Dallas Stars Game 12: The Good and the Bad (With Pictures)

Getty Images

Dallas Stars 3-1 win vs Anaheim Ducks

Shots: Dallas 28, Anaheim 21 (yes the Stars outshot a team for once!)

PP: Dallas 2-5, Anaheim 0-3

The Good:

Alex Goligoski- Great response to being scratched last game. As Razor pointed out, he wasn’t always confident with the puck, especially when got a pass in the slot perfect for a shot and instead decided to throw a pass to no one along the boards. But he did turn in a better performance than he has recently. He controlled the puck well, took a handful of shots and got two assists. What I enjoyed the most out of his game was his defensive anticipation. He seemed to get a much better step to the puck, anticipating a pass or move. He has quick turnaround and possession on dump-ins. Good redemption job by Goligoski.

Kari Lehtonen- A very strong performance by Kari. He robbed Winnik on a great backhand opportunity. He robbed Selanne of the puck on a stick-handle in tight. He cut off two Ducks to play the puck out of the zone instead of waiting for them to collect and shoot. Overall really strong game and the only goal that went past him was a rip from the point that went through a crowd and was deflected a few feet in front of him.

Lehtonen's right pad took the puck away from a wide open Selanne in front.

Lehtonen's glove larceny on Winnik.

Defensive close to the game- Stars played a really strong, tight, smart, defensive last five minutes. We need to see lots more of that from them as the season progresses. Ducks couldn’t get in the zone and when they did, they couldn’t get set up or even get a shot off. And the Stars forced turnovers and took them down to the other end of the ice. Nystrom’s shift with about 1:30 left was tremendous. Broke up a few Anaheim possessions, killed time behind the Anaheim net and finished a check that eliminated a player and helped the Stars get the puck out of the zone.

As in this picture Jagr and the Stars went after the puck and eliminated Anaheim's opportunities before they became shots in the first period and last 5 minutes of the third period.

Daley vs breakaways- Quick and simple: Daley single-handedly eliminated two breakaway opportunities for the Ducks. Both times he hustled back, took the body, got rid of the puck and, most importantly, didn’t take a penalty on either. On two breakaways! Add the fact that Daley finally got a point (especially a goal) and he had a tremendous night at both ends of the rink).

Daley's amazing breakaway elimination. No shot, no penalty. Just pure hard work and dominance.

Physicality- Robidas fought Perry. Dillon landed huge hits. Roussel got in a scuffle with three Ducks. Fiddler traded a few punches with Perry. Stars aren’t a noted physical team, but they showed some physicality and lots of grit tonight which helped them to the victory.

Dillon's first hit, and my vote for biggest hit of the game.

Wasn't much of a fight but still, Robidas took on Perry.

Souray punched former teammate Benn.

Staubitz spearing Dillon's groin, which led to Staubitz being kicked out of the game.

The aftermath of Staubitz's spearing caused a little fright, but Dillon bounced right back and played well.

The Bad:

Offensive scheme- The first period was great. They managed possession of the puck from all over the offensive zone. They won battles behind the net, moved the puck around in front of the net and got in position to get good shots, not just shots, on net. They put bodies in front of the net (led to two goals), took shots from the wing, a couple in the slot when they could, a few wraparounds and lots of times from the points. Second period on, the Stars traded in the offensive variety for a simple approach: enter the zone and head straight to the boards. They pushed themselves into a tough angle to shoot, which makes sense if you’re looking for a pass, but they couldn’t get many passes off like that either. Time after time they just seemed to float the puck at the net from a tough angle along the boards.  

Daley's goal: Shot from point on power play with two Stars screening Hiller. 

Second period- The Stars began the game on fire. They had jump, played with speed, matched Anaheim’s physicality and created quality offensive chance. Then it at all went away and they played the opposite in the second. They took two bad penalties, gave up too many turnovers and were barely ever in the Anaheim zone.

Exiting the zone- For the whole second period and the first half of the third, the Stars seemed to almost never leave their own zone. Maybe just long enough to get a change. Then again, for 2:21 in the second period, the Stars were stuck in their own zone unable to get the fourth line a change. The Stars seemed to make careless passes or didn’t care to collect the pass and secure it moving forward. They favored dumping it and not pursuing or passing back and starting the struggle all over again.

Lines seen tonight:

Morrow-Benn-Jagr

Eriksson-Roy-Ryder

Smith-Eakin-Vincour

Nystrom-Fiddler-Roussel

Daley-Rome

Dillon-Robidas

Oleksiak-Goligoski

PP- Roy-Ryder-Eriksson-Daley-Smith

PP- Benn-Morrow-Jagr-Daley-Goligoski

PK- Eriksson-Roy-Dillon-Robidas

PK- Eakin-Benn-Rome-Daley

PK- Fiddler-Nystrom-Robidas-Dillon

Notable Notes:

• Faceoffs- Benn 10-of-18, Roy 6-of-15, Fiddler 5-of-9, Eakin 5-of-8

Anaheim's goal. Open shot from the point deflected by Bonino (#13 on bottom right).

Eriksson's goal: Wrister went in just over Fasth's left should. 

The angle of Benn's goal.

Another camera angle of his goal. 

Extremely close chance Stars had. puck went over Hiller rolled down his back and shoulder and went off the post. 

Stars Go Duck Hunting: Dallas Stars Game 12: 3-1 Win Versus the Aaheim Ducks

Getty Images

The Stars continued their winning streak Friday night, beating the visiting Anaheim Ducks 3-1.

Kari Lehtonen had a strong performance in net stopping 20 of 21 shots and he received help at the end other of the ice in the form of goals by Trevor Daley, Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson. The Stars’ special teams stepped going 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and 2-for-5 on the power play.

The Stars took over the game in the first period by outskating, outhitting and outshooting the Ducks. The Stars outshot the Ducks 16 to 7 and Trevor Daley opened the scoring on a slap shot from the point on the power play.

Anaheim’s Brad Staubitz took a roughing penalty after he punched Aaron Rome in the face during a scrum in front of the Stars net, and that led to Daley’s goal. Staubitz was later called for five-minute spearing major against Brenden Dillon and received a game misconduct.

Brenden Morrow’s shot in the slot went just wide of the goal to the left, but Benn was standing along the red line waiting for the puck. He ripped the puck into the net high off the far post over a sprawling Jonas Hiller.

Hiller was replaced by Viktor Fasth after the first period and the Ducks seemed to gain momentum thanks to Dallas turnovers and penalties. With 4:37 left in the second period, Corey Perry collected the puck behind the Stars net, took it up along the boards and dished it off at the point to Luca Sbisa. Sbisa ripped a shot through the crowd in front and Nick Bonino deflected the puck past Kari Lehtonen to bring Anaheim within one.

Loui Eriksson scored the last goal of the game 12:46 into the third period on a cross-ice pass from Derek Roy. He took a second to settle the puck, and then placed the puck into the top right corner of the net past Fasth.

Alex Goligsoki's turned in a strong performance after being a healthy scratch Wednesday. He was credited with two assists, two shots and three hits in 21:31 of ice time.

The Stars face another west coast road swing next week. They face the Edmonton Oilers Tuesday, the Calgary Flames Wednesday and finally the Vancouver Canucks next Friday.

Dallas Stars Game 11: The Good and the Bad (With Pictures)

Getty Images

Dallas Stars 3-2 OT win at Edmonton Oilers

Shots: Dallas 28, Edmonton 29

PP: Dallas 1-3, Edmonton 1-4

The Good:

Goligoski being scratched- Much was made about the decision to make Goligoski a healthy scratch. It is strange to have a team scratch one of its “best” defensemen, but I liked this move. I’m not bitter about the Neal trade, stressing over it till this day will cause an ulcer. But I do have to admit that since the Stars seemed to be presenting Goligoski as our number one defender and a great player in both ends of the ice. This season, he’s been terrible on defense and hasn’t generated very much offense. Our defense is constantly changing, trying to see what works best, and I think it’s only right that if anyone else can be sat, why not someone who’s been struggling and who needs a little bit of a wake up call. Missing him, the defense didn’t seem to miss a beat. There was one shift where the Oilers’ second line owned the Stars’ fourth line and the Oilers scored, but other than that, a blast from the point on a pp was the only other real defensive deficiency. It's been as though the Stars didn't want to admit the Goligoski is not what we hoped he'd turn out to be, but scratching him for this game showed me that they're not blind to the fact that he needs to be better and they're letting him know it.

Cody Eakin- He was all over the ice. His backcheck was tremendous, forcing numerous turnovers. Best of all was that he didn’t force the Oilers to make a bad pass, he directly stole the puck from them by being aggressive, physical and smart. He covered everything from forecheck and backcheck to being behind the goal line on both ends of the ice.

One of Eakin's many amazing shift and attempts at back-checking.

Penalty kill- Despite giving up a power play goal in the 3^rd period, the PK was strong today. Not just strong defensively, but the Stars first two penalty kills resulted in more time on offense and more shots on goal than the Oilers. And it wasn’t just Fiddler or Eriksson, it was each unit.

Several chances like this on the PK. Loui's pass was picked off here, but Stars did great keeping Oilers in their zone while they were on the power play.

Faceoffs- Finally Stars do noticeably well on the dot. They started off terrible, losing 5 of the first 6 draws, but they got much better as the game went along. Benn won 6 of 9, Roy won 8 of 15, Fiddler won 4 of 7 and Eakin won 5 of 10.

The Bad:

Power play- Yes the Stars did get a goal, but it was a rough time to finally get there. Of the Stars’ three power play opportunities, their first was horribly embarrassing. They couldn’t get the puck into the zone for more than a total of 10 seconds, and Stars barely could get it past center ice. The second power play was better at getting the puck in the zone, but still lost it too easily and Roy continued to shoot into shin pads from the point every time. Finally on the last power play, Ryder made a cross-ice pass to a wide open Eriksson which drew attention to him and left some room for Roy. Eriksson dished it over to Roy who ripped a one-timer that Dubnyk didn’t see until it was too late.

                              

Dealing with forecheck- the Oilers’ two-man forecheck was unbelievably effective tonight. They were hounding the Stars, pinning them to the boards and forcing retreats constantly throughout the night. They managed a number of turnovers and several scoring because of their forecheck. The Stars just seemed overwhelmed and overpowered by the forecheck. It was like a swarm of bees on a person walking in molasses.

Oilers had either one hard on the puck and one dangling back spying the puck or two hard on the puck. Stars just couldn't handle it.

Lines seen tonight:

Morrow-Benn-Jagr

Eriksson-Roy-Ryder

Smith-Eakin-Vincour

Nystrom-Fiddler-Roussel

Daley-Rome

Dillon-Robidas

Oleksiak-Larsen

PP- Benn-Morrow-Jagr-Daley-Robidas

PP- Roy-Ryder-Eriksson-Larsen-Smith

PK- Fiddler-Nystrom-Rome-Daley

PK- Eriksson-Roy-Dillon-Oleksiak

PK- Eakin-Roussel-Rome-Daley

PK- Benn-Eriksson-Robidas-Dillon

Notable Notes:

• Stars took 4 of 6 points on 3-game west coast road trip 
• Goligoski (scratch) and Whitney (injury) were out.
• The Oilers had six players out due to injuries: Nugent-Hopkins, Fistric, Jones, Eager, Sutton and Peckham.
• A few quotes that stood out and cracked me up: “Hall is lightning bolt dipped in baby oil” and “here’s Petry dishing it ahead”

Robidas' terrible and unnecessary interference penalty.

Benn's goal. Jagr protected the puck along the boards and drew 3 Oilers, leaving Benn open for a shot.

Hemsky's goal. After Yakupov hit the post, there was simple an out-of-position scramble that proved costly.

Roy's goal on the PP. Finally didn't shoot it into shin pads! Dubnyk was screened by the 3 bodies in front of him and didn't see the shot until it was too late.

Schultz's PP goal. Was simply left too open for a one-timer right up the middle.

Jagr's OT winner! Whitney anticipated Jagr moving behind the net, instead Jagr deked to the inside, got some room and ripped it near post. 

Jagr's evil face haha

Jagr shushed the audience out of the arena after his OT winner. 

A Well-Oiled Victory. Dallas Stars Game 11: 3-2 OT Win at the Edmonton Oilers.

The Canadian Press

The Dallas Stars began a different kind of streak than they've been used to recently.

Jaromir Jagr scored 1:46 into overtime to give the Stars a 3-2 victory at the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night. The goal was Jagr’s 668^th career goal and 17^th career overtime winner.

After losing three in a row and five of their last six, the Stars have now won two games in a row and three of their last four. Edmonton was the last stop of a three-game road trip, and the Stars managed to earn four out of the possible six points.

The Stars were outshot 29-28, but they won more faceoffs, landed more hits and forced more turnovers in the victory. Jamie Benn and Derek Roy were the other scorers for the Stars while Ales Hemsky and Justin Schultz scored the goals for Edmonton.

Hemsky opened the scoring 3:21 into the second period when Nail Yakupov’s shot bounced off the right post and along the red line where Hemsky was standing. He threw the puck at the net from a bad angle, but it found its way into the net threw a sprawling Stephane Robidas and Kari Lehtonen.

The Stars scored the next two goals. Benn tied the game on a slick pass from Jagr that gave him an opener one timer in between the circles. Over five minutes later, Derek Roy scored his first goal of the season on a blasted one-timer from the point on a power play.

The Stars took three penalties in the third period, which gave the Oilers momentum. They converted a power play goal 7:38 into the period on a slap shot from the point by Schultz.

In overtime, Benn skated into the Edmonton zoned and ripped a long-distance wrist-shot on net. Devan Dubnyk blocked the puck to his left. Jagr collected the puck and made a move to the inside that lost defenseman Ryan Whitney. Jagr tucked the puck in a narrow margin at the nearside post and sent the Oilers fans home with a shushing finger to his pursed lips.

The Stars’ next game is Friday night when they host the Anaheim Ducks. 

Dallas Stars Game 10: The Good and the Bad (With Pictures)

Getty Images

Dallas Stars win 3-2 at Colorado Avalanche

Shots: Dallas 26, Colorado 31

PP: Dallas 0-5, Colorado 1-5

The Good:

Jamie Benn- He’s finally back! It was only a matter of time before the beast woke up. We saw him getting better with every gamer. His skating and puck handling slowly getting back to where it was and his shot was getting back to where it needed to be. He managed possession of the puck very well and was especially effective entering the Colorado zone. His forechecking was strong and it led directly to his first goal as he stripped Hunwick of the puck at the blue line and scored on a breakaway. He was less physical, but that’s a good tradeoff to have if it means he plays calmer, more focused and get on the scoreboard more often. He ended with 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 shots, 3 takeaways, a hit and was +2 on the night.

This is when Jamie Benn stole the puck from Hunwick and scored his first goal of the season.

Benn's first goal of the season.

Benn's second goal of the season. Left wide open up the middle to rip a wrister.

Brenden Morrow- After fearing he may not have a place on this team and being moved down to the 4^th line, Morrow has really fit in well on the Stars’ top line. Especially when you consider that he’s playing with speedy skilled forwards Benn and Jagr. He got in the ugly places, fighting in front of the net and on the boards. His hard-nose drive to the net got him his first goal of the season. Benn lost the faceoff, jagr skated behind Duchene and won the puck battle, skated the puck toward the net and took a shot. It was blocked in front but Morrow was heading to the crease and put it in the net. Morrow ended with a goal on his only shot, a hit, a block and a takeaway. Morrow scored a goal with 11:29 left in the 2^nd period, but it was waved off and he was sent straight to the box for goalie interference.

Jagr drew two Avalanche and threw the puck at the net, Morrow was there to bury it.

Stars’ first line- First line again dominated. Didn’t need the little guys to step up tonight because the top line tallied 3 goals, 2 assists, 7 shots and 4 takeaways. Jagr can still obviously work magic with the puck and his chemistry with Benn is increasing every game and Morrow still plays his style which balances out the line.

Forecheck- The Stars had a strong, aggressive forecheck and it led to a goal and many chances. The Stars seemed to have either two players deep or had one high and one low in the Colorado zone. Either way it worked well and on then the centers’ tended to cover the man with the puck up the middle and push them to the boards. Very effective work tonight.

Stars forwards pressured on forecheck then dropped back and most of the time centers pushed the puck handlers to the boards.

I loved seeing this forecheck. big fan of this style.

The Bad:

Outmuscled- The Stars built their team to be fast, Colorado was faster. And the big difference between this season and last is that the Stars got rid of their toughness for speed and skill. It was evident tonight. Colorado isn’t the most physical team but they seemed to be dominating the physical game against the Stars. Their hits were harder and more effective. They pushed the Stars around several times and their physicality on the forecheck wreaked havoc when trying to get the puck out of the zone. I can only remember a couple of times the Stars finished their checks or went in hard for a hit, and almost every time it was Dillon.

                              

Penalties- Still taking too many penalties every game, but at least (if you’re wanting some positive out of this) the Stars didn’t take many dumb offensive-zone penalties. Morrow’s goalie interference penalty was the only one in the offensive zone. Jagr and Ryder were called for semi-questionable slashing calls. Yes the sticks were knocked out, but that was a weak grip in both cases.

Morrow scored on this play, but it was waved off and he was sent to the box for goalie interference.

Power play- As good as the PK is, the Stars can’t get their power play going. And whitney being out doesn’t help. Benn’s unit did well moving the puck, being patient and taking good shots on goal. Jagr was clearly the one running the power play. I really didn’t like Roy at the point on the power play. He did well down low or cycling with Eriksson, but when Roy was at the point almost every shot he took went right into the shin guards of the Colorado player standing right in front of him.

Jagr did good on the Benn PP unit. held the puck and got three Avs trying to block his pass across then he'd pass it to the point for a one-timer.

Faceoffs- This category continues to stay in the bad.Stars won 25 of 59. top two didn't do too good at all: Benn won 7 of 21 and Roy won 7 of 20. Bottom two did pretty well: Eakin won 5 of 8 and Fiddler won 6 of 9.

Lines seen tonight:

Morrow-Benn-Jagr

Eriksson-Roy-Vincour

Smith-Eakin-Ryder

Roussel-Fiddler-Nystrom

Dillon-Robidas

Rome-Daley

Goligoski-Oleksiak

PP- Ryder-Benn-Jagr-Robidas-Goligoski

PP- Eriksson-Roy-Jagr-Morrow-Daley

PK- Roy-Eriksson-Dillon-Robidas

PK-Roy-Eriksson-Rome-Daley

PK-Eakin-Nystrom-Robidas-Dillon

PK- Fiddler-Nystrom-Robidas-Dillon

PK- Smith-Eakin-Robidas-Dillon

Notable Notes:

Healthy scratches: Larsen, Garbutt, Wandell

Injuries: Whitney (Nilstorp was cleared and sent down to the AHL along with Jordie Benn)

MIlan Hejduk was honored before the game for playing in his 1,000th game for Colorado.

Hejduk's 1000th game.

Joe Sakic! 

Ref got hit by an Oleksiak slapshot from the point that ricocheted off of an Avs' leg and hit him in the neck. Being a hockey guy, a few minutes later he was up and walking around fine. 

Look at that beard! way to go Zanon.

Hejduk's goal. Goligoski didn't clear the puck or turn around in time and Benn followed but didn't hassle or stop Hejduk.

Colorado's second goal. puck came from Stastny on the left, hit off Lehtonen, popped up, Mcginn in the middle swung at it, but in the end Parenteau on the right knocked it in.

So close to an empty netter but Duchene skated back and stopped it before it crossed the line.

Dallas Stars Game 10: 3-2 Win at the Colorado Avalanche

Getty Images

The streak has been broken.

The Dallas Stars had lost three straight road games and five of their last six overall before a couple of firsts elevated them to a 3-2 win in Denver against the Avalanche Monday night.

Jamie Benn and Brenden Morrow scored their first goals of the season and Kari Lehtonen stopped 29 out of 31 shots to earn the victory.

Jamie Benn tallied a point on each of the Stars’ goals, scoring two and getting an assist off the faceoff that led to Morrow’s goal. Jaromir Jagr had a strong game taking three shots and earning an assist on Morrow’s goal, and Derek Roy assisted on Benn’s second goal in his first game since being placed on injured reserve with a groin ailment.

Penalties continued to plague the Stars as they went 1-for-5 on the penalty kill, but they failed to score a goal on five power play chances of their own, including a full two-minute 5-on-3 late in the first period.

Statistically, the Avalanche dominated the game. Dallas was outshot 31-26, outhit 24-10, blocked 11 fewer shots and won fewer faceoffs (34-25), but they took advantage of their opportunities and ground their way to victory.

Jamie Benn opened the scoring 2:21 into the game when he stole the puck from Avalanche defenseman Matt Hunwick at the Colorado blue line, skated in alone and snapped a wrister past Semyon Varlamov’s blocker.

Nearly nine minutes later, Benn lost a faceoff to Varlamov’s left, but Jagr won the puck battle and took the puck between two Avalanche. He skated toward the net and took a shot that was blocked out in front of the net, but Morrow was standing on the edge of the crease and buried the puck in the back of the net. Morrow scored another goal in the second period, but it was waved off and he was sent to the penalty box for goalie interference because he made contact with Varlamov at the top of the crease.

Pre-game ceremonies were held in honor of Milan Hejduk playing his 1,000^th game, and fittingly he scored Colorado’s first goal of the game on a 3-on-2 counterattack with 1:48 left in the first period.

Colorado tied the game on a power play goal when PA Parenteau knocked in a rebound off of Lehtonen 11:33 into the second period. About four minutes later the Stars pulled Lehtonen and possessed the puck on a delayed penalty to Colorado. Roy received a drop pass from Aaron Rome as he skated into the Colorado zone. Roy passed the puck quickly to Benn, who was skating alone into the high slot. He was left open and ripped a wristshot into the net again on Varlamov’s right side.

The Stars’ next game is Wednesday night as they face he high-flying young Edmonton Oilers.

Dallas Stars Game 9: The Good and Bad (With Pictures)

Getty Images

Dallas Stars 2-0 loss at Phoenix Coyotes

Shots: Dallas 17, Phoenix 34

PP: Phoenix 1-7, Dallas 0-1 (power play was about 40 seconds long)

The Good:

Penalty kill- Again the PK was strong and again they were called on a lot. 7 opportunities? It’s pretty good especially compared to being on the power play only one (for less than a minute). Gulutzan has been sticking with set lines as much as possible and the units set up for the PK are doing really well together. Nothing new or needed to change here, only taking less penalties.

This seems to be the strongest unit and set up for the Stars' PK this season.

Richard Bachman- In his first start of the season, he faced a whopping 34 shots, stopping 32 of them. They faced a variety of shots and really did well overall. He did especially well tracking down the puck through the crowds in front of him. He didn’t seem as strong at rebound control as last season, but that might be fixed with more playing time. Such a relief to see the Stars with 3 strong goalies to rotate and don’t forget Jack Campbell is on the way as well. The two mistakes Bachman made ended up in the back of the net (should’ve stopped Johnson’s goal and let a big rebound from the point lead to Boedker’s goal), but other than that he kept the Stars in the game.

Awesome mask with a tribute to The Shining.

Stars first line- out of the Stars’ embarrassing 17 shots, Jagr, Benn and Morrow had 9 shots. They forced many turnovers, created lots of chances, but they just couldn’t capitalize. Benn played his best game of the season. His skating was better, his passing was much more on target and he clearly took over the game for the Stars when he was on the ice. Jagr had 4 shots, but his passing stood out more to me. He faced a lot of pressure, lots of times from two Coyotes, but managed to get lots of setups for good chances. Morrow didn’t necessarily excel in this top-6 opportunity, but he did decent on the back check , threw his body around and had a few chances in front of Mike Smith.

Jamie Oleksiak- His second game was really strong. He seemed a little hesitant and lost a few times in his first game, but this game was completely different. He seemed, calm and confident. He used his reach several times in behind the Stars net (a place where Stars defensemen have been playing horribly). His passing out of the zone was crisp and safe, and he used his big frame to throw 6 hits, block 3 shots and gain great defensive positioning. It’s going to be great to see his progression and development.

The Bad:            

Dumb penalties- not sure what is going on in between the ears, but the Stars can’t kick this debilitating habit. Fiddler, Garbutt, ryder (twice) took penalties in the offensive zone. And they were for different types of penalties. And Robidas took an interference penalty hitting a player as he entered the zone. I understand that call has some new attention on it and is being called a lot stingier than in previous years, but after the second or third penalty like this, you would think they would stop doing it. And then any chance the Stars had at making a comeback late in the game went away when Roussel was called for roughing with 2:43 left. And to be more infuriating, it was taken in the unnecessary aftermath of a play in front of Bachman. Post-game interviews revealed a growing frustration by Gulutzan and the players at all of the dumb penalties. Not sure where this trend came from and why it’s still happening, but it needs to be eliminated quickly or the Stars will be fighting for last place in the league.

Turnovers in defensive zone- wasn’t as widespread as in a few previous games, but it was still a big problem. In the second half of the 3^rd period, they had 4 turnovers that resulted in tremendous scoring chances for the Coyotes.

Anemic offense- Just like with the Stars’ offense, there’s not much going on in this paragraph. 17 shots? How do you not throw pucks at the net from anywhere when you’re down 2-0 late in the 3^rd? Oh yeah, it’s because they were strangled by the Coyotes defense at that point. But getting only 17 shots on goal is just embarrassing, especially when you consider that they were doubled up in shots by the Coyotes. In the second period, they went over 17 minutes in between shots on goal. Unbelievable.

Faceoffs- Stars still struggling here. Benn won 7-of-16, Eakin 12-of-24, Roussel 2-of-4 and Eakin won 5-of-9. Morrow won his two faceoffs but Nystrom lost the three he took and Eriksson lost the lone draw he took.  

Lines seen tonight:

Morrow-Benn-Jagr

Eriksson-Eakin-Ryder

Nystrom-Fiddler-Vincour

Smith-Roussel-Garbutt

Rome-Daley

Dillon-Robidas

Goligoski-Oleksiak

PK- Fiddler-Nystrom-Dillon-Robidas

PK-Benn-Eriksson-Daley-Rome

PK-Eakin-Roussel-Dillon-Robidas

PK-Garbutt-Roussel-Oleksiak-Dillon

Notable Notes:

• Ray Whitney out 4-6 weeks with broken foot
• Roy and Nilstorp still out with injuries
• Stars are 1-14-2 over the last two seasons in the 2^nd game of a back-to-back

Coyotes' 1st goal. Defense played 2-on-1 and left shot to Bachman but shot ended up being taken in the slot and just past Bachman's blocker.

Biggest hit of the night. Yandle landed a clean hip check on sent Roussel flying.

Coyotes' second goal started on this faceoff that should've never been. Look at how much Vermette is cheating on the draw. Eakin had no chance of winning the faceoff. A few passes, a hard shot from the point and a rebound later, Boedker puts Phoenix up 2-0.

Dallas Stars Game 9: 2-0 Loss at the Phoenix Coyotes

Getty Images

Another back-to-back game, another loss.

The Phoenix Coyotes shutout the visiting Dallas Stars 2-0, but Mike Smith didn’t have to do much to earn the goose egg. The Stars only managed 17 shots on Smith, nine of which came from the Stars top line. At the other end, Richard Bachman faced 34 shots including seven penalty kills in his season debut.

The Coyotes earned three out of a possible four points in this home-and-home with the Stars and moved ahead of Dallas in the standings. The Stars have lost four of their six back-to-back games this season, and their record dropped to 1-14-2 over the last two seasons in back-to-backs.

Jamie Benn and Jamie Oleksiak had their best games of the season. Benn managed five shots on goal in 21:15 of ice time, and he looked quicker and more accurate in shots and passes than in previous games. In Oleksiak’s second NHL game, he dished out six hits, blocked three shots and looked comfortable and defensively responsible in 16:47 of ice time.

To open the scoring, Mike Smith skated out of his net and cut off a dump in to pass the puck up the boards. Lauri Korpikoski skated the puck into the zone, held it for a second and passed to Nick Johnson who rifled the puck past by Bachman’s blocker 11:57 into the second period.

The second goal came on a power play with Michael Ryder in the penalty box for boarding. A strong shot from the point by Derek Morris bounced off of Bachman and then off Martin Hanzal in front of the net. The puck trickled to Bachman’s right and Mikkel Boedker put the puck into a gaping net 2:47 into the third period.

The Stars were short Derek Roy and Cristopher Nilstorp due to injuries and they announced that Ray Whitney will be out 4-6 weeks with a broken foot.

The Stars’ next two games are on the road as they visit the Colorado Avalanche Monday night and then the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night. 

Dallas Stars Game 8: The Good and the Bad (With Pictures)

Getty Images

Dallas Stars 4-3 SO win versus Phoenix Coyotes

Shots: Dallas 24, Phoenix 34

PP: Dallas 0-2, Phoenix 0-3

The Good:

Forecheck- Much better. Forecheck was strong and effective. Vincour and Fiddler’s forecheck directly led to Dillon’s goal by forcing Yandle into an awkward situation where he slapped the puck up the boards right to where Dillon was waiting to rip a shot off. Jagr’s active stick on a forecheck almost led to a Derek Morris pass deflecting off Jagr and into Phoenix’s net. Garbutt was strong as well, but I don’t think anyone stood out more than Roussel.

Penalty kill- Nothing new to say here. They just keep doing it. The Stars are 7^th in the league with 84.2% on the PK. They were particularly aggressive this game and spent a lot more time in the offensive zone than normal while on the PK.

Antoine Roussel- First NHL game, 3^rd shift, 1^st NHL goal. And what a nice goal it was. He collected the puck in stride inside the blue line, skated in on Mike Smith and lifted a backhand shot top right corner. He was a clear impact player throughout the game. Every shift his energy lit the rink up. He finished all of his checks and took the body every time he was supposed to, and was gritty stirring it up with the Coyotes several times. He was ferocious on the fore-check and an asset on the back-check. He was credited with 2 shots and 3 hits but watching felt like much more. In the faceoff circle, he went 6-for-6 before losing his 7^th and final draw. All of that in only 7:18 of ice time.

Roussel made a nice move going to the backhand and lifting the puck top corner for the goal.

Clearing the zone- Just simply wanted to say the Stars seemed much more comfortable getting the puck out of the zone. They were very patient with the puck and didn’t have as many critical errors in their own end. If there weren’t two people in position to get an outlet pass, there was always at least one.

Shootout- Kari was Kari, looked solid in net. Beaten by a really good, elevated backhander by Vrbata. The Stars have 4 strong shootout options and they showed it tonight. Eriksson hit the post, Whitney was stopped easily but we know he’s crafty so we’ll see better out of him, Benn scored to keep the game alive and Jagr finished it off.

The winning goal in the shootout by Jagr. (Getty Images)

The Bad:          

  

Power play- As effective as the PK is, the PP just seems to not work at all. There are glimpses. But that’s all they are… glimpses. Just getting into the zone is tough enough, let alone getting set up, maintaining possession, moving the puck and getting good shots. I believe they have the pieces, just might need some more time to mesh. The creativity available is too much to continue to hover around 14%.

Stopping Hanzal- Not sure what it was, but Hanzal dominated the Stars in this game (2 goals, 5 shots, 2 hits and a takeaway). His presence and rush at the net pulled Jamie Benn to the front of the net on Vrbata’s goal (which deflected off of Benn’s skate and in). Hanzal had several opportunities in tight, and he cashed in on a shot from the point as Jordie Benn’s penalty was expiring. He was given lots of space to deflect the puck, shoot it off the post and shoot it again into the net. And his second goal was just a beauty of a quick snap release that went through a sprawling Robidas and past Lethonen (who may not have even seen it considering the quickness and Robidas’ positioning).

Hanzal's rush to the front of the net helped when Vrabata's redirection hit off of Benn's left skate and went in.

Hanzal was given too much room on his first goal. He got off about 3 shots in tight for the goal.

Hanzal's second goal was just a really nice rapid snap shot through Robidas and past Lehtonen.

Faceoffs- Stars won 30 of 57. Not necessarily bad, but average. If you take out Roussel’s 6-for-7 night, Benn won 11-of-20, Eakin 7-of-13 and Fiddler 5-of-13. Eriksson and Morrow lost their combined 3 faceoffs on the night. Roy’s return should help bring the team numbers back up.

Lines seen tonight:

Eriksson-Benn-Jagr

Whitney-Eakin-Ryder

Nystrom-Fiddler-Vincour

Morrow-Roussel-Garbutt

Goligoski-Daley

Dillon-Robidas

Benn-Oleksiak

PK- Benn-Eriksson-Robidas-Dillon

PK- Nystrom-Fiddler-Robidas-Dillon

PK- Benn-Eakin-Robidas-Daley

PP- Jagr-Benn-Eriksson-Whitney-Benn

PP- Jagr-Eakin-Morrow-Goligoski-Robidas

PP- Eriksson-Benn- Jagr-Whitney-Goligoski

Notable Notes:

Ray Whitney photo bomb streak is over. He didn’t get to Fiddler’s pre-game interview and so the streak ends.

Jamie "Big Rig" Oleksiak's first game was a success (1 shot, 1 hit, 1 block, even, 15:32 ice time)

Brenden Dillon scored his first career NHL goal. 

This was Ryder's goal on a nice rip of a snap shot from the top of the circle that ricocheted off of Ekman-Larsson's ankle and into the net.

Dallas Stars Game 8: 4-3 Shootout Win Over the Phoenix Coyotes

Getty Images

It’s finally over.

The Dallas Stars’ four-game losing streak came to an end Friday night when they defeated the visiting division-rival Phoenix Coyotes 4-3 in a shootout.

Rookies played a key role in the Stars’ win. Brenden Dillon and Antoine Roussel scored their first career NHL goals and Dillon added an assist and a fight. Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak played over 15 minutes in his NHL debut. Veteran Michael Ryder scored the Stars’ third goal of the game and goalie Kari Letonen stopped 31 of 34 shots and stopped three out of four shootout attempts to get the win.

Antoine Roussel opened the scoring when Ryan Garbutt’s dump in hit off of the linesman and into the Coyotes’ zone. Roussel collected the puck in stride and lifted a backhand shot over Smith’s left shoulder 9:53 into the first period.

Little over two minutes later Tomas Vincour and Vernon Fiddler’s aggressive forecheck forced Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle to slap the puck around the boards. Dillon was at the blue line when he reached the puck and slapped it off of Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s leg and into the net.

Martin Hanzal was key for the Coyotes, scoring two goals and causing a distraction in front of the Stars net that let to a Radim Vrbata deflection to hit off of Jamie Benn’s skate and into the net.

In the shootout, Jamie Benn scored in the third round to keep the Stars in the game. Lehtonen stopped Ekman-Larsson’s shootout attempt and Jaromir Jagr put the puck past Mike Smith to earn the victory.

The Stars’ next game is their third back-to-back of the season. They will be playing in Phoenix against the Coyotes at 7 p.m.