Dallas Stars Turn It On In Third Period, Down Canes 4-1
By Josh Clark
109. 4. 119. Final. 1
The Dallas Stars went into Raleigh, North Carolina Friday night looking for their second consecutive win. They would not be denied and once again put on an offensive clinic. After an early struggle, the Stars would eventually bust open the game and score three unanswered in the third to take down the Carolina Hurricanes by a final score of 4-1.
Game recap
First period
For the first time in who knows how long, the Dallas Stars endured a quiet first period. The Stars began with their typical offensive push, though it was a bit slower than usual. Ron Hainsey caught Jason Spezza with a high stick with 5:01 to go in the first, but the Stars did nothing on the power play. The teams traded shots back and forth, and at the end of the first it was 0-0. The Stars led the shot advantage 13-6.
Second period
The second period began with the Carolina Hurricanes controlling possession. Their offense eventually broke through when Eric Staal made a quick pass to the front of the net where his brother Jordan Staal cashed in. Ron Hainsey was given the other assist as the Hurricanes took the 1-0 lead.
It would only take 6:05 before the Stars would answer, though. The Dallas offense turned it up after the opening goal and tied it up with 10:14 to go. Colton Sceviour brought the puck in on a semi-breakaway but missed. He would collide with Eddie Lack, forcing Lack out of the crease and emptying the net. Ales Hemsky would find the puck on the rebound and score. Sceviour and Vernon Fiddler were credited with the assists.
The Hurricanes challenged, hoping goaltender interference would be called. The referees determined that the call stood, meaning it was a 1-1 game. The second period would end with Vernon Fiddler taking a puck to the leg in an effort to block a last shot attempt. The shot totals were 21-19 in favor of Dallas.
Third period
The third period was where the Dallas Stars truly turned it on and never looked back.
The teams would trade chances back and forth for the first ten minutes. But with 8:45, Tyler Seguin would catch the Hurricanes on a lazy turnover and feed it to Patrick Sharp for the finish. The Stars took the 2-1 lead and continued to pour it on. 2:05 later, Jordie Benn sent a shot in from the blue line. Lack made the save but the puck bounced on the stick of Sceviour, who quickly fed it across to rookie Radek Faksa who scored his first career NHL goal.
The 3-1 lead would remain supreme for the rest of the game and the Hurricanes would eventually pull their goaltender. With one second to go, Jason Demers got a piece of the puck as it was cleared down the ice by a Hurricane into Carolina’s open net. The shot totals were 31-28 in favor of Carolina.
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Thoughts and Observations
The Dallas Stars once again took a win on the road to improve their away record to 6-2-0. Meanwhile they are 5-1-0 at home. Overall, they are 11-3-0 and first place in the Western Conference and second place overall in the NHL. So that is awesome.
Tonight’s game was very formal. Only one penalty was committed, and it was not on the Stars.
The Hurricanes held the advantage in the face-off dot 37-30 and outshot the Stars 31-28. It seems as though whenever the Stars outshoot their opponent, they lose. But whenever the Stars are outshot, they find a way to win. Interesting.
Kari Lehtonen once again had a stellar showing. After a rough patch against the Florida Panthers, Lehtonen resumed his dominant state against the Bruins Tuesday and once again with the Hurricanes on Friday. He stopped 30 of 31, including some true showstoppers.
The three stars of the night were: 1. Colton Sceviour (0-2-2), 2. Jordan Staal (1-0-1), and 3. Tyler Seguin (0-1-1).
Next: Dallas Stars News: Stars Projected To Take Playoff Spot By NBC
The Dallas Stars will conclude their road trip Sunday afternoon when they take on the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in Detroit, Michigan.