Dallas Stars Start Off Strong, Can’t Hold Blackhawks At Bay

The Dallas Stars burst out of the gate early in Chicago tonight, but finished just a stride too slow. A point is a point, but it could have easily been two.

The Dallas Stars came out strong early on, demonstrating precision and skill on their first period penalty kills. Where communication and teamwork had been problems in previous games, the Stars demonstrated their proficiency in those areas in their early penalty kills.

Then during their first power play, the Stars got a chance when Seguin flew into the zone with the puck, and then thanks to some scrappy work at the net, Seguin put the Stars up 1-0. The defense also did their part beautifully, as Johnny Oduya and Stephen Johns really shined.

In the second period, the Stars had another penalty to kill, and Gemel Smith took the opportunity to score off a breakaway with an awesome backhanded shot for his first NHL goal. However, the Stars got too comfortable and ended up with sloppy puck handling in the neutral zone.

Patrick Kane took advantage of this and put the Hawks on the board. The defense continued to work hard, but turnovers became inevitable and in the third period, both Jonathan Toews and Artemi Anisimov scored to put the Blackhawks up.

Gemel Smith was the hero of the game, scoring on a beautiful deflection with 1:20 left on the clock to keep the Stars in it. However, the Stars lost it in overtime after a lengthy struggle when Hossa scored.

Thoughts and Observations

Stand outs

Tonight, although a disappointing loss, was a showcase night for a few Dallas Stars. Stephen Johns and Johnny Oduya had fabulous nights. Johns was physical and aggressive the whole night, even when the Stars’ play started to taper off, keeping many pucks from ever entering the Stars’ zone. Oduya likewise exhibited solid determination and took on the role of breakaway police.

Gemel Smith, obviously, had a night to remember. Not only did he score his first NHL goal, but he scored the Stars’ first shorthanded goal of the season and followed it up with his second NHL goal. Although the injuries have been rough on the Stars, the upside has been getting to see all the incredible talent that might have otherwise been overlooked for now.

Fizzled out

The Stars came in hot- so hot that it seemed they were going to take the game, no problem. They’ve historically done well at United Center, winning all three of their matches there last season. But this one got to them. After Kane’s goal, Chicago’s first, the Stars slowly started to disintegrate.

While they did very well for a team missing 7 of its top forwards from last season, they can’t continue to coast on that reassurance alone. It was clear that toward the end of the second period and all through the third, they were frazzled and failed to handle the puck well in the neutral zone. The clunky, clumsy play and sloppy passes seemed to result from the Stars not being able to stay mentally unaffected by the Hawks’ advances.

Road blues

This was the opener for a five-game road trip for the Stars. So far this season, their road record is not so hot. While this would have been a great chance to start the roadie on a positive note in a building where they’ve historically done very well, fate would not have it so.

Next: Dallas Stars: The Boys Are Back In Town

The Stars need to regroup, find a way to play a full sixty minutes just like their first twenty, and get back in it against Winnipeg on Tuesday.