Dutch in the Kitchen: Duchene's performance leads Stars past Sharks

The Dallas Stars took on the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center tonight. It's the final game for the Stars before the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament. The Stars found themselves down 2-0 early in the game. It was starting to look like last night's game against the Los Angeles Kings. However, the Stars would roar back like a lion with seven unanswered goals to win 8-3. That's one way how to make a statement before the two-week break.

The Stars showed great resilience in the first period by clawing back into the game. They could have packed it up and gone on vacation early, but they decided to turn on the stove and cook some soup before heading into the two-week break. I'm really interested to see if Sidney Crosby plays in the Four Nations tournament. Matt Duchene could be his replacement in the tournament if Crosby doesn't want to play. Here are the three takeaways from tonight's game in San Jose.

Dallas Stars vs. San Jose Sharks Recap: 1. Another bad start

Before we get to the good stuff about tonight's game, the Stars had another bad start. The Sharks didn't take long to strike first against the Stars tonight. The Stars found themselves down 2-0 in a blink of an eye. However, I wasn't expecting a five-goal response from the Stars. I have to credit the Stars for digging themselves out of their hole early. Once the offense got going, the Sharks couldn't withstand the ambush from the Stars.

Dallas Stars vs. San Jose Sharks Recap: 2. Somebody let Dutch cook

Matt Duchene had another outstanding performance tonight against the Sharks. That's four goals and two assists in the past two games for the Dutch Oven. Team Canada might want to make one more substitute move before the tournament begins with the heater he's on now. Jim Nill might consider starting contract negotiations to keep him in Dallas so he can focus on the younglings this offseason. Fans don't know where the Stars would be without Duchene on this team.

Dallas Stars vs. San Jose Sharks Recap: 1. Resilience in the first period

I was getting worried when the Sharks went up 2-0 early in the first period. That was not the start the Stars needed after last night's crazy game. However, I should just shut up and let the goal-scoring chainsaw get warmed up. The Stars would score three goals in a row to take a 3-2 lead at the end of the first period. That is some resilience I hope continues after the 4 Nations break. The Stars are deadly to play against if that kind of play continues when they trail at any point in a game.

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