NASHVILLE — On Thursday, during a season-opening 4-1 win over the Predators, the Stars’ long summer ended — the Game 7 loss in Calgary faded, the image of Pete DeBoer leading practice normalized, every team’s dreams still lived.
But the Stars’ summer still shone brightly.
The team’s biggest free agent acquisition scored twice, as Mason Marchment had the best Stars debut in nearly a decade. The team’s top prospect made his NHL debut and scored his first career goal, as Wyatt Johnston scored in the third period to extend the Dallas lead to four goals. The team’s key trade pickup picked up his first point in Victory Green, as Nils Lundkvist had an assist on the power play.
Of course, Stars stalwarts Joe Pavelski (one goal) and Tyler Seguin (three assists) also made their presence known. Jake Oettinger submitted 30 saves in his first career Opening Night start.
It was the type of season opener that the Stars dreamed about in the 151 days since their last season ended north of the border.
“This is the first step in starting to build this,” DeBoer said Thursday morning. “It’s not going to be everything we want it to be on Day 1. We can’t overreact to that, but it’s the first chance to really start setting some building blocks and a foundation of how we want to play.”
The Stars will host the Predators on Saturday night in their home opener.
Marchment and Johnston formed two pillars of hope for the Stars in the offseason, two offensively gifted players that could help remedy Dallas’ dormant offense of the last few seasons. But each arrived with questions.
Marchment was once an AHL grinder, once traded to Florida for someone that played in Switzerland the next two seasons. He had one breakout season for the Panthers last year, but still struggled with injuries. The Stars bet on him replicating his production with a four-year contract worth $4.5 million annually.
Johnston is 19 years old, a prized prospect that was the Ontario Hockey League’s leading scorer and most outstanding player last year. He became the first teenager under Jim Nill to crack the Stars’ Opening Night roster when he could have been returned to major junior hockey instead. He was making his NHL debut in a raucous environment against a Central Division foe.
Even Lundkvist, acquired from the Rangers for conditional first- and fourth-round picks, entered the season an unknown. He was buried on the New York depth chart, banished to the AHL last season before requesting a trade. A dynamic defenseman, evaluators across the league still wondered about his size and defending.
For one night, Marchment, Johnston and Lundkvist answered those questions.
Marchment’s first goal was highlight-reel worthy. He collected a loose puck in the defensive zone, sped up ice on three Predators, and cut inside on former Norris Trophy winner Roman Josi. Then he shelved a shot past Juuse Saros, scoring his first goal just 2:31 into his tenure in Dallas.
With 1:04 left in the first period, Marchment added another, a tap-in on the power play set up by Seguin’s shot and Lundkvist’s deft touch pass. He became the first Star to score multiple goals in his Dallas debut since Jaromir Jagr in 2013.
Pavelski scored in the final minute of the second period, finishing a feed from Roope Hintz to give the Stars a 3-0 lead.
Johnston made it 4-0 just over four minutes into the second period, whipping home a one-timer on the power play on cross-slot feed from Seguin.
Thursday provided some validation for Nill’s summer, but offseasons and division titles and Stanley Cups are not won in a night.
Nevertheless, Thursday night gave the Stars more time away from the shade of autumn.
