Dallas Stars Show Off Team’s Strengths In Win Over Nashville Predators
The Dallas Stars secured their fourth win in a row on Saturday night in Nashville. They did so by once again playing to their strengths and focusing on their process, even in the face of adversity.
Picking up points of any kind on the second night of a back-to-back has not been a strong suit for the Dallas Stars this season. And while it’s never easy for hockey teams to play to their maximum potential on short rest, the Stars have struggled remarkably with it.
Take the first few months of the season, for instance. Through the first 50 games of the 2018-19 campaign, the Stars posted a record of 1-6-0 when playing in the second night of a back-to-back. Dallas had been outscored 21-11 during the span and continued coming up short in every opportunity except for an overtime win in Calgary at the end of November.
Things just were not working in their favor. And as they traveled to Nashville to take on the Predators on Saturday night, the nerves began to settle in yet again.
The Dallas Stars had put together an impressive performance against the Minnesota Wild at the American Airlines Center on Friday evening. They pulled a 3-1 victory from the contest, reclaiming third place in the Central division and pushing their win streak to three.
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But immediately after the win, the Stars headed to the Music City. It was the first of three scheduled contests against the Predators over an 18-day span and helped keep the Central division as the central focus for Dallas.
Wednesday night provided a gritty win for the Stars. Friday night had proved to be an encouraging step forward. But how would Dallas fare on tired legs, on the road, in a tough arena that they had escaped with a 2-0 win from just after Christmas? That was the question at hand.
And through the first 20 minutes or so, it looked as though Dallas was in for a long night. The Predators outshot the Stars 13-4 in the opening period and were the first team on the scoreboard when Calle Jarnkrok sent a shot over Anton Khudobin‘s shoulder and into the top corner of the net. Tyler Seguin did find a way to score on a cannon of a slap shot just shortly after Jarnkrok’s tally, but the 1-1 tie left little motivation for the Stars. Simply put: they were outdone in almost every facet except goaltending during the first period.
But then, the second period came along. And while neither the Dallas Stars nor Nashville Predators were able to break the tie, the Stars looked to be a step quicker and closer to their usual pace. They were gritty and physical. Khudobin got into a verbal war with Ryan Hartman just seconds before Esa Lindell dropped the glove with the Predators forward. Dallas began laying the body more consistently, tied Nashville in shots with 11, and made the 1-1 tie look slightly more promising.
And when the third period arrived and crunch time hit, the Stars were there to take advantage. As the period progressed, Dallas kept their fighting spirit alive. With only 4:13 to go in the final frame, Blake Comeau slipped a puck past Pekka Rinne on a rebound chance on the doorstep to break the tie after 44 minutes of a deadlocked score. Less than two minutes later, Mattias Janmark sealed the deal with a wrist shot from the left side.
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Add in some more spectacular goaltending from Khudobin in the final three minutes as the Predators shifted to a 6-on-5 advantage and you have a 3-1 Dallas Stars victory. It pushed them to 27-21-4 on the season with 58 points and marked their fourth straight win.
But, how exactly did the Stars come about this victory? Was it like their first win against Nashville when Khudobin stole the show and posted a 49-save shutout? That was a part of it, but this victory sprouted from Dallas sticking to their usual game plan and playing according to their strengths.
What strengths are those? Well, they weathered the storm early. Nashville came out swinging hard, but Dallas minimized the damage against and even found a way to tie things up after the opening 20. As the second period rolled along and the Stars began to find their legs, the game turned to more of a physical battle, with forechecking and back checking reigning supreme.
And when the third period came about, Dallas was prepared to deliver a knockout blow. The Stars capitalized on their best chances and built a sturdy lead to close the game with. They had done the same thing on Friday night at home against Minnesota after starting the period in a 1-1 tie.
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This was very much a game where Dallas played to its strengths. They got better as the game went along, relied on Khudobin and their defense to keep them in a winning position, and then used one last offensive push to finish the job. It’s starting to become a bit of a script for the team, and it carries a winning formula.
The Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators put on an exciting first act in their three-part saga that will play out over February. Both teams had reasons to win the game, but the Stars ultimately prevailed. The next two chapters could tell similar stories or be vastly different, but the fact that Dallas grabbed the first one is big. As a result, they have won their past four games, including two against the top two teams in the division (Winnipeg and Nashville).
This is, of course, a small sampling size. Dallas still needs to access this strategy more consistently in order to continue their dominance and there are 30 games remaining in the regular season.
But this was a critical step in the playoff push. The Stars proved to themselves, their fans, and the league that they can win in tough situations if they stick to their process.
“Like I said, just trust,” said Tyler Seguin after Friday’s game. “The buy-in is key right now and it starts in practice. It’s been preached all year, but we’re starting to see the rewards and the benefits of it. We’re comfortable winning games 1-0. As a goal scorer, I’d like to win 5-1, but I’ll take the 1-0, too.”
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The Stars took Sunday off and will now prepare for their next step on Monday night: a home game against an Arizona Coyotes team battling to stay in the playoff race.
If they keep playing to their strengths, it looks as though that could be a relatively feasible task.