A Finnish Revolution: Hintz leads Stars to 4-2 victory over Senators

The Dallas Stars hosted the Ottawa Senators at the American Airlines Center tonight. The Stars had significant momentum in the first period until Ottawa took it all back. Roope Hintz would save the Stars and lead them to a 4-2 win. Here are three takeaways from the game tonight against Ottawa.

Jan 2, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (24) and left wing Jason Robertson (21) and defenseman Miro Heiskanen (4) and center Wyatt Johnston (53) and left wing Jamie Benn (14) celebrates after Hintz scores a power play goal against the Ottawa Senators during the first period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Jan 2, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (24) and left wing Jason Robertson (21) and defenseman Miro Heiskanen (4) and center Wyatt Johnston (53) and left wing Jamie Benn (14) celebrates after Hintz scores a power play goal against the Ottawa Senators during the first period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Stars hosted the Ottawa Senators at the American Airlines Center tonight in the first hockey game of 2025. Seeing the Stars score a first-period goal on the power play tonight was so good. However, the Stars turned the puck over twice, which was costly. The Stars would stay true to their form by getting the offense going in the second period. The Stars would win 4-2 over the Senators tonight. However, the Stars have a lot of things they need to work on.

I will discuss below how conservatively the Stars played after Ottawa's second goal. It was early in the game and, in my opinion, should have fired up to ambush Ottawa's zone. In the first period's remaining minutes, the Stars couldn't get any traction in Ottawa's zone. The team was already accepting their fate and retreating into their turtle shell. The Stars can't start that behavior any time soon. Here are the three takeaways from tonight's win over the Senators.

Dallas Stars vs. Ottawa Senators Recap: 3. Critical Turnovers

The Stars were doing well in the first period until disaster struck. Hintz opened up the scoring tonight with a goal on the power play, which was fantastic. However, giving up two goals in 24 seconds is less than ideal. I was surprised that Miro Heiskanen was one of the defensemen who got puck-jacked for one of the two goals. He's usually pretty good about not turning the puck over. It was one of the reasons why the Stars fell to the Senators tonight in Dallas.

Dallas Stars vs. Ottawa Senators Recap: 2. Team got scared after the second Ottawa goal

Another thing that I noticed tonight was the Stars immediately went into their turtle shell after Ottawa's second goal in the first period. It was like Dallas started playing too conservatively. Ottawa was conservative with the puck and didn't ambush Ottawa's zone. The Stars aren't going to make the playoffs if they decide that's how they want to advance the puck up the ice. They must be willing to ambush their opponent's zone and overwhelm the opposing goaltender.

Dallas Stars vs. Ottawa Senators Recap: 1. Roope Hintz taking over

Thank the hockey gods for the Stars signing Roope Hintz for the next eight years. I don't know his pregame meal in the past few games, but he needs to continue it. He even had a goal against the Sabres on New Year's Eve. Tonight, his two goals were crucial in explaining why the Stars beat the Senators. With Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment out, the Stars need someone to pick up the scoring slack. The Stars return to the ice on Saturday night against the Utah Hockey Club.

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