Dallas Stars Pick Off Coyotes To Start First Win Streak Of Season
A rare thing in the past, the Dallas Stars got their first win streak of the season rolling last night in a neck-and-neck win against the Coyotes.
Okay, it wasn’t neck and neck in every sense. The Stars came out ahead by multiples in the 3-1 win last night, but the score doesn’t quite reflect the struggle. At times during the night, the Stars seemed winded and flustered, but at other points were soaring high.
The high points were what put them ahead early and kept them ahead throughout. The lower lines really shined in this match-up, with Radek Faksa and Mattias Janmark combining to get on the board first. Janmark set up with a wrap-around shot, which Faksa recycled and capitalized on, close-up.
Dan Hamhuis was the next scorer, assisted by Tyler Pitlick and good ol’ Faksa, who both had stand-out games. The last goal was Alexander Radulov‘s first as a Dallas Star- an empty netter to seal the deal in the final seconds.
The Stars scored and they defended. Despite some snafus and errors on the part of the d-corps, goalie Ben Bishop held his own and looked settled and secure in net, proving this to be reality with only the one goal allowed.
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Although the Coyotes only scored once during that mix thanks to the former Star Jason Demers, the Coyotes didn’t make the win easy for the Stars to keep hold of. Rookie goalie Adin Hill, even in the loss, made his NHL debut one to remember with some stunning, quality saves. Arizona’s defense played with a measure of confidence in front of Hill, giving the Stars’ offense a tough go of it.
Speaking of tough go, while third and fourth line guys had impressive performances for the Stars, the second power play unit sputtered and spun its wheels when it stepped up to the plate. While Jason Spezza seemed to be looking for chances all night long, nothing ever quite connected for him- and ditto for Brett Ritchie.
A redemptive special teams moment came in the third period when the Stars took two overlapping penalties and successfully powered through a worrisome 5 on 3 stretch. Earlier in the game, it appeared that the Stars had fallen into their old habit of playing down to the level of a lesser team, but by third period had lost a bit of their steam and were simply succumbing to old bad habits and errors.
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In the end, the Stars’ goaltending was solid and we got to see some great performances from some under-appreciated players who may grow out of that this season. And Dallas picked up its first consecutive win so far- hopefully one of many to come.