Dallas Stars Send Message To NHL With Win Over Chicago
By Josh Clark
Last night, the Dallas Stars put their foot down and sent the Chicago Blackhawks scampering in a 4-2 dominant win. With it, they made a statement to the NHL.
On December 21, 2015, the Dallas Stars entered their Christmas break on a relatively high note. Welcoming the Chicago Blackhawks to the American Airlines Center on the second night of a back to back, the Stars tore the Hawks to shreds with a 4-0 victory.
The win further put the Stars in the driver seat for first place in the NHL overall and all was right in the city of Dallas. But then January came along, and the Stars hit a massive rut in the road. After an ugly and unfortunate performance in the first month of 2016, the Stars found themselves second overall in the Central Division and Western Conference, and third overall in the league.
The team that overtook their spot? The Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks had a 12-game winning streak that greatly contributed to their overtaking of first place in the West, and the Stars could not find the wins to regain the lead.
By the time the All-Star Break rolled around, the Stars and Hawks were locked in a tight battle for first place in the division and conference. While the Hawks had a points more than the Stars, they had played a couple more games.
As February began, the Stars started to pick up some momentum and slowly close in on the Blackhawks. That is until their second meeting of the year occurred on February 6th. The Hawks came to Dallas and turned the tables, knocking Dallas out with a 5-1 win.
No Dallas Stars fans knew what to think from then on. Had the Stars really taken a plunge off the deep end? Did the Hawks transform into a new team with the coming of the New Year? Was it a little bit of both? Everyone was baffled. The Stars had sunken back to their roots from years past where they are a decent team, but can never reach the top spot because the Blackhawks always find a way to best them.
So a new possibility was granted to the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. After winning all of their February games except the Hawks, it was clear that they would need to step up their game if they wanted another two points. Not to mention that it would be at the Madhouse in Blackhawks territory.
Well, it’s pretty clear that they understood the opportunity. Without Jason Spezza or Jason Demers, the Stars waltzed into Chicago and punched them in the teeth. Patrick Eaves (not Patrick Sharp, surprisingly enough) scored a hat trick in the first period and John Klingberg tacked on one more to take a 4-0 lead at the end of the first period for the Stars.
Once again, no one in the home crowd knew what to think. The Stars would eventually win the game 4-2, with Kari Lehtonen leading the charge in the third period. The Stars did exactly what Chicago had done to them five days before and embarrassed the home team in front of their crowd that sat in disbelief.
What is to be made out of this game? It is obviously a statement from the Dallas Stars. A statement that says, “Hey, we’re not folding over that easily. We’re still looking to win this division and make a run in the playoffs.” And that’s the kind of statement you want to hear if you’re a fan of the green and white.
But what are we to make of these two juggernaut teams trading blows back and forth? How come they are trading the roles of David and Goliath? Why are the two best teams in the Western Conference treating each other like minor league clubs when they play each other?
It’s interesting to see the results turn out as jarred as they have. It’s also unlikely that these teams have just randomly had “off” games against each other. Something is up, and one team needs to come out dominant before the postseason begins.
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The win last night moved the Dallas Stars within one point of the first place title, and they have three games in hand on Chicago. It also showed the NHL that the real Stars that we know and love may just be back in time for the final push to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Stars will now travel back home for a “battle royale” as you may want to refer to it as from now on. The Stars will take on the Washington Capitals for the second and final time this season. Dallas has beaten Washington at home the past three seasons and will try and make it an even four on Saturday. Washington currently boasts the best record in the NHL and is on track for one of their best seasons in franchise history.
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So enjoy your day, Dallas Stars fans. The Stars shone bright above Chicago last night and corralled a statement victory from it. But the hunt is far from over, and the big test is coming up on Saturday night in the AAC. It’s promising to be a fun one.