My three thoughts on Stars-Bruins

Fun hockey game between two teams that are expected to amongst the best in their respective conference this season.

Fun hockey game on Monday night.

The Boston Bruins visited the Dallas Stars in a game that could be labeled a “Stanley Cup Final Preview,” if both teams live up to their lofty internal and external preseason expectations.

Boston won 3-2 and Jeremy Swayman continued his great start to the season in goal for the Bruins, who held on even with some hairy moments in the final minute.

Here are some instant thoughts on the game and some other notes related to the Stars and Bruins.

Wyatt Johnston deserves praise he’ll never get

Wyatt Johnston may never get the proper marquee treatment in Dallas.

It’s a side effect of how well the Stars are built for both the present and the future. Johnston, right now, is supporting sophomore player. By the time he becomes part of the Stars “leadership” core, he’ll still be trailing the 2017 Draft Class (Miro Heiskanen, Jason Robertson, and Jake Oettinger) on the marquee and will likely be usurped by Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque when it comes to media and fan attention.

Those other players, Stankoven and Bourque in particular, will likely have higher peaks. They both have potential to put up All-Star numbers, and as they’ve shown in the AHL, could be building a long-term partnership whenever they are unleashed against NHL competition.