Dallas Stars Ending Their Season With Nothing Left to Give
The Dallas Stars have had a tough time in the latter half of the 2016-17 season. The trades of key players and absences of others due to injury was too much for the team to handle. With six games remaining, the Stars’ best bet is to let the season go down gracefully.
Honestly, there’s no shame in admitting that the Dallas Stars experienced a perfect storm of unfortunate events. Their season ended pretty early on but it is nice to see the players remaining positive in the final stretch of games.
"“I was personally excited to play this one, I’m sure some of these guys were and they just went out and beat us tonight,” Stars captain Jamie Benn said. “We need to keep building and playing the right way and really keep doing the right things to keep this pride and the effort going and keep building for next year too.”"
The loss to Montréal was not devastating, as the Stars were mathematically eliminated from the playoff race the night before.
Gameplay looked promising through the first period. Curtis McKenzie managed to put Dallas on the board early but the Habs get some momentum at the end of the first period.
Dallas Stars
It was a fairly equal game in terms of effort level. Dallas had many opportunities to put more pucks in the net but Carey Price extinguished any shot with his excellent goaltending.
Newcomer D-man Greg Pateryn played his first homecoming game last night. In many aspects, this event was somewhat overshadowed by the Benn v Benn matchup but Pateryn’s return was something to note as well.
"“He’s played a solid game for us,” Dallas coach Lindy Ruff said. “These last couple of games, he’s been rock solid. He’s defended well and moved the puck well. He’s really showing well right now.”"
Pateryn, along with some of the younger players, is starting to find his role on the Stars’ ice. Unfortunately, this season, there is not much left to give; however, maybe it’s the fashion of the season’s end that will offer hope for next year.
Think about it: there’s nothing else to lose at this point, so why not try things that haven’t been attempted yet?
We’ve seen a few pretty amazing performances by Kari Lehtonen. Goaltending has not been a strong suit for the Dallas Stars this season but the past few games prove the talent we knew Lehts has.
Age has been a pretty big factor in the season, too. The mean age leans more on the younger side of the scale, which doesn’t bode well when compared to some of the more seasoned teams in the NHL. If the skill level that the Stars have is taken into account, it’s only a matter of time until they find their old groove.
Next: Stars Fall To The Canadiens In Battle Of The Benns
The Dallas Stars’ 2016-17 season is beginning its descent into history. What’s past is prologue for what’s yet to come. As long as the team gives everything that they have left to give, there isn’t much the Stars have to be ashamed of.
When there isn’t anything left in the well to dig up, there isn’t much to keep the team going. With this season’s well running fairly dry, Dallas has done everything they can to stay positive and play to the best if their ability.
And that’s pretty much all we can ask for.