Dallas Stars Put Away Montreal Canadiens 3-1: Postgame Thoughts

The Dallas Stars found a way to win on Tuesday night, besting the Montreal Canadiens 3-1. It was a well-rounded effort that featured a lot of positives from the group.

Two games in a row. It may be a small chunk, but the Dallas Stars will definitely take another winning streak.

On Tuesday night, the Stars found a way to knock off the Montreal Canadiens in a game that Ken Hitchcock compared to a “playoff game.” There were plenty of good things from the Stars’ play, and they shone through as the Stars claimed the game 3-1.

Game recap

The first period didn’t offer much for either side. The Dallas Stars had two power play opportunities but couldn’t cash in on either. Jordie Benn made sure to get physical with his brother towards the end of the period, only to be immediately met by the defense of Alexander Radulov. But besides that, the teams entered the locker rooms with a 0-0 tie.

The second frame made up for the lack of energy in the first. Brendan Gallagher scored on a power play to give Montreal the lead after applying serious offensive pressure to open the period. But the Dallas Stars did not buckle. Devin Shore and Jason Spezza both tallied goals in the final two minutes to give Dallas a 2-1 lead heading into the third.

Dallas Stars

In the final period, Dallas didn’t do much in terms of pressure. But they certainly did enough. After killing three penalties and only taking five shots in the frame, the Stars found a way to hold on behind a Tyler Seguin empty net goal. Dallas won the game 3-1.

Thoughts and Observations

Never buckle, never give in

The Dallas Stars didn’t come out with the hottest start tonight. Luckily, the Canadiens didn’t either.

After a scoreless first period, Dallas began getting sloppy in the early part of the second and the Habs took advantage. They drew a penalty and scored.

Now the Dallas Stars we have seen at times this season would probably have fallen over and given in by committing some stupid mistake. But this Stars team was different. They took it right back to Montreal and applied immediate pressure. They outshot the Canadiens 6-1 in a three minute span towards the tail end of the period. Moments after that, Shore and Spezza put goals on the board.

It takes a certain level of resiliency for a team that is just above .500 and still struggling to find consistency to take control of a game in which they are down. But that’s what Dallas did tonight.

“We let them have that first goal and I think that was kind of a wakeup call,” Stars goaltender Ben Bishop said. “The last 10 minutes of the second period we really took it to them, had some really good shifts, and kind of had that momentum going into the third.”

Line juggling is good for the soul

The Stars offense ended the night looking a little different than when they started. And luckily enough, the changes made were what helped the Stars win.

Midway through the second period, Ken Hitchcock shifted the lines. He pushed Mattias Janmark up to the top line and placed Devin Shore and Jason Spezza on the second line with Tyler Seguin among other moves.

The second line found instant chemistry and got the job done. Both Shore and Spezza scored goals within 59 seconds of each other.

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“[Tyler Seguin] is a shooter, I’m a passer, and [Devin Shore] has got good legs, so it gives us all three dynamic,” Jason Spezza said. “We did a good job of using each other and we had some good cycle shifts and got rewarded for it. If we stick together, hopefully it is something we can build off of.”

Ken Hitchcock talked about how he is simply looking for what lines work in a game-by-game basis and looking for ultimate success.

“I just have to treat every game individually,” Hitchcock said. “I’m not looking for longterm chemistry. The twosomes don’t change, but the threesomes do. When I didn’t see a lot of energy, I had to find it somewhere. They gave us great energy. When it looked like it was working, I stayed with the same lines the rest of the game.”

If the juggling works and brings a spark, then by all means keep at it.

Too many penalties can be bad for the soul

The Dallas Stars currently have one of the best penalty kills in the NHL. They are quick on the pucks, win face-offs, and strive to give up minimal chances when shorthanded.

But that doesn’t mean that they should be taking penalties left and right. The Stars took a total of six penalties tonight, including three in the final period. Though they went 5/6 on the PK and saw some great things from their killers, that cannot continue to happen.

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The Montreal power play is one of the worst in the league (15.2 percent), so it’s nothing to get too excited over. Some other power plays won’t be as easy to get around.

Dallas needs to get out of the habit of playing sloppy at certain points of the game, especially in the third period when the score is close.

Parking the bus actually worked

The Dallas Stars have had some trouble with “parking the bus” in the past. When they would carry a lead into the third period, the Stars used to have trouble with closing out games when focusing on defense. They have still struggled with it at times throughout the current season.

Those struggles were not entirely evident tonight. Throughout the third period, the Stars took a total of five shots after taking nine in the first and 15 in the second. But they only gave up nine to Montreal.

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The Stars played strong on defense (and the penalty kill) throughout the final frame and gave up minimal chances. The offense sunk back a bit and played with more defensive focus. They were consistent and determined and ended up being rewarded for it.

Maybe they could do that more often?

Happy birthday, Big Ben

The loyal and towering Ben Bishop turned 31 today. He gifted himself with a birthday victory.

Bishop played an impressive game in the crease, stopping 29 of 30 and only giving up one goal which came on the power play. This is two straight performances in which Bishop has played well after a stretch of ugly finishes.

“He’s starting to really come on,” Hitchcock said following tonight’s game. “This is now five periods that he has been very impressive. He looks like he is really competing hard in the net and that’s a good sign for us right now. We need it.”

Tonight’s game marked Bishop’s seventh win at home out of eight games played. If he continues to heat up like Dallas needs him to, the Stars’ back end will be much more confident as a result.

Happy birthday, Big Ben.

Hitting the road quickly

The Dallas Stars headed for the airport about an hour after the game ended tonight to fly to Denver. Tomorrow night, they will square off with the Colorado Avalanche in a Central Division matchup.

It’s a quick turnaround for Dallas, who is 1-1-1 in the second night of a back-to-back this season. The fact that they are playing a Central Division team makes the game even more critical. The Stars are 1-5-0 against their division this year and must start cleaning that record up immediately. They get another swing at that tomorrow night. Let’s see how they respond with the momentum on their side going up against a team that has been sitting and waiting since Sunday.

Quotable

“BRRRRAAAGGHHHH” –Alexander Radulov during Jason Spezza’s postgame interview

“I thought the game was great. It was a playoff game with two desperate teams. They had a little momentum at the start and had us checking them, but we took over for a lot of the second and then they pushed hard in the third. It’s playoff hockey and a playoff game.” –Ken Hitchcock about tonight’s game

“Maybe this will be a better thing for us, leaving from home the night before. It’s a big two points and a division game. Obviously they are playing well and have won some games here late. We have to be on our game and get there as quick as we can and try to come home with another two.” –Ben Bishop about road struggles and the trip to Colorado

Next: Stars Can Get Ahead With Averageness Of Upcoming Opponents

The Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche will drop the puck at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday night from the Pepsi Center. Let’s see if this success can translate to the Stars’ biggest enemy: the road.

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