Glen Gulutzan had his answer ready Tuesday when asked about Marcus Foligno's comment that the Dallas Stars can't hang with the Minnesota Wild at 5v5.
The Dallas head coach didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to.
Gulutzan said Foligno was probably emotional, then added that the Stars are just going to keep grinding toward where they need to go.
He also said he doesn't agree with the take. That part's not going on a bulletin board somewhere in the Dallas locker. No need for that.
Foligno's comment came in the wake of a Minnesota Wild dressing-room sentiment that Dallas can't match them when the teams play five on five.
Bold framing from a 34-year-old fourth-line forward with 13 points this season.
A Dallas Stars coach willing to let his top-line talent do the arguing in Game 3
Here's the Gulutzan response, delivered with the exact tone you'd expect from a coach who's been around this rink before.
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Gulutzan's other line in the presser was the real one. He said the series has been tight all year for a reason, and that both teams are great.
That's a coach telling his room the other guys are good. It's also a coach telling the media he doesn't think a 13-point fourth-liner gets to define a series at 5v5.
Dallas closed the regular season at 50-20-12 with 112 points and a plus-52 goal differential. Minnesota finished 46-24-12 for 104 points and a plus-32. The numbers aren't telling anybody either team is lopsided.
Foligno is also the same player who got a major penalty in Game 2 for slamming Thomas Harley's head into the curved glass between the bench and the offensive zone.
Talking about how your opponent can't hang with you while you're awaiting a potential suspension is a very specific brand of confidence.
Gulutzan's group has Jim Nill's roster support and a veteran room that has seen every kind of trash talk April throws out.
Colin Blackwell already set the physical tone with an open-ice hit earlier in Game 2.
John Hynes won't say anything publicly about his player. That's not how this dance works.
But Hynes also doesn't need his bottom-six forward defining a series narrative he'd rather leave to his stars.
Game 3 is Wednesday night in Minnesota. Foligno will hear every word on the walk to the bench. The Stars' lineup will arrive knowing exactly who said what and when.
Quiet coaching presses don't usually carry into a game. This one might.
Was Marcus Foligno out of line saying the Stars can't hang at 5v5?
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