Tyler Seguin‘s playoff performance has helped lead the Dallas Stars to the Western Conference Final for a second consecutive year.
Seguin’s 2024 Playoff Performance by Series
The 14-year veteran, in his 11th season with Dallas, had little impact on the stat sheet during the team’s challenging, seven-game, first-round series against the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights — totaling just three points. However, he amassed five points (three goals and two assists) in Dallas’ six-game series against Colorado and enters Wednesday’s Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against Edmonton with four points in the first three games — taking over Game 1 with both Dallas goals in a double overtime loss and assisting two of Jason Robertson‘s goals during Monday’s comeback win.
And he’s done all of that playing on different lines with different players from night to night.
Stars head coach Pete DeBoer on Seguin’s performance on the playoffs:
“Seguin’s been a great story for us this year. Leadership. [He’s done] Whatever we’ve asked him to do — whether it’s take a lesser role on the third line, or step up on the first line, the penalty kill, or the power play, or big faceoffs in the last minute of the game.”
Seguin’s Playoff Performance History
In the 10th playoff appearance of his career — seventh with the Stars — Seguin is on the cusp of setting new career highs in goals and points with 12 points (five goals and seven assists) during the team’s current run. His previous best point total was 13 (two goals and 11 assists) when Dallas reached the Stanley Cup Final during the COVID-19 delayed playoffs of the 2019-20 season, and the five goals tie his postseason career-high set last season.
It is also the first time since that run to the Stanley Cup Final that Seguin’s playoff performance has finished with a double-digit point total.
Veteran Leadership
Seguin has been one of the Stars’ leaders since being traded to the team from the Boston Bruins, along with Rich Peverley and Ryan Button, in exchange for Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith, Matt Fraser, and Joe Morrow in July 2013. Since then, he has taken his place among the top 10 in franchise history in many notable statistics, including reaching the top five in points, goals, assists, and games played.
While there are many accomplished veterans with plenty of playoff experience, like Joe Pavelski, Jamie Benn, and Matt Duchene, leading the way for this year’s squad, Seguin is the only player on the Dallas roster who has won a Stanley Cup championship — earning hockey’s iconic trophy as a 19-year-old rookie in Boston in 2011.
Nevertheless, the young players on this Dallas team have leaned on the veterans around them and learned quickly to become one of the best young cores in the NHL.
Winning the Cup for those veterans who have yet to reach the apex of the sport and the young players looking to continue the legacy of this team in Dallas for years to come has been a goal for the Stars since last season’s run ended in the Western Conference Final, and Seguin is doing his best to help the team get there.
Main Photo: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Stars’ Offense
The Stars’ offense has been potent all year, with Robertson, Pavelski, Roope Hintz, and Wyatt Johnston leading the charge during the regular season. Despite a long drought, Robertson leads the team with 16 playoff points after his hat-trick against Edmonton on Monday, and three others have more total points than Seguin this postseason.
However, his ability to keep the same consistency and level of success while moving around the lineup, stepping up when needed, and creating plays for his teammates has set Tyler Seguin’s playoff performance apart as he tries to drive Dallas to its first Stanley Cup Championship in 25 years.
