3 Things To Take Away From The Stars Win Over The Blues
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars began their preseason journey last night, and it ended in victorious fashion. The Stars team, composed of a number of experienced NHL players and prospects, played very well in the offensive zone and decent in the defensive zone, which allowed them to escape with a 4-3 win over a St. Louis Blues squad that was structured about the same as the Stars. For a post-game report of the matchup, click here.
Though a decent size crowd of 14,567 attended and DallasStars.com streamed the majority of the game for all Texas residents, not everyone was able to experience all that went down. With that being noted, here are three main tabs and notes to keep an eye on as the rest of the preseason drags on. They just might become primary factors by the time the Dallas Stars open up their regular season against the Chicago Blackhawks on October 9th at the American Airlines Center. Here they are:
1. Is Patrik Nemeth all he’s made up to be?:
Patrik Nemeth left high hopes for many Stars fans at the end of the playoffs last year, and many were expecting him to be a sort of “saving grace” to the Stars defensive woes. With a massive frame and a good amount of physicality in him, the 22-year-old was just what the small and fragile Stars blue line needed.
But last night was a different story for Nemeth. He made a few key errors that turned into goals against, and turned in a stat line of a bunch of zeros and a -1 rating in the popular categories, with 2 shots, 3 hits and 2 blocked shots as well. With almost 20 minutes of ice time logged, is that really what the Stars need to counteract a struggling blue line? Stay tuned on how, or if, he plays in any of the rest of the preseason games.
2. Who is Curtis McKenzie?:
The reining champion of the award for AHL Rookie of the Year, that’s who. McKenzie had an inspiring training camp performance, and many wonder if he is the next player poised to make the AHL jump. Last night, he did not disappoint those believers.
After a rookie regular season in the AHL that ended with 27 goals and 65 points through 75 games, along with a +7 rating, he was the clear choice for the title of Rookie of the Year. The 2009 draft pick of the Dallas Stars skated in last night’s game against the Blues, and raked in not only the stats, but a few new fans as well. He scored a goal from a feed by Travis Morin, another recent award-winner of the Texas Stars, and ended the night with 1 goal and a +1 rating. But 5 penalty minutes, where did those come from? McKenzie had apparently had enough of former Stars goon Steve Ott, and he proved it by dropping the mitts and getting Ott’s head lost in a plethora of fabric. Once the jersey went over Ott’s head, cheers rang out from the fans and people finally noticed McKenzie.
Is his next step the NHL? Or at least a first-responder in the AHL awaiting the first injury to occur in Dallas?
3. Anders Lindback has basically locked up his roster spot:
Anders Lindback was signed by the Dallas Stars back on July 1st, and many assumed him to become the new rightful backup goalie of the Dallas Stars. The Stars have not had a reassuring and persuasive backup since the days when Kari Lehtonen filled the void. But just six days later, the organization signed Finnish brick wall Jussi Rynnas on board, creating both depth and competition for the backup spot. Training camp saw Rynnas succeed for the most part and Lindback struggle a little, and the preseason seems as though it will be the determining factor.
Last night, Lindback got first dibs to prove his point. He succeeded.
Lindback stopped 19 of 21 last night, and held up against an 18 shot onslaught by the Blues in the third period. One goal was early in his time in net after he subbed in for Lehtonen, and the second was through a multitude of traffic. But his performance helped the Stars escape with a win.
Considering he has the upper hand on experience, it seems that the job would eventually be given to him, and this performance only added to the argument. Rynnas will get a chance to prove himself in an upcoming preseason game, but he must play nothing short of stellar to remain in competition.
I talked with Dallas Stars writer Mark Stepneski at training camp on Sunday, and he believes that Lindback will win the job because of experience. With this decent performance now under his belt, do you agree?
The Stars play the Florida Panthers tomorrow night at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida at 6:30 p.m. CT. Keep an eye out on Blackout Dallas for a pre-game and post-game.
Comments and questions below, and as always, thanks for reading! Go Stars.
#RidOfTheRed (if you don’t understand this, click here).