The Dallas Stars had a tall task awaiting them in the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night. And though things looked incredibly bleak in the beginning, the Stars once again found a way to pull through behind a 19-man performance.
The Dallas Stars defeated the Anaheim Ducks 5-3 last night, handing them their first regulation loss of the season. But if you stopped following the game around 8:00 p.m., you may think that’s not possible.
Following a three-day break from action that was kickstarted by a humbling 7-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Stars were back on the ice on Saturday night. Awaiting them was a 3-0-1 Ducks squad that had started the season on a hot note despite some of their top players missing from the lineup.
As a result, the 2-1-0 Stars had yet another sizable opponent awaiting them. The loss to Toronto had been a bit of a deflator to the early hype they had built in games one and two, but it was up to them to shake it off and bounce back.
But by the end of the first period, it was clear that they were still in a funk from Tuesday. While Dallas outshot Anaheim 14-10 and had plenty of offensive pressure, John Gibson held strong in the Ducks crease. And on the other end of the ice, Jakob Silfverberg and Kiefer Sherwood found the back of the net for the visitors, giving Anaheim a 2-0 lead going into first intermission.
The wind wasn’t entirely taken out of the Stars’ sails yet, though, and they started the second period with an 11-1 shot advantage. But Adam Henrique scored a power play goal following a penalty against Alexander Radulov, giving the Ducks a strong 3-0 advantage.
But then, it happened. And even when we’re here one day later, it still might be difficult to fully comprehend. With their backs truly against the wall and Anaheim bearing down, the Stars broke out.
First, it was Radulov on the power play to break Gibson’s 28-save shutout. Then, Connor Carrick scored his first goal as a Star. Jamie Benn tied it up shortly after, which then gave way to a John Klingberg power play goal. And in the third period. Radek Faksa sealed the deal with an empty net goal from the opposite end of the ice.
Two goals in nine seconds. Three goals in 2:47. Four goals in 6:32. A 30-4 shot advantage in the second period (don’t forget that some hockey teams don’t hit the 30-shot mark throughout an entire game). A 51-25 shot advantage in the game overall. A face-off win percentage of 55.2 percent. 2/3 on the power play. Only two penalties against. Plenty of scrums and physicality.
Those are all elements of a victory in the NHL. And on Saturday night, the Stars cashed in on all of them. Anaheim looked to be the clear-cut victor halfway through the game. But that’s why hockey games are 60 minutes long and not 30 minutes.
The Dallas Stars swept in and stole a win right out from under the Ducks after Anaheim looked to have it all but secured.
But it wasn’t just securing the two points that was impressive. Instead, it was how they went about doing it.
Dallas orchestrated a rally for the history books behind a 19-man performance, receiving help, pressure, and energy throughout the lineup. In the first period, the Stars were losing physical battles, were defeated multiple times in the net-front battle, and looked like a team lacking energy and determination.
That changed in the second period. Stars head coach Jim Montgomery juggled his lines around after the first period in an attempt to spark some energy, and the gamble paid off in dividends.
The top line of Benn, Seguin, and Blake Comeau tacked on the game-tying goal, with each of the three forwards getting a point on the goal. The second line of Valeri Nichushkin, Jason Spezza, and Radulov were responsible helping set up Carrick for the second goal.
The third line of Mattias Janmark, Faksa, and Tyler Pitlick generated offensive opportunities throughout the game and applied stability to the forward group. And finally, the fourth line of Devin Shore, Jason Dickinson, and Brett Ritchie used physicality and determination to their advantage, drawing a penalty and posting six shots and four hits together.
On defense, Klingberg scored a power play goal and tallied an assist. Connor Carrick also had his first goal of the year. Esa Lindell had an assist of his own and finished +2 on the night.
And in net, Anton Khudobin was put in a tough spot by the team in front of him through the first 30 minutes. With the Ducks dominating the front of the net and Khudobin only standing at 5’11, it was tough for him to see around a few screens and that led to a few goals against. But when he was needed to protect a lead, he came through, stopping all 11 shots faced in the third period.
The Dallas Stars had a rough start to last night’s game, but bounced back in a big way and put on a historic comeback. As a result, they finished their season-opening homestand with a 3-1-0 record.
So, as the Stars prepare to hit the road for the first time this year, there is once again a renewed sense of hope and hype for this Dallas Stars squad. Perhaps it’s even higher than it was at this time last week. An encouraging comeback victory will do that for a new team.
Next up: the Ottawa Senators.