Plenty of things went right during the Dallas Stars’ 5-0 win against the New York Islanders – and as it turns out, putting Gemel Smith on the top line was one of them. Head coach Ken Hitchcock seemed to take his preseason “forward pairs” philosophy to a new level, adding Smith’s speed and net-front presence to the elite duo of Alexander Radulov and the newly re-centered Jamie Benn.
It’s an approach that served the Stars well during the Lindy Ruff years, and it worked again as Smith scored his first goal of the year, on the 100th career assist by Radulov.