Stars Notebook: A Record-Setting Night at the AAC

As the Stars skated off the ice at the American Airlines Center on Friday night, there was much rejoicing. 

Dallas had completed yet another multi-goal comeback on home ice. They had been brought back from the seemingly dead after a sloppy and quiet 30 minutes of hockey. They received a massive two-goal performance from Roope Hintz. And two of their forwards had cemented their names into Dallas Stars history. 

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With two assists, Jason Robertson became the fastest player to reach 50 points in a single season. The 23-year-old hit the 50-point mark in just 35 games, far better than any of the Stars greats that complete the list. 

“He’s elite offensively,” Stars Head Coach Pete DeBoer said. “And not just a goal scorer. When the puck is on his stick, something good is usually happening offensively. He is an underrated playmaker. He sees the ice really well, he makes good plays, he finds open people when the shot’s not there. He’s just an elite player.” 

“He has a computer in his head,” Hintz said. “So it’s nice to be there and see what he does.”

The record is the second for Robertson, who had already broken the Dallas Stars point-streak record (18) earlier this season. 

And the record-setting night was not finished yet. 

As 19-year-old Wyatt Johnston took a pass from Ryan Suter in the third period and buried his own rebound into an open net, he did something that no player had ever done since the team relocated to Dallas in 1993. 

With his 10th goal of the season, Johnston became the youngest player to score goals in three straight games in Dallas Stars history. 

“Oh wow, I didn’t know that,” DeBoer said. “That’s impressive. What do you say about the kid? He just keeps getting better and better. More confident every time out there. It’s not a flash or a fluke, we’ve seen it every day here. We’re starting to get used to it.”

The kid also improved on his top-five rookie scoring resume, capped off another comeback for his team, and even surprised his Head Coach. 

“It always surprises me when a young player with still junior eligibility left can come into this league and have any success,” DeBoer said. “As a coach, you’re hoping that you can put him on the ice and just have him survive and make a few plays. To have a young guy that age come in and actually contribute on a nightly basis is really rare.” 

“Yeah, it’s all been pretty surreal for me,” Johnston said. “It’s not really fully set in, playing in the NHL. It’s a lot of fun and I’ve been enjoying every minute of it.” 

You know who else has enjoyed every minute of it? Stars fans. 

If you are thinking about visiting the AAC for a Dallas Stars game, don’t let a lack of excitement hold you back. This team makes every single home game interesting and seems to find a way to win when most think they are down and out. 

The club has put together quite the impressive record (20-9-6) heading into the Christmas break and has put themselves in an excellent spot heading towards the second half of the season.