Dallas Stars: Win Over Montreal Must Translate To Toronto Matchup

A season-long road trip continues for the Dallas Stars on Thursday evening in Toronto. And after a big win against Montreal on Tuesday, it will be up to the Stars to keep the momentum alive in the face of adversity.

The Dallas Stars won their first road game of the season on Tuesday night in Montreal. And after starting the season 0-3-0 on the road and being outscored 11-3 over the span, you could say it was much-needed.

But it wasn’t just a sixth win that saved the Stars from a sub-.500 record that was impressive; instead, it was how they went about doing it.

After starting out sluggish in the first period, Dallas systematically worked their way back into the game. They strategically began picking the Canadiens apart, built a 2-0 lead in the middle frame, and ended up walking away with the 4-1 win. And had John Klingberg not pushed Brendan Gallagher into Ben Bishop in the crease midway through the third period, it may very well have been a shutout victory for Dallas.

Bishop played with poise and determination. Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen provided some offensive bite for the Dallas offense with a goal each. Alexander Radulov tossed some salt in Montreal’s wound by scoring an empty-net goal against his former team. And to wrap it all up, Devin Shore had himself a night with a goal and two assists.

The Stars went 1/6 on the power play, 4/4 on the penalty kill, dominated the face-off dot, and shut the door on defense when needed. Oh, and they were also outshot 35-22.

But Dallas took hold of the game, proved that they actually can win on the road (in a tough and unforgiving building, no less), and reasserted their claim as a team ready to take the next step.

Will they be able to keep that momentum going, though? Their next opportunity to do so comes on  Thursday night in Ontario.

The Dallas Stars will pay a visit to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the third game of their six-game road trip. The Maple Leafs are 8-4-0 on the year and have already defeated the Stars once this season back on Oct. 9. Tonight, they will go for the sweep.

But Dallas will look to turn the tide, even though they have a few potential pitfalls to avoid.

For one, the Maple Leafs are a good team. They have a high-flying offense (though they will be without their points leader in Auston Matthews), one of the best power plays in the NHL, and can wear teams down with their speed. They did that to the Stars in the first week of the season, and it ended up playing a primary part in the decision.

It’s not just about the Leafs’ strength, though. The Dallas Stars will also be trying to break out of a pattern and start a streak. Alexander Radulov will miss the game with a nagging injury. As a result, head coach Jim Montgomery will once again have to make some tough decisions regarding how he crafts his lineup. In the crease, Anton Khudobin (.898 SV%, 3.02 GAA) is the projected starter. He will try to shake off his most recent start (3-0 loss to New Jersey) while going up against one of the best offenses in the league.

And to top it all off, Dallas has only won three of their past seven games. They haven’t won more than two games in a row so far this season, and have only won two in a row on two occasions.

Dallas is still working on finding the consistency that all good teams need in order to succeed. That might prove to be a tough task with the way the road trip lines up, but a win on the road in Montreal is a step in the right direction.

The Dallas Stars once again have a dose of momentum on their side as they enter Scotiabank Arena tonight. Their current on-and-off trend won’t carry them far in a loaded Western Conference race, so now is as good of a time as any to shed it.

It’s a gritty matchup between two of the most talented rosters in the NHL. Will the Stars find a way to build on their momentum? Or will they sink right back into the mediocre .500 hole?

We’ll find out come puck drop at 6 p.m.