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Dallas Stars Halt Losing Skid, Beat Hurricanes 5-2

By Josh Clark

Jan 31, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg (3) and center Devin Shore (17) and center Radek Faksa (12) and defenseman Esa Lindell (23) celebrate a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Stars defeat the Maple Leafs 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg (3) and center Devin Shore (17) and center Radek Faksa (12) and defenseman Esa Lindell (23) celebrate a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Stars defeat the Maple Leafs 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Well that was fun. The Dallas Stars came back home and rolled over the Carolina Hurricanes to help snap a four-game losing skid.

What do you know? The Dallas Stars entered Saturday’s game against the Hurricanes not having picked up a point in over a week. They are finally back in the win column after beating the Canes 5-2 and picking up two very important points.

Game recap

The Dallas Stars, much as they did against Toronto, came storming out of the gate in the first. With goals from Esa Lindell, Patrick Eaves, and Curtis McKenzie each cracked Cam Ward to give Dallas a dominant 3-0 lead going into first intermission.

In the second period, Sebastian Aho scored to get the Canes on the board. But Patrick Eaves would respond quickly on the power play and regain the three-goal lead for Dallas.

The third period was much like the second with one goal for each team. Justin Faulk scored on the power play on an awkward rebound to bring it to 4-2, but Adam Cracknell quickly responded with a backhand goal to reclaim the three goal lead. That 5-2 lead held true to the end of the game.

Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars /

Dallas Stars

Thoughts and Observations

Eaves is surging

It was an excellent day for the Bearded Beauty. Not only did Eaves play in the 600th game of his NHL career, but he also scored two goals, giving him 21 on the season. That’s a new career high in goals.

It was quite the afternoon for #18.

Stars continue dominance over Carolina

After today’s win, the Dallas Stars improved to 11-1-1 all-time against the Canes when playing in Dallas. In that span, they have 41 goals for and 28 assists . They are also now 4-1-0 in their last five games against the Canes.

Talk about dominance.

Dallas hit a milestone today

Amidst the celebration that the Stars won, let’s not forget about the massive step forward that Dallas took in today’s game.

For the first time in 30 days, Dallas gave up less than three goals to their opponent. The last time they accomplished this feat was in their 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings. They went through 12 straight games of allowing anywhere from three to six goals to the opposition.

It may just be one game, but they had to start somewhere. For the majority of the game, Dallas had solid defensive pressure and kept the Carolina attack at bay. If they can keep that up, they will definitely start winning more than they lose.

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Packing up and heading out

The Dallas Stars can take a brief moment to celebrate this triumphant victory after losing four straight, but then it’s back to business. The Stars will hop a plane tonight and head off to Nashville where the Predators, who just lost 6-4 to the Panthers today, will be waiting for a Sunday afternoon affair.

It is crucial that the Stars win this game. Nashville is one of the five teams ahead of Dallas in the standings and a win would hypothetically cut their deficit in half practically overnight. If they get a win, it will put the Stars right back in the middle of contention. Wouldn’t that be nice?

That’s one step in the right direction, but only one

Don’t get me wrong: today’s game was great. The Dallas Stars played with a lot of energy and momentum and took the reins early on. The Stars played like they should on a nightly basis.

And on top of that, Vancouver and Nashville both lost. So the Stars picked up some ground that they have lost over the past week. A win tomorrow would make that stride even greater.

So it was a great win, but the Stars must find a way to replicate it away from home and start a run.

Next: Why The Dallas Stars Are Still An Exciting Team

Looking ahead

The Dallas Stars will experience a very quick turnaround as they head out to Nashville for a Central Division matchup tomorrow night against the Predators.

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