No other series has been as exciting to watch as the Minnesota Wild-Dallas Stars so far, and even though the Wild took the win in Game 1, the Stars promptly evened it up by emerging victorious in the latest showdown. What unfolded at the American Airlines Center on April 20 was absolute carnage. But Dallas head coach Glen Gulutzan is taking the physical nature of playoff games in his stride, even when one of his players was subject to a WWE-style headlock.
Dallas Stars HC Glen Gulutzan Doesn’t Think Much of the Nick Foligno-Thomas Harley Headlock
The Stars have come awfully close to lifting the Stanley Cup over the past three seasons, but never quite got there. This time, they are determined to turn things around, regardless of what it takes. Consequently, Game 2 witnessed 15 penalties slapped on both teams, but nothing was quite as chilling as the sight of Marcus Foligno taking 24-year-old Thomas Harley in a headlock late in the second period.
As the two skated by the Minnesota bench, Harley interfered with Foligno, leading the 34-year-old to take the Dallas defenseman in a headlock. Consequently, Foligno was penalized with a double minor for roughing, while Harley received a two-minute penalty for interference.
However, Gulutzan believes it is just a small price you pay in postseason games. Moreover, the Stars HC simply refused to blow it out of proportion.
“I don’t think too much of it. Sure, he had him in a headlock, and I don’t think, other than that, it was malicious. It’s playoff hockey. The biggest thing for me is how Harls has stepped up in the physicality department and how solid he’s been,” Gulutzan said, weighing in on the situation.
At the end of the day, the Stars were barely on the receiving end; it was Minnesota that was adversely affected. When players let their emotions run unchecked on the ice during critical postseason games, it is always bad news. For instance, Nick Foligno’s elbow on Nils Lundkvist at 2:16 of the second period was followed by Matt Duchene’s power-play goal at 4:06.
Brock Faber, who had two goals against the Stars, could not help but notice that the Wild may have fared better had the team exercised some restraint. “The scrums and stuff, that just drains the life out of the bench and positivity. There’s a time and a place for it. I think they had the upper hand in that tonight,” Faber reflected, per Wild insider Joe Smith.Â
Another factor in the Stars’ win was Jake Oettinger’s drastic improvement since Game 1. The goaltender registered an impressive save percentage of .933. In the last game, he made only 23 saves and posted a .821 SV%.
With the series tied, it is definitely going to be all the more exciting to watch this rivalry unfold here onward. The Wild have what it takes to come out of this series, provided they learn to keep their cool.
