Dallas Stars Can Take Reins With Game Two Win vs. Blues
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars are in for an early puck drop today at home against the St. Louis Blues for game two. Get predictions, injury updates, and other info here.
Not evne 48 hours ago, the Dallas Stars kicked off their Western Conference semifinals series in dominating fashion by beating the St. Louis Blues in game one. Both teams are now ready to get back on the ice for a second showing this afternoon.
The game will be broadcasted nationally on NBC, and you can also catch it on the radio at 1310AM/96.7FM The Ticket. Puck drop is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX.
Records and Scores
The Dallas Stars are slowly finding their way into round two, but are making plenty of noise about it. They are currently 5-2 in postseason play this year. They eliminated the Minnesota Wild in a thrilling six game series to advance to the second round, where they defeated the St. Louis Blues in game one on Friday night.
The St. Louis Blues, on the other hand, are 4-4 this postseason. After coughing up a 3-1 series lead to the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round that required them to defeat the Hawks in a nail-biting game seven, the Blues looked off in game one against Dallas. It might have been that they were recharging or simply were not expecting the Stars to give off as aggressive of an effort as they did. Either way, they need to fix it soon.
Storylines
Stars are shining bright, no matter what you say
The Dallas Stars won game one when a lot of people said they weren’t going to. The doubters that said a high flying offense cannot get you far enough obviously don’t know the Stars. While Dallas wore down the Blues’ defense with their offensive dominance, they also put on a strong defensive showing that kept St. Louis away from many high-chance opportunities.
The Stars were victorious in game one because of how they acted. They reeked of confidence and determination, and that is what an NHL team needs to succeed, especially in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Kari Lehtonen should keep this up
There was doubt going into the series on whether or not the Dallas Stars would be using a two-goalie rotation or if they would try sticking to one consistent goaltender. At this point, it sounds as though the latter idea is best for the Stars.
Kari Lehtonen is officially 4-1 this postseason, with his most recent performance being a 31-32 showing against a hard-checking Blues’ squad. If Kari can keep that performance up, there may not be any need to switch over to Antti Niemi.
The winner of game two could determine winner of series
Game two seems as though it has the most riding on it for both teams. While game one was influential in determining who started the series with the upper hand, game two will label each team differently before they both leave for games three and four in St. Louis.
If the Stars win, they will take a commanding 2-0 lead in the series and have an opportunity to catch the Blues in a weak spot in front of their home crowd. They could learn from their first round mistakes and build on the 2-0 lead, eventually reaching a four or five game series completion. Meanwhile, a win is crucial for the Blues so they can split the series and go back home for two advantageous games.
A lot is resting on this game in determining which team takes supremacy going into St. Louis. Keep a close eye out for the desperation and determination of each squad this afternoon.
Injury report
The Dallas Stars are without Tyler Seguin (achilles) until further notice, and Patrick Eaves (leg) is considered day-to-day.
The St. Louis Blues will play with an entirely healthy roster in game two.
Projected lines
Dallas Stars
Jamie Benn – Cody Eakin – Patrick Sharp
Mattias Janmark – Jason Spezza – Valeri Nichushkin
Antoine Roussel – Radek Faksa – Ales Hemsky
Travis Moen – Vernon Fiddler – Colton Sceviour
Alex Goligoski – John Klingberg
Antti Niemi
More stars: Stars Make Big Statement With Game One Win
St. Louis Blues
Jaden Schwartz – Jori Lehtera – Vladimir Tarasenko
Robby Fabbri – Paul Stastny – Troy Brouwer
Patrik Berglund – Alex Steen – David Backes
Steve Ott – Kyle Brodziak – Scottie Upshall
Jay Bouwmeester – Alex Pietrangelo
Joel Edmundson – Kevin Shattenkirk
Carl Gunnarsson – Colton Parayko
Next: Stars Continue To Prove Doubters Wrong
Prediction
The Blues have seen the Dallas Stars for all they are worth and seen what they can do when at full execution. That should not stop the Stars from continuing to execute and dominate. Give me Dallas by a final of 3-2.