Dallas Stars Finish Home Stand with 5-3 Victory Over Sharks

The Dallas Stars beat the San Jose Sharks today in their afternoon match-up by a score of 5-3 in a game that saw a lot of special teams battles and a number of Stars leads vanish.

Recap

First Period

The Dallas Stars started the scoring early in this game as Patrick Sharp scored his fourth goal in three games 2:33 into the frame. From there the Stars had two power plays, but were unable to convert. Dallas led in shots 10-9 after the first period as they took their 1-0 lead into the intermission.

Second Period

The middle frame was all about special teams. The Stars extended their lead to two with a shorthanded tally from defenseman Jason Demers at 7:09. The two-goal lead didn’t last for long though as Joe Pavelski tipped one in on the power play for the Sharks to cut the lead in half.

Then a little more than a minute later the Sharks tied the game at two with a shorthanded goal of their own just before the halfway point of the game. Vernon Fiddler restored the Stars’ lead with a wrap around goal to make it 3-2 Dallas. On the next man advantage for the Sharks, though, they scored to tie the game up.

After a rather eventful second frame the Stars and Sharks went into the second intermission tied 3-3.

Third Period

The third period saw the Stars shooting a lot and getting some quality chances. Antoine Roussel scored to once again restore the Dallas Stars’ lead and make it 4-3 on a rush after John Klingberg blasted one from between the circles. The Sharks challenged that the Stars were offside, but it was ruled that the call on the ice was correct and Dallas maintained the goal, while San Jose lost their timeout.

Then with the Sharks’ net empty Tyler Seguin shot from the neutral zone to make it 5-3 and secure the Dallas victory over the Sharks.

Thoughts and Observations

Resiliency of a Different Type

The Dallas Stars found themselves amidst another controversial game, but unlike the games previous Dallas established a two-goal lead in this game that evaporated. They had to work extremely hard after giving up that lead both when it was cut in half and when the Sharks tied it up.

Dallas got a second period goal from Fiddler that restored the lead and allowed for some breathing room for the Stars. His veteran presence and offensive production allowed for Dallas to regain their lead, despite it being tied up after two.

The Stars proved more resiliency as Roussel netted a goal with less than ten minutes remaining to give Dallas the lead once again and then secured the win with Seguin’s empty net goal.

In a game that went back and forth from the second period on the contributions and dedication by the Stars to the game plan was vital to their win.

Special Teams Proved Important

The game saw a shorthanded goal for each team as well as two power play goals for the San Jose Sharks and one for the Stars. That accurately depicts the influence of special teams on the game and it was a battle that the Stars were losing for most of the game, despite having a lead for the majority of the first two periods.

Dallas suffered from their youth in regards to penalties as a few younger players took unnecessary penalties throughout the game that led to big goals. While the Stars didn’t get the most stellar performance out of goaltender Antti Niemi, they had pretty poor penalty killing during the game.

Those hinderances on their game, however, didn’t prevent Dallas from winning. They found a way to overcome adversity and make it a (3-1-0) home stand adding a late power play goal of their own.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to check back for the preview and post game analysis on Tuesday as the Stars take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.