the line we are trying to walk.”