The Dallas Stars are on the back end of their six-game road trip, and their stop tonight was in Anaheim to take on the Anaheim Ducks. After last night's win against the LA Kings, Jake Oettinger seemed to have found his confidence back. Things were looking up heading into tonight's game against the Ducks. However, everything shifted in the middle of the second period when the Stars allowed Chris Kreider to score on a delayed penalty, and the Stars went on to lose 3-1.
Tonight will probably go down as one of the worst losses of the season. The fact that Anaheim didn't even have its top three players in the lineup tonight, and the Stars still lost, should raise a lot of red flags. Other than Casey DeSmith, no one else showed up to the arena ready to play tonight's game. Even Nils Lundkvist had another game to forget on this road trip. Here are the four takeaways from tonight's embarrassing loss to the Ducks.
Dallas Stars vs. Anaheim Ducks Recap: 4. Miro's absence
First off, I hope everything is going okay with Miro and his family right now. Family comes before hockey all the time. However, you could tell in the first period that the Stars were having issues moving up the ice without him in the lineup. It just shows how valuable a player Heiskanen is to the Stars' organization. The Stars have to figure out how to operate without him in the lineup. There will be a day in the future when Miro decides to hang up the skates for good.
Dallas Stars vs. Anaheim Ducks Recap: 3. Is Nils okay?
Nils Lundkvist looked completely off tonight, and it all began in the first period. While the tripping call really wasn't tripping, the fact that he couldn't complete a pass to Robertson was really befuddling. I don't blame Robertson for getting on him for missing that pass. He even got demoted to the bottom line pairing with Kyle Capobianco. It might be time to sit down with him to see what's going on in his head. These last two haven't been Lundkvist's strongest.
Dallas Stars vs. Anaheim Ducks Recap: 2. Did everyone stay at the hotel?
I know the Stars had a game last night, and they might have been tired. However, it seems no one slept at the hotel last night. The Stars looked like they were extras in The Walking Dead tonight. For goodness' sake, at least show some energy on the ice. Poor Casey DeSmith took an L tonight because no one had anything left in the tank. I feel like the team owes him a dinner for even keeping them in the game for 60 minutes tonight.
Dallas Stars vs. Anaheim Ducks Recap: 1. Casey DeSmith is the most underpaid goaltender
I wholeheartedly have to agree with the Starcastic Remarks Podcast that Casey DeSmith is the most underpaid goaltender in the entire league. The fact that he's only making a million dollars a season for what he's doing is bonkers. I don't know if Nill is allowed to give him an after-season bonus, but he has my permission to do so. Regardless of the outcome tonight, DeSmith has really been the backup goaltender that Oettinger needs at this moment. Stars back in action on Thursday night as they wrap up their six-game road trip against the Utah Mammoth.