Talking Points: Seguin Haunts Old Mates, Stars Embarrass Bruins 6-1

Former Boston Bruins forward Tyler Seguin gave the Bruins and their fans a not so friendly reminder of what they traded away almost nine years ago in a 6-1 win for the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Arena Sunday.

Seguin had two goals and an assist and Luke Glendening, Jamie Benn, Roope Hintz, and Alexander Radulov scored for the Stars who sent the Bruins home with a 1-1-1 record on their three-game road trip. Craig Smith scored the lone goal for the Boston Bruins.

Linus Ullmark carried a 9-0-1 record in the month of January into this game but like the rest of his teammates, it just wasn’t his night. Ullmark was pulled after allowing four goals on 15 shots. He was relieved by rookie goalie Jeremy Swayman, who was recalled from Providence (AHL) on Saturday to replace the injured Tuukka Rask. Swayman struggled as well, allowing two goals on 14 shots, but like Ullmark, wasn’t given much help from his teammates.

GOLD STAR: Tyler Seguin – In the famous words of longtime Boston sportscaster Bob Lobel: “Why can’t we get players like that?”

Clearly showing my age here but that Lobel coin phrase goes through my head whenever a Boston sports team gets lit up by one of their former players. While I may be getting up there, unless you’re a Bruins fan under the age of 12, you remember when the Boston Bruins shocked the hockey world and traded forward Tyler Seguin to the Dallas Stars in a seven-player trade on the Fourth of July 2013. That’s why it had to sting to see the 2010 second overall pick and member of the 2011 Stanley Cup Championship Bruins team, absolutely light up the Bruins Sunday night in Dallas. What made it even more frustrating was how easy the Boston Bruins made it for Seguin to score his sixth and seventh goals and notch his sixth assist against his former team.

Seguin opened the scoring 6:54 into the first period with his 13th goal of the season:

Tyler Seguin scores the first of the night against his old friends🥲

Definitely could’ve been better back checking decision making here.

1-0 DAL. pic.twitter.com/yp5xmA4nTR

— Blake Thorne (@_BlakeThorne) January 31, 2022

Seguin’s second goal of the night came with 1:07 left in regulation and was salt in the wound as it gave the Stars a 6-1 lead.

Tyler Seguin is going to sleep well tonight with 2-1-3 in 15:11 TOI.

6-1 DAL. pic.twitter.com/QKUudP3XvO

— Blake Thorne (@_BlakeThorne) January 31, 2022

Not a bad birthday present for Seguin who turns 30 on Monday.

BLACK EYE: Team Defense – Seguin wasn’t the only Stars player to skate, create and score with ease Sunday night in Big D. The Boston Bruins were an absolute mess in their own end and through the neutral zone. They allowed 29 shots (19 quality chances) finished with nine turnovers and Matt Grzelcyk was the only defenseman that didn’t finish with a minus rating. It was simply one of those nights where the Bruins just didn’t have it. Ullmark didn’t have it either but this was on the teammates in front of him. Look at the time the Bruins gave Esa Lindell here to find Alexander Radulov for the goal.

Esa Lindell caught the Bruins out of position and threaded a pass down the middle for Alexander Radulov.

He finished the breakaway chance:

2-0 DAL. pic.twitter.com/RhlIGGxdj2

— Blake Thorne (@_BlakeThorne) January 31, 2022

TURNING POINT: First Period – Once again the Boston Bruins were flat off the hop and found themselves down 2-0 after the opening frame. After Seguin made it 1-0, Radulov got his second of the season at 15:23 of the first period and the Bruins went to the dressing room down 2-0 in the first intermission. The Bruins never recovered.

HONORABLE MENTION: Luke Glendening –  There were some other deserving choices from the Stars but call me a softie for fourth-liners and grinders. Glendening was wrecking ball on Sunday night. He finished with a goal, two shots and four hits.

Miro Heiskanen's rebound attempt is tipped home by Luke Glendening to push Dallas up 3!#TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/mjSGt4qDty

— Hockey Daily 365 (@HockeyDaily365) January 31, 2022

BY THE NUMBERS: 1 – As in Steve Fogarty’s first game with the Boston Bruins. The 28-year-old center had one goal and two assists in nine games with the Buffalo Sabres last season. Prior to last season he played 18 games for the New York Rangers but had no points. Fogarty was a 2011 third-round pick of the Rangers. With the Bruins down 2-0 early in the second period, Fogarty almost had his first goal as a Bruin when he took a beautiful feed from Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy down low but tried to switch to the forehand instead of back-handing the shot into the empty net.

McAvoy threaded one here, but my lord Steven Fogarty, gotta finish that: pic.twitter.com/aCxS4MBFvp

— Blake Thorne (@_BlakeThorne) January 31, 2022

QUOTE TO NOTE: “Our goaltending was fine, we didn’t do nearly enough in front of him” – Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy when asked about the play of Ullmark and Swayman.