There was some debate on just how ready Jason Robertson was to play Thursday night.
Stars forward Tyler Seguin laughed and said he felt Robertson was playing no matter what, while coach Rick Bowness maintained Robertson's return from a lower-body injury was definitely a "game-time decision." Either way, it was a good thing he was there.
Robertson had two goals and an assist and helped fuel a huge 5-4 win at Buffalo.
"He wasn't even certain he was going to play, but he felt better so he decided to play," Bowness said. "It's fortunate for all of us, but it shows his importance to the offensive side of our team."
Robertson has been a consistent warrior in his first two NHL seasons. He was runner-up for rookie of the year last season, and despite missing six games with a shoulder injury to start this season and two more with a recent lower-body injury, he ranks 12th in the league in points per 60 minutes at 3.44.
"For a guy that's really in his second year in the league, he has tremendous poise and confidence with the puck," said Bowness.
While his goalscoring has been huge, Robertson also made a great pass that led to a goal for Roope Hintz. His hockey sense has been a big part of his ability to adapt at the NHL level.
"It's funny because the last minute of the first period or whatever, I ring one off the bar, but then I watched the replay and Roope was wide-open back door, so I told him, 'I'm going to get you next time,'" Robertson said. "The puck came to me, I saw Roope driving to the net, and I just made that pass. He got a good stick on it and a good tip."
Now, he hopes to stay in a groove that has him scoring in nine of his past 10 games - seven goals and eight assists for 15 points.
