Stars’ Gulutzan on Jason Robertson: ‘I still don’t know why he’s not on’ U.S. Olympic team
The Dallas Stars picked up a key win on Friday night, as they downed the St. Louis Blues 3-2 after having won just 4 of their prior 14 games.
It didn’t come easy, as winger Jason Robertson scored with a minute left in the third to deliver the game-winning goal. The marker was his 30th of the season, making him the third player in the NHL this season to reach that checkpoint, joining Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid.
Jason Robertson gives the @DallasStars the lead with just ONE MINUTE left! 😮💨
That duo is expected to lead the charge for Team Canada next month at the Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, while Robertson was not named to the roster for Team USA despite his excellent season.
In his postgame remarks to the media on Friday night, Stars head coach Glen Gulutzan took the opportunity to stand up for his star player in the midst of his career season.
“I’ll double down,” Gulutzan told reporters, including Robert Tiffin of Stars Thoughts. “I still don’t know why he’s not on the team.”
Beyond leading all American skaters in goals this season, Robertson is second to only Vegas center Jack Eichel in points, and his 60 are just one behind Eichel’s 61.
Robertson was also not a member of the American squad at last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off event, but he felt his performance this season made him worthy of a roster spot this time around.
“I thought that this year was different from last year,” he told reporters in January. “Obviously last year, I didn’t think I was good enough. Now, I think I did. It’s their choice and their decision, and that’s it.”
Team USA and Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin prioritized size, physicality and defensive acumen for the bottom half of the team’s forward unit, leading to the inclusion of several players who have been far less productive than Robertson.
The American roster up front is largely similar to the group that lost to Team Canada in the championship game at the 4 Nations event, with Tage Thompson and Clayton Keller in and Chris Kreider out.