Dallas Stars Start Off Preseason On Right Foot With Win
Though heavily undermanned, the Dallas Stars started off their preseason play on the right foot. They defeated the St. Louis Blues by a final score of 3-1 and won in dominant fashion.
The preseason is officially underway and it’s safe to say that the Dallas Stars are amped up and ready to go.
The Stars welcomed the St. Louis Blues to the American Airlines Center last night for each team’s preseason opener. It was the first time both teams had played under the same roof since May 11, 2016 when the Blues knocked the Stars out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a game seven victory. This time, however, Dallas did not bow down in submission.
Last night’s game was not televised, but it didn’t have to be. The statistics just about did all of the talking that was necessary.
The Dallas Stars were heavily shorthanded going into the game. Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Cody Eakin, Radek Faksa, Ales Hemsky, and Devin Shore were all on the injured list. Though it was a preseason game, a good number of these players would have found themselves in the lineup had they been healthy.
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But that did not inhibit the Stars’ veterans and substitutes from grabbing the wheel and driving Dallas to victory.
The Dallas Stars set the tempo early, controlling the puck and using their fast offensive style of play to wear down the St. Louis reserves. Defenseman Patrik Nemeth started the scoring off for Dallas with 1:25 remaining in the first period.
Early on in the second period, Kevin Shattenkirk scored his third goal of the preseason on the power play to tie the game at 1-1. But with 1:03 remaining, the Stars were on the power play and new Star Jiri Hudler scored off of a beautiful deflection setup by Jason Spezza. Dallas took the 2-1 lead into the end of the second period.
The third period began and the Dallas Stars continued to control the pace. With 4:06 remaining, Patrick Eaves scored after Mattias Janmark bolted into the zone and controlled the puck before dishing it to Eaves on the 2-on-1.
Overall the Stars played a great game to start the season, especially noting the fact that they were missing so many valuable assets. Here are some quick notes on the game:
- Patrick Sharp and Jiri Hudler lead the Stars in points now. Sharp tallied two assists last night and Hudler tallied both a goal and an assist.
- Kari Lehtonen played the first 30 minutes and went 9/10 in net. Maxime Lagace went 14/14 in the last half.
- Mattias Janmark brought a lot of speed and intensity to the Stars. His sophomore season might hold even more promise than his rookie year.
- Sharp skated the most of any forward with 17:01 and John Klingberg skated the most on defense at 21:43.
- The Stars outshot the Blues 31-24. They won the face-off margin 58% to 42%. The Stars went 1/6 on the power play and 3/4 on the penalty kill.
Next: Stars' Main Goals For 2016-17 Season
The Dallas Stars are now 1-0-0 and have six more preseason games before their regular season conquest begins on October 13. Hopefully the majority of their regular starters will be ready by then.
Their next game is Wednesday night in Colorado. They take on the Avalanche at 8:00 p.m.