Poirier, Seminoff, Capobianco shine as Stars blank Wild in preseason
With Jake Oettinger held out, Rémi Poirier stopped all 24 shots in a 2-0 win that gave Dallas a long look at its depth.
Rémi Poirier was not supposed to play the whole game. Then Jake Oettinger reported lower body tightness after the morning skate, and the 24-year-old stopped all 24 shots he faced in the Dallas Stars' 2-0 preseason win over the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday.
Poirier outduelled Jesper Wallstedt behind a blue line that included Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, Trey Taylor, Kyle Capobianco, Lian Bichsel and Tyler Myers.
"He made some big saves and he made some stuff look easy, which is always a sign of good positioning," coach Glen Gulutzan said.
Poirier is coming off a strong season with the AHL's Texas Stars. He went 27-19-6 with a 2.61 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage, and his 52 games played led all AHL goalies. He sits third on the organization's depth chart behind Oettinger and Casey DeSmith.
"I feel when I'm going on the ice, I know the players and I know I can communicate with those guys, and I know it's going to be all right," Poirier said.
Forward Matthew Seminoff scored the opening goal in the second period, reading a Capobianco rush to the net, and added a fight. The 22-year-old, a 179th overall pick in 2022, had 50 points (24 goals, 26 assists) in 72 games with Texas last season.
"He's climbed that ladder and he's pushing," Gulutzan said. "That's a good sign."
Capobianco, 29, had two assists. The defenceman has played 107 NHL games, 33 of them with Dallas last season, and has moved up the depth chart after the Stars lost Ilya Lyubushkin and Alexander Petrovic in the off-season.
"I still think Capo is a guy who can grow in this league," Gulutzan said.
The Stars are dealing with a tight salary cap and have Tyler Seguin, Matt Duchene and Colin Blackwell rehabbing injuries, which leaves room for depth players to push for time.
Dallas is 3-0-0 in the preseason and closes its exhibition schedule Friday in Minnesota. Oettinger was set to be re-evaluated at practice Thursday to determine whether he plays. The Stars open the regular season Oct. 2.
