The Dallas Stars took on the Chicago Blackhawks at the American Airlines Center tonight. This season, the Stars have seen "Stranger Things" when they take on lottery teams. After a physical game against the Boston Bruins a couple of days ago, I was concerned about which version of the Stars fans would get tonight against the Blackhawks. The Stars were fired up to play the Blackhawks, which was a good sign of things to come tonight.
The Stars would win 4-2 against the Blackhawks going into their Global Series against the Florida Panthers in Finland. The Florida Panthers will be a couple of notches up from the Blackhawks. However, the Stars are ready for this challenge in another country. I'm excited for the next two games because it will be an early measuring stick of where the Stars compete for the Stanley Cup. Here are the three takeaways from tonight's win against the Blackhawks.
GIVE US THOSE COOKIES, GRAMMY 🍪 pic.twitter.com/WIiqR0ZdNp
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) October 27, 2024
Dallas Stars vs. Chicago Blackhawks Recap: 3. Stars offense
The Stars pressured the Blackhawks to the point that they spent much time in their zone. The Stars could have scored some more goals if it wasn't for the posts. Evgenii Dadonov began the scoring with a breakaway goal in the first period. Jamie Benn would channel his inner "baseball player" with a mid-air deflection goal to double the lead. It was a reasonable effort tonight from the Stars because they didn't play down to the Blackhawks and allowed them to get a rare win against a playoff team.
OMG it's Jamie Benn! pic.twitter.com/bu3svYkhrL
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) October 27, 2024
Dallas Stars vs. Chicago Blackhawks Recap: 2. Defense was solid
I was worried the defensemen would be tired after taking on the Bruins a few days ago. However, I was proven wrong with how they shut down the Blackhawks' offense tonight. They limited the amount of shots that Connor Bedard had against Oettinger. It's a great warmup game before the team heads to Finland and takes on the defending Stanley Cup Champions. The Stars' defensemen need to be rested for those two games.
Dallas Stars vs. Chicago Blackhawks Recap: 1. Played with their food
While the Stars had a great win tonight, they played with their food a bit. That means the Stars kept the Blackhawks in the game until Benn scored his goal. The Stars have to do a better job of taking out these smaller teams quicker. The longer they allow teams like Chicago to hang around, the higher the chance that the team takes the lead from the Stars. The Stars will see the Blackhawks again when they return from their Finland trip.