Dallas Stars Show Impressive Balance In Preseason Win vs. Blues
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars started their preseason off on the right foot last night by defeating the St. Louis Blues 5-3. Here were some things that stood out in the Stars’ play.
What a way to begin the preseason. Though it may not have been the prettiest win, the Dallas Stars rallied and knocked off the St. Louis Blues to begin the preseason 1-0-0.
The game was not broadcast on a live platform, but that didn’t stop Stars fans from either going to the game or keeping up with it in one way or another. Following the game, replays were made available through the Dallas Stars website.
The Stars made it an interesting game for sure. After going down 2-0 early on in the game, the Stars clawed back and tied it up midway through the second period. The Blues would come back and take a 3-2 lead before intermission, but a strong surge by Dallas in the third period was enough to push the Stars to a 5-3 victory.
There was a lot to like about the game and some things that still need to be worked on. Luckily for the Stars, that was the first preseason game. They still have five more games to clean things up in preparation for opening night.
Dallas Stars
Let’s take a quick look at some of the good and bad from last night.
The Good
Mattias Janmark’s play
Probably the biggest highlight of the Dallas Stars’ game last night was Janmark’s performance. He was fast, efficient, and showed no signs of setback. He even scored the first goal on a well-placed wrist shot and tacked on an assist.
Janmark spent all of the 2016-17 season recovering from surgery for a rare knee condition. The condition could very well have ended Janmark’s professional hockey career, but he persevered and looks to be back and better than ever.
If last night’s Mattias Janmark is the Janmark we can expect to see this season, he could very well be one of the Stars’ most valuable assets this year.
Impressive balance
The scoresheet for the Stars last night reflected some impressive balance within the team. Each of the five goals for Dallas was scored by a different player (Janmark, Nicholas Caamano, Brett Ritchie, Jamie Benn, Tyler Pitlick), and ten different players found their way onto the scoresheet. Over half of the lineup tallied a point last night.
The Stars’ offense was fluid and effective and began to catch fire as the game went on. They showed a good balance both on offense and defense. Balance is key in today’s NHL and is one of the main reasons why the Stars suffered last season. If they can replicate last night’s performance on a regular basis, balance in the lineup should be the least of their worries this year.
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Mike McKenna
McKenna had an excellent showing. The new Stars goaltender only played in the third period, but posted an 11-save shutout in the 20-minute frame.
McKenna is not expected to be playing at the NHL level this year, but is currently interlocked with Philippe Desrosiers and Landon Bow for the starting gig with the Texas Stars in the AHL. Last night’s performance was definitely a step in the right direction for him.
Good recovery
The Dallas Stars did not start the game off on the best note. They looked a tad sluggish, could not get many offensive rushes together, and were outplayed. Luckily, that didn’t last much past the first period.
After being outshot 9-3 in the first period, the Stars fired back with a 10-6 shot advantage in the second and tied with STL at 11 shots in the third. They quickly caught up with the Blues in terms of effort, and that carried them through.
With the offensive surge in the third period, the Stars found a way to turn the tide around and take control. That’s a strength that they did not possess for much of last year.
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The Not So Good
Penalties galore
One of the Stars’ worst features in last night’s game was their excessive penalties. The Stars took a total of 11 penalties against the Blues, and went 9/11 on the penalty kill (81 percent).
That’s an impressive PK rate, but it should not have had to be like that. Taking more than five or six penalties in a game is undisciplined. Taking 11 is an entirely different animal.
If the Dallas Stars are going to change their special teams misfortunes around this year, they will need to be more careful on the ice and more sensible about the penalty rate.
Ben Bishop
Last night was Bishop’s first competitive game in a Victory Green jersey. His debut ended up being alright.
While his puck handling and positioning were impressive as everyone expected it to be, he finished the night 12-15 (.800 SV%) through 40 minutes of play.
On the bright side, it’s only the preseason and there were plenty of kinks in last night’s game (both on defense and in net) that can be fixed over the next few weeks. This should by no means be a panic factor for Stars fans.
All in all, there was a lot to like about in the Dallas Stars’ preseason opener. The team took a tremendous first step in their first preseason game and started the competitive season off on the right foot.
Next: Offseason Additions Add To Stars' Stanley Cup Drive
They will be in Colorado tomorrow night to face off against the Avalanche. Hitchcock will likely have a new lineup and a new group of players to examine. All we have to do is sit back and take it all in.