It was an unbearable nightmare to relive, as the Dallas Stars once again put up 40+ shots on net but still found a way to lose 3-2 to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night. It’s becoming more and more agonizing to watch, but sadly we must move on. Post game wrap up is below.
Game recap
The game started out with a great burst of energy, mainly from the efforts of the Dallas Stars. Though the Stars controlled the puck and rang some spectacular chances off of the posts and Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, it was to no avail. With 13:53 remaining in the first period, Brandon Prust sent a rather awkward and skewed shot towards Kari Lehtonen, which somehow deflected off Alexei Emelin and slowly slid past a bewildered Lehtonen and through his five hole. This awkward goal seemed to hold no restraint on the Stars, who immediately took the force back into their own hands, which created an exceptional effort for Tyler Seguin, who rang an illustrious backhand chance off of the post. With 10:07 left, Alex Galchenyuk was given a lead pass down the left boards and cashed in on a bit of a breakaway after the Stars had spent a majority of time in the Canadiens zone. The Stars refused to back down and held the Canadiens without a shot for the following nine minutes, while they took eight for themselves. With three seconds remaining, the Canadiens were called for offside and the faceoff was shifted down into the Canadiens zone, which spurred Lindy Ruff to pull Lehtonen for the last 2.7 ticks. Off of the faceoff, Jamie Benn rammed one home past Price and kept the Stars in the game with one second to go in the period. At the end of the first, the shots were 16-8 in favor of the Stars.
App Trigger
The second period was a lot like the first, with goals for both sides and the Dallas Stars controlling the tide on possession. After a few good early chances, Ryan Garbutt was sent to the box for hooking with 16:22 left in the second. The Canadiens got their first chance at the power play, and took advantage of it. Just 59 seconds later, Brendan Gallagher chipped away at the puck in front and got it past Lehtonen to gain the 3-1 advantage for Montreal. The Stars continued to press even with the deficit over their heads, and with 14:59, Prust went to the box for interference. 20 seconds later, the Stars took another power play opportunity when Alexei Emelin heartlessly sent Jason Spezza face-first into the indention in the boards, causing Spezza’s nose to bust open and blood to pour forth. Emelin was ejected and assessed a five minute game misconduct penalty. Spezza would return minutes later with a cotton swab in the nose and a full face guard attached to his helmet. The Stars did not do anything on the 5-on-3, but made sure that Spezza did not go down in vain. Tyler Seguin found a gap and exploited it, drawing Price’s attention away and giving Patrick Eaves an open chance in front of the net, which he cashed in on. With this goal the Stars cut the deficit to one and it remained there for the rest of the period. The Stars found a few more excellent chances, but could not convert. With 13 seconds remaining, the Stars lost their long chance in the zone and Vernon Fiddler was caught for a hooking penalty near center ice. The Canadiens went to the locker room with the 3-2 lead and a chance at a power play once the third period started up. Shots were 32-19 Stars through two periods.
A Winning Habit
The third period was nothing but pure heartbreak for Dallas Stars fans. With no goals scored, the third period was instead filled with physicality. Six different penalties were called, three per side. Both teams had chances at a 5-on-3, but neither team ended up converting, and it truly helped to bury the Dallas Stars. Alex Goligoski was called for a questionable tripping penalty on Carey Price with 10:24 remaining. Goligoski had a chance at a breakaway, and Price came out of net to get the puck before Goligoski who was barreling in. Goligoski had no options besides to run into Price, so he hit the deck and slowly slid into the Montreal goaltender. His penalty gave the Canadiens a 5-on-3, but the Stars successfully killed it. With 4:04 left, the Stars were sent to a 5-on-3 advantage, which they ended up doing nothing with. With 1:44 left in the third, the Stars pulled Lehtonen from the net, sending the sixth attacker on. The Stars found a few chances, but ultimately could not crack Price, and the Stars lost the game 3-2 in regulation to the Canadiens. The final shot total was 42-26 with the Stars holding the advantage.
Thoughts and Observations
The Dallas Stars need to learn how to use a power play to their advantage. They succeeded in scoring one power play goal tonight with mere seconds remaining on the advantage, but ended the night 1/5. With a few 5-on-3 chances mixed in, the Stars should not have come close to losing tonight’s contest.
Kari Lehtonen ended the night 23 for 26 with a .885 save percentage. Those numbers are not satisfying, especially with the caliber that two of the three goals were made of. Lehtonen has to be the Dallas Stars strong link here in the second half if they want to make it to the postseason, but these numbers will not get him to that status.
Patrick Eaves looked exceptional in his debut following a month and a half on the injured reserve list, tallying a goal and a +1 rating along with six shots on goal while playing right wing on the top line with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin.
On a brighter note, the Winnipeg Jets lost in regulation, which means they will not shift forward any further in the standings. Two points would have been an even bigger help, but at least there is some good news.
We must sincerely hope that this loss does not crush the Dallas Stars hopes, who have played phenomenal over the past six games. Through the past six matchups, they are averaging 35.83 shots on goal, which we can round up to 36, including two games with 40+. This needs to brush off easy so the Stars can regroup and get ready for a showdown with the Senators on Thursday night in Ottawa.
The Stars still set four points out of a wild card spot, and depending on the result of tonight’s game between the Calgary Flames and Buffalo Sabres, they could find themselves down by as much as six. A win Thursday night will be crucial for this team.
The Montreal Canadiens merely escaped tonight’s contest with victory, relying heavily on Carey Price to do the bidding. Sadly, the Dallas Stars get no points and nothing more than a pat on the back for their efforts.
It’ll be a tough road to manage, but they will need to keep their composure and recent play up, and the wins will sooner or later start to fall. Right? Go Stars.