It wasn’t easy and was actually very frightening at points. But the Dallas Stars pulled out a win over the Lightning last night, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Dallas Stars have arguably had the worst month of their 2016-17 season in February. They were sitting with one win in eight games heading into last night and the team’s morale seemed to be very defeated.
With that said, their 4-3 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning heading into their five-day break was the biggest victory they have had all season long.
Reminder of Winning
Losing important games in a playoff race that was still very much alive at the start of the month proved to be detrimental to the Stars’ confidence. They were struggling to win in games that they outplayed their competition and it was disheartening to watch.
Dallas Stars
Dallas was in rather desperate need of being reminded what winning feels like. There is nothing about losing the opening four games of a month followed by a win and then three subsequent losses that will help team confidence. The Stars were losing their ability to play without over thinking and that is certainly a slippery slope.
Once as the Stars were able to get into last night’s game, though, they knew it was one they needed to win. They were at home after their abysmal road trip that started with a crushing loss to the Nashville Predators and it was imperative that they go into their break with two points.
Character Players Stepping Up
Character players on every team play a big role when things are going well, but they play an even bigger one when they are not. Dallas was in need of having someone step up and the fact that it was Antoine Roussel last night made it that much better.
Roussel is a player with a lot of heart and while his style of play tends to border on too aggressive rather often, he is willing to do what it takes to win. Last night marked No. 21’s first career hat trick and it was much needed for the Stars and the 27 year old forward.
Broad Street Buzz
Although his season has not been bad, Roussel thrives on contributing. No. 21 does so in a variety of ways, he leads the NHL in penalty minutes for example, but it was good to see him get the offensive side of his game rolling in the win.
Another character player in the Stars’ locker room scored the game-winning goal in overtime last night. Captain of the team and harsh critic of their failures this season, Jamie Benn expects nothing but greatness.
Benn has had a number of difficult to watch post game interviews this season, often noting how frustrating it has been. Last night, though, he was able to net a sudden death winner with just over a minute remaining to earn the Stars a victory.
Next: Hemsky's Return Could be Big for Stars
Moving Ahead
Dallas can certainly walk into their days off with smiles on their faces, but they still cannot be too happy with their season, especially this month so far.
The Stars need nothing short of a miracle to head to the postseason and that will depend largely on how they are able to jump back into things on Friday as they host the Arizona Coyotes.