The Dallas Stars looked like they played three games in four nights last night in Vancouver. You could tell the gas tank was on empty as Vancouver Canuck’s goalie Thatcher Demko shut out the Stars 2-0 last night. It was just one of those nights where the Stars couldn’t get any going offensively and Jake Oettinger held them in the game for as long as he could. Let’s take a look at the three takeaways from last night’s loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
Hear from Peter DeBoer on the Stars performance vs. the Vancouver Canucks.@Dallasstars | #TexasHockey |@ballysports pic.twitter.com/cWoxkHWaia
— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) November 5, 2023
Dallas Stars vs. Vancouver Canucks Recap: 3. Offense couldn’t get going tonight
I’m not going to be blaming all the soft penalties that the refs called on the Stars. When you can’t get anything going in your opponent’s zone, it’s going to be a long night. You have to give credit to the Vancouver defense for disrupting the Stars in their zone last night. They made sure they couldn’t settle in and try to set something up. You will have those nights in the NHL and the Stars had one last night.
Dallas Stars vs. Vancouver Canucks Recap: 2. Thatcher Demko played an outstanding game
Sometimes you have to tip your cap to the other goalie for an outstanding game. Demko played out of his mind and deserved the shutout against the Stars. His amazing point-blank save in the first period against Wyatt Johnston might be the save of the year so far. He even made another great save near the end of the second period when the Stars had three guys in front of the net. There will be nights like this later this season so in conclusion, hats off to Demko on a great game.
Dallas Stars vs. Vancouver Canucks Recap: 1. Penalty kill was fantastic tonight
The Stars’ penalty kill was fantastic last night against the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks had five power plays last night and killed off every single power play attempt. That’s pretty impressive for a hockey team to do that. You could say that the penalty kill units also helped the Stars stay within reach of the Canucks. They are going to need that same kind of mentality on the penalty kill with the Boston Bruins coming into town on Monday night for a game at the American Airlines Center.