Dallas Stars: Last Games Against Blues Should Offer Aggression, Emotion

Aggression, emotion, and physicality are common themes that teams adopt in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And through four games in the second round, emotions and physicality are spiking between the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues. Those feelings should only grow as the series shifts closer to an end.

There was a lot for the Dallas Stars to like in their Game 4 victory against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night.

In a game that they needed to win, the Stars followed through. They were quicker and more aggressive on pucks, made a strong push early on in the game that carried over into the rest of the contest, didn’t get rattled by an early goal against, and set the pace and tempo for the contest. They pinned four goals on the board, rattled rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington, and had control by the midway point of the game.

And while the win itself was entertaining and encouraging, it was the final few minutes of the second period that grabbed the attention of all hockey fans.

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In that small window of time, both the Stars and Blues ramped up the emotion and intensity of the game. And with that, things got a little more heated than usual.

While there were no actual fights, there was a lot of everything else.

It all started when Ben Bishop went to play a puck behind the Dallas net. The Stars had just gone up 4-1 on the scoreboard thanks to a goal from rookie Roope Hintz and possessed all of the momentum. And with that, the Blues were looking for some sort of spark to get them back in the game.

So, as Bishop played the puck behind the net and made the outlet pass, Blues forward David Perron came barreling in and gave the goaltender a hard slash on the back using his stick. Bishop quickly reacted and fell to the ice, but nothing came of it. The official in the corner didn’t call anything, much to the displeasure of Bishop and the 18,532 fans in attendance, and left the Stars searching for an answer.

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It should have been called and Perron should have gone to the box on a slashing minor, but the officials let it slide. And as a result, it set the tone for the rest of the period and, consequently, the game.

A few minutes later, the period came to an end and did so on an erratic note. Jamie Benn started it off by charging towards the St. Louis net during an offensive rush as the clock ran out. He poked Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington with his stick, which quickly led to Binnington getting up and dealing a few face washes to Benn. Immediately after, all ten skaters on the ice were tied up with each other, and it looked as though all hell might break loose. But after a few seconds of headlocks and circling around, the teams dispersed.

Meanwhile, Jordan Binnington skated by the Dallas bench on his way to the locker room (the St. Louis exit was on the opposite end of the ice). On his way by, he raised his stick and slashed the stick of Stars goaltender Ben Bishop.

For some reason, that is when the referees finally intervened with their power. As the teams entered the locker rooms, Benn was dealt a two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty while Binnington was pinned with two minor penalties for roughing and slashing.

When the third period started, there was plenty of activity in the box. And though the two clubs didn’t get overtly physical for the remainder of the game (all that essentially happened was one more score by St. Louis as Dallas clawed out a 4-2 victory), that segment helped set the tone for what the rest of the series could be like.

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Bleedin' Blue

Emotions can be a funny thing. Sometimes, you may try and act completely stable but be weighed down internally by certain feelings. On the other hand, people may suspect that you’re going through something when you’re perfectly fine.

Either way, emotions tend to become visible as they become stronger. And in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they tend to become all the more prevalent the deeper a team goes on the postseason trail.

The first series was filled with plenty of emotion and physicality for the Dallas Stars. The Stars and Nashville Predators are quickly building one of the more exciting rivalries in the Western Conference and put together a dramatic six-game series. There were big hits, plenty of physicality and scrumming, and a lot of verbal jawing that set the stage for a big 2019-20 season and 2020 Winter Classic showdown.

But in this series, things have hiked up a notch. The Stars and Blues have a tense history with each other after duking it out in a seven-game series in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. And while both teams look sizably different now in terms of makeup, the hatred is still lingering. That’s what makes the Stanley Cup Playoffs so special. It can turn any two organizations and fan bases against each other overnight, bringing out hatred and anger.

After Game 4, the locker rooms were filled with emotion. Binnington claimed that he never did anything to Bishop (although video proof says otherwise). Perron evaded the question about slashing Bishop in the back by talking about the goalie’s size. Bishop, on the other hand, was blunt about it, reminding everyone that he has no padding on his back during games.

"“I think it gets built up the more you go in the playoffs. Each round it gets more emotional. I thought we did a good job tonight. We came out and we played a good game. We were able to get the lead and extend it and then hold onto it. Obviously, it’s a big win. Get ready for the next game now.” – Ben Bishop after Game 4, via NHL.com"

Stars coach Jim Montgomery was quoted saying that Binnington “lost his cool” after giving up the fourth goal. On Friday morning, Binnington responded to the coach’s remarks by saying, “Who’s Montgomery?”

Back and forth the pendulum goes. The players are getting into it more frequently on the ice, while the fans are going after each other on social media. Emotions are spiking on both sides, and that’s what makes it entertaining. That’s what makes playoff hockey so unique.

And as the next 2-3 games play out and wrap up this second-round series, that emotion and aggression will likely only continue to build and fester. It’s viewed as fuel for both teams and gives them something to build on.

"“Sometimes your emotions get the better of you. Sometimes it’s hard to contain, especially when you play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s so important and every game and shift matters. You can only try and play whistle-to-whistle and do your best at that. Obviously, sometimes it happens. We don’t worry about that at all. We have to play our game. We have to go out and play the Dallas Stars hockey that we know. That’s going to give us the best chance.” – Mats Zuccarello after Friday’s morning skate"

So, as Game 5 rolls into focus on Friday night at 8:30 p.m. from the Enterprise Center, don’t forget about the powder keg that is simply waiting for a spark. The St. Louis crowd will likely be rowdy and out in full force. Esa Lindell might be targeted by the fans for his embellishment call in Game 3. Bishop will likely be targeted as he was through the first two games in the series. They might even go after Jamie Benn simply because he’s Jamie Benn and always knows how to get under the Blues’ skin.

The players will be ramped up emotionally and should be ready to get aggressive whenever the situation calls for it. That will leave the door open for an incredibly interesting end to what has already been a back-and-forth series.

“We want to be the emotional team tonight,” said Stars defenseman Ben Lovejoy after Friday’s morning skate. “When we are coming off of big wins in the playoffs, we have not played nearly well enough. We want to come out and be the aggressor tonight. I do think we have done a very good job with our emotions in this series. It’s really helped us and we need to continue to do that.”