It was a brief moment in an uneven season.
It seemed like it was weeks ago, and yet also like it was just last game.
When Tyler Seguin finished a gorgeous assist from Denis Gurianov with a blistering shot that snapped the twine in a 7-4 win over the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 20, the experience was eerily familiar. Seguin looked like the superstar scoring leader he’s been for long stretches in Dallas, and that was a vision we hadn’t seen in a couple of years.
It was also a reminder of just what kind of force the team could possess whenever this strange NHL journey gets back on the ice.
“That’s a goal-scorer’s goal,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said. “Not many guys can go in there short side and roof it right under the bar. When I see that confidence, I know it’s coming.”
Video: MIN@DAL: Seguin trails play, fires shot from circle
That’s huge for the Stars. Seguin’s been a point-a-game player for most of his career. He’s just 29, and he should be in the prime of his career. But he’s battled various injuries over the past three seasons, including most of last year after hip surgery. And while he’s played all 29 games this season, he’s yet to find his stride, amassing just 12 points, including eight goals.
Most of those goals have been the hard-working variety as Seguin’s battled to get to the front of the net and deflect pucks in. They haven’t been the big shot, fast-moving style that have filled his highlight reel in previous seasons.
Seguin said he’s had to change his game to adjust to both physical limitations and to the fact he’s being used differently at times. And that’s been tough this year.
“Sometimes it gets frustrating because I can’t play the same kind of game I’ve played in the past,” he said. “I’m still trying to find the balance between muck and grinder and finding that more fluid style to my game that I’ve had.”
Both Bowness and Seguin’s teammates said they’ve appreciated the veteran’s ability to adapt, but they also add that they’d love to see a return to the…