Dallas Stars Quotes After Disappointing 3-1 Loss vs. Flames

The Dallas Stars did not play up to par on Thursday night and fell 3-1 to the Calgary Flames. Postgame quotes from players and coaches can be found below.

The Dallas Stars just did not have it in them on Thursday night. They were unable to take down the Calgary Flames and fell by a score of 3-1. The Flames are now 7-0-0 to start the month of December and showed no signs of slowing down Thursday. The Stars had a good start to the game but could not rally and pick up the two points.

Some postgame quotes from Jamie Benn, Jason Spezza, Johnny Oduya, and Lindy Ruff can be found below.

Jamie Benn:

On Karri Ramo’s play:

He was pretty good. I think he saw most of the shots we put at him and not many guys in this league can stop those.

If the power play is where it was at the beginning of the year in terms of chances created:

No. It’s not good enough right now, and I’ll take the blame for that one. It’s just not good enough as a group. I have to make sure the five guys out there as a group are getting it done and right now we’re not. We’re not making a difference in the game and I’ll take the blame for that one.

If he saw a strong start like he wanted:

I thought we played a pretty good 15 minutes, and Ruff let us know. But our last five was terrible and you have to play a full 20 minutes three times in this league.

What he learned about the Flames:

They’re doing good and they’re obviously playing with confidence. It just seems like everything comes easy when you’re on a roll. They deserve a lot of credit because they’re playing good right now.

Jason Spezza:

How he saw this game:

I think we got off to a good start, and we talked about that. There was a little bit of a lapse in the first and they capitalized. We just couldn’t keep the puck out of the net.

His assessment of the power play:

We aren’t as sharp as we were at the beginning of the year. We go a few games without scoring and we start to grip our sticks a little tighter. We just have to get back to playing. We overthink things as a group and we might be a little too hard on ourselves at times expecting perfection. We just have to get back to being simple. We’ve got the personnel and we know we have a good power play. We just have to snap it around and play with confidence.

If it was tough trying to put an end to Calgary’s winning streak:

Every game is tough. They’re playing well. They had a comeback against us and they haven’t lost since. Everyone is playing well this time of the year and everybody is up for us. Give them credit because they played well, but if we put the puck in the net a little better we would’ve had a chance to win that game.

Second period and how it played out:

A little give and take, I think. It was a pretty even game both ways. I think if our power play gets one it’s a different game. If we get one in the first 15 minutes, it probably gives us a little momentum. But their team was playing well and they came out on top tonight.

The test with Montreal:

We just have to get back to our game and take a step back. We have to remember that we’re a good team. We haven’t played as well in the last couple of weeks but the results haven’t been terrible. It’s up to us to refocus and just know that we have a little stretch here before Christmas. We’ll try to win out and go into the break with momentum.

We’re close, but we’re just not putting together a full 60 minutes. Lindy will go over some things with us tomorrow and we’ll be ready to go against Montreal.

Johnny Oduya:

How he assessed the game:

We didn’t play good enough to win, obviously. I think we played better than the game before, but obviously they played pretty good. They played a smart game and got a couple of the goals. Their goaltending was good and ours was too. Just a couple of things that need to be done to win a game like this.

How to get back to their consistent ways:

It’s something that you have to realize is there at first and then address the issue. We realized that there’s a situation and we have to work on it and find a way to be able to win games and play somewhat of a steady pace every night. That’s what every team looks to do and it’s a tough thing.

When you’re coming down the stretch here it’s going to be really important. A lot of good teams at this time of the year where you put things together. We realize we had a good start but we have to evolve and get better than before.

What makes Calgary so tough for Dallas:

They’re a fast team. They’re D is very involved in the play and they are smart and good defensively. In their own end they don’t make many mistakes so it’s tough to get in and get scoring chances. I think we had enough chances to win today and sometimes that’s what it is. But we just have to go through some things and prepare for the next game.

Lindy Ruff:

About battling for consistency:

The first 15 minutes was a great place to be at. Two great kills and a shorthanded goal. But a missed assignment on the 2-on-1 hurt us and the one they got really late hurt us after playing 15 minutes of good hockey. That little bit of roller coaster ride that we’re on, the 15 minutes wasn’t good enough in the first period.

If momentum played a factor:

I think it’s a pretty big deal. You get it, you lose it. They couldn’t find it for 20 games, but now they’ve found it. They hung on pretty hard and their goalie made three or four really big stops or maybe we’re back in it. But they’ve got good momentum and some timely scoring and they’re feeling good about the way they’re playing.

Challenges coming up including Montreal:

I think the challenge tonight was as good as any. With a team coming in having won six in a row, that’s as good a challenge as you can have. We talked about really cleaning up our start and I thought that we cleaned up our start. Our puck movement and our play in the neutral zone was good. We made a big mistake that gave them some life.

Otherwise, there wasn’t much life in that club up to that point. They couldn’t even get over our blue line for the most part on their power play and I think that five minutes was the difference in the game.

More from Blackout Dallas

About the line juggling at the beginning of the second period:

We had the fight and some other different looks. But ultimately I want Tyler [Seguin] in the middle of the ice. I thought it was an opportunity to throw him back there and go from there.

On why the power play is “struggling”:

You’re being kind. It’s struggling and we’re a little bit locked up. We aren’t making quick enough decisions and almost every decision we make right now is the wrong decision. The execution part of it we got in a couple times and didn’t make the right play. We’ll come out of it, but it’s going to take some hard work. I think the second unit got in and had some better looks than the first unit.

When we did get set up, it was too slow and we had no one in the middle of the ice which hurt us. When I have Patrick Eaves out there, he’s great in the middle of the ice. He finds that little hole and relieves pressure. We may have to take a different look again.

On Ales Hemsky’s play:

I thought he was really good. I thought Hemsky and [Mattias] Janmark skated really well. I thought Ales could have had two or three goals. He had a couple great looks, moved the puck really well and skated very well. His energy level was a lot higher than some of the other guys. I thought our top guys energy wasn’t great and by the end of the night that hurt us too.

If it’s tough finding a spot for Hemsky:

Right now it is. You can tell that I’m trying to get him somewhere he can fit where I can get him a few more minutes. When he plays like that, it’s something that I want to get done.

Next: Stars Cannot Keep Up Early Pace, Fall 3-1 To Flames

The Dallas Stars are now 23-7-2 with 48 points. They are still first place in the NHL, but only by a hair. They will need to recover and get ready for the Montreal Canadiens that are looking to come into town and take them down.

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