Dallas Stars Return From Bye Week with Dominant Victory Over Coyotes
The Dallas Stars played a complete game tonight against the Arizona Coyotes and were rewarded for it.
The Dallas Stars returned from their five-day break in victorious fashion as they defeated the Arizona Coyotes 5-2.
Recap
The first period saw the Coyotes open the scoring, but Dallas’ Devin Shore added his tenth goal of the season to tie it up. Arizona and Dallas went into the first intermission tied 1-1.
Arizona took a 2-1 lead in the second, but the Stars once again came back as John Klingberg scored on the power play to tie it up. The two teams went into the second intermission tied, 2-2.
The flood gates opened for Dallas in the third period. Jamie Benn, Lauri Korpikoski and Cody Eakin all scored for the Stars as they earned a 5-2 victory at home over the Coyotes.
Thoughts and Observations
First Sell of the Season
Everyone knew it was coming. The Dallas Stars’ underwhelming season was inevitably going to lead to personnel changes and the first player to take the boot was Patrick Eaves. Earlier today, hours before puck drop, the Stars announced a trade that sent Eaves to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a conditional pick in this year’s draft.
This comes during Eaves’ best season to date in which he has dominated on the offensive side of the ice. He was the most consistent scorer for the Stars this season and his influence was a highlight that anyone on the team recognized. Although Eaves’ departure is hard to swallow, it makes perfect sense.
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Pucks of a Feather
The 32 year old forward cost Dallas a mere one million dollars and is on a one-year term. After his performance this season, however, that price is about to go up significantly. He still has a few solid years ahead of him and now is the time to jump on the chance to add Eaves to the roster. His participation and the buzz around him during that time was eminent, so the Stars getting something for him to be a rental in Anaheim is a victory in and of itself.
What does this move mean for the Stars? It is probably a sign of what is to come. Dallas’ season has left the business side of hockey with significant questions about the team’s direction and the ability it has to win with its current roster. That leaves little security for any of the Stars’ players and could simply be the first domino in a series of changes to Dallas’ roster.
Eaves’ departure from the Stars is one that will not be taken lightly. His exceptional season has inspired the young players for Dallas and encouraged the veterans. He was a great addition to the club and the Stars were lucky to have had him wear Victory Green for the years he did.
With that said, though, it was his time to go. Jim Nill made the right decision for the club’s well-being moving forward and it will hopefully lead to a number of steps in the right direction for the team.
Putting In the Work
Dallas dominated tonight’s game. They were able to work together in an impressive way to score a handful of goals in a multitude of ways. Their penalty kill was on top of their game and Kari Lehtonen made some quality saves to top it all off.
Ultimately this was a complete Stars win. They took their restful days off and translated them into a strong return to the ice, which was exactly what they needed. Although there were some hardships at the beginning, a few turnovers and unnecessary penalties, Dallas was able to put in the work and come out on top.
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Tonight not only were the Stars the better team, they came out of the game with a big two points. It was a theme during the beginning half of February for Dallas to outplay their opposition, only to leave the ice empty-handed.
That was certainly not the case in tonight’s game as five players were able to walk away with goals, 12 of the 18 skaters earned at least a point and Lehtonen added another victory to his repertoire. That is about as complete of a team effort as Lindy Ruff and Jim Nill could ask for.
If the Stars can keep playing like this and, more importantly, getting this kind of result there is no reason that they cannot dissolve the doubt in this roster. They might even make a race for the playoffs if they can get some help from teams above them. But it is too soon to tell if that is even a reasonable possibility.
Next: Trade Deadline Gives Stars a Few Options
Moving Forward
Right now the Stars need to control their own games and try not to worry about anyone else’s. That continues as they host the Boston Bruins on Sunday morning.