Dallas Stars Use Desperation To Their Advantage In Win Over Kings

DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 23: Dallas Stars center Tyler Pitlick (18) celebrates scoring a goal with left wing Jamie Benn (14) during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Los Angeles Kings on October 23, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Dallas defeats LA 4-2. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 23: Dallas Stars center Tyler Pitlick (18) celebrates scoring a goal with left wing Jamie Benn (14) during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Los Angeles Kings on October 23, 2018 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Dallas defeats LA 4-2. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

It may not have been the prettiest victory, but the Dallas Stars used their own desperation to claim two points on Tuesday night against Los Angeles. And if they continue using that desperation to their advantage, they could quickly find themselves in great shape.

The Dallas Stars broke out of a three-game losing skid on Tuesday night by defeating the Los Angeles Kings 4-2. But, as there always seems to be with the Stars, there was much more to the story than just two points and getting back in the win column.

On Tuesday night, the Stars welcomed a desperate Kings team to the American Airlines Center. The Kings had lost four straight games, boasted an unsettling and unnatural 2-5-1 record, and couldn’t seem to win the offensive, defensive, or goaltending battle in any game, regardless of the opponent. They were near the bottom of the Western Conference and needed to get out of a rut.

Sitting just above them in the standings was the Stars. Dallas had lost three games in a row, lacked the offensive superiority and overall fluidity that they had played with in the first four games of the season, and were sitting at a 3-4-0 mark, which was good enough for last place in the division.

That being said, it was a battle of early season desperation for both squads. The real question revolved around which team would play with more desperation and energy.

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And, as you already know, the Dallas Stars won out. But how did they go about doing it?

Well, they were the more desperate team, and it showed.

During morning skate, that was the overarching message for both the players and coaching staff. They knew what was at hand. They knew that the Central division race waits for no team and being in last place at any point during the season can turn into signing their own death warrant.

The Stars knew that they hadn’t played up to snuff in their previous three games. The depth scoring was still practically nonexistent, the top line wasn’t doing any favors on offense, and the defense and goaltending looked leaky and in need of structure. All in all, the team looked as though they lacked purpose and energy.

But when desperation creeps into a hockey team, it comes with one of two results. A team can either add it as fuel to their ever-growing fire or let it consume them completely.

Sure, it may have only been the eighth game of the year. And yes, if the Stars had lost, you’d currently be reading about how they need to dig deeper and access more of that desperation and emotion.

That doesn’t have to happen, though, and it’s because the Dallas Stars figured out how to use desperation in the right way.

From head coach Jim Montgomery to down the lineup, everyone did their part and accessed that extra edge. Montgomery tried new things by starting 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Following the game, he talked about how he liked parts of the switch but not others.

“I enjoyed the 11 forwards tonight,” Montgomery told Mike Heika of DallasStars.com. “I felt I could get everybody involved in the game. The matchups got a little more difficult, as I felt they were holding [Anze] Kopitar’s line a little longer than I expected a couple of times which enabled them to get some matchups that they wanted. But, all in all, I liked it. The seven defensemen didn’t seem to work all that well, though.”

It was a risk that needed to be taken in order to try and generate a different result. And though it seemed to only work partially (at least in Montgomery’s eyes), it was enough to get the win. That’s the big part.

The Dallas Stars were outshot 33-23, lost the face-off battle (LA won 54.8 percent of the draws),  and only took two shots in the third period while the Kings laid on an all-out assault with 12 shots. But they won the physical battle with 22 hits, blocked 19 shots, and earned the special teams victory by going 1/3 on the power play and 2/2 on the penalty kill.

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  • Those are the stats that are typically enhanced when a team is in desperation mode. They are more physical, give up the body more, play with more focus, cash in on special teams opportunities, and so on. The Stars made sure to win those battles.

    The players did their part, too. Blake Comeau opened up the scoring with his first goal as a Star after a few rough outings to start the year. Jason Spezza followed it up with a goal in the second period. After Anze Kopitar scored to cut the lead in half, John Klingberg answered 22 seconds later to make it 3-1. And when Tyler Toffoli scored just before the end of the second to make it 3-2, the Stars went into lockdown mode.

    Ben Bishop made some critical saves down the stretch and ended the night 31-33, the Dallas defense focused on a shutdown setup, and Tyler Pitlick made an early power play in the third period count by scoring the first power play goal of his NHL career.

    Notice how Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are not mentioned in the previous two paragraphs. The game against LA was their first win of the season where neither Benn, Seguin, or Alexander Radulov didn’t score. The depth players stepped up when it mattered most.

    With Radulov out of the lineup recovering from an injury, Justin Dowling stepped in and made an impact following his call-up from the AHL. He tallied a primary assist on the Spezza goal after rocketing a shot off of Jonathan Quick‘s pads that the Kings goalie could not corral, leaving the rebound open.

    The coaching staff stepped up and made necessary changes, the players turned the tide against LA, and the team as a whole did what they had to in order to secure the two points.

    And if the Dallas Stars can continue to use desperation to their advantage, they will be a lot better off as the season rolls along.

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    Considering their current setup, the Stars could find themselves facing desperation often during the 2018-19 year. With the Central division being as loaded as it is and the Stars ushering in a new era, it might feel as though they are behind the eight ball even after the slightest hiccup. As a result, that desperation will continue forcing them to dig deep.

    If the Stars know how to win both at their highs and their lows, it will, at the very least, keep them in the fight throughout the long season ahead.

    But, like we’ve said many times this year, last night’s game was just a small sampling size. The depth scoring could very well turn off yet again starting tomorrow night against Anaheim. Maybe the goaltending and defense fall back into a funk. And maybe the players lose that emotion and feeling of desperation now that they are back in the win column. Or, maybe they keep it going and turn this into a hot streak.

    On Tuesday, they showed why there are still plenty of reasons to believe in them. When their backs are against the wall with early season pressure, they can still find a way out. That’s a strength that not every team possesses. It may not have been a clean and fluid win like the ones against Arizona or Winnipeg, but it was gritty enough to get the job done.

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    And if the Stars can win those kinds of games, they will be in great shape going forward. Nothing is guaranteed with the Dallas Stars this season, and that’s what makes it fun.