There is a reason why the Panthers are the defending Stanley Cup Champions. They dominated the Stars in all aspects of the game, from the opening puck drop to the final buzzer. The Florida Panthers Finnish Mafia led the Panthers to a 6-4 win in the first two Global Series games this weekend. While I do want to say the Stars didn't put up a decent effort, being off for about a week and a half without playing a game did lead to a part in the loss this afternoon.
The depth of the Florida Panthers shined in all aspects of the game. This game was a measuring stick for the Stars, and they missed the mark this afternoon. It also showed that the Stars have a lot of lessons to learn before competing for the Stanley Cup. They aren't close enough to the intensity the Panthers played with today. The Stars have one more game against them tomorrow before returning to Texas. Here are the three takeaways from the loss this afternoon.
Dallas Stars vs. Florida Panthers Recap: 3. Power play woes are back
I mentioned in the pregame article that the Stars needed to capitalize on the power play to win this afternoon's game, but they failed to score. They got a lot of shots on Sergei Bobrovsky, but none of them went into the net with the extra man on the ice. I thought it was all solved after beating the Bruins a couple of weeks ago, but I guessed wrong. I don't want the power play to be a reason why the Stars don't make it to the Western Conference Finals, but it could play a factor this year.
Dallas Stars vs. Florida Panthers Recap: 2. Out of position on defense
On some of the Florida Panthers goals, you could tell the Stars were out of position on defense. If the Stars want to win games against teams like the Panthers, they can't get out of position on defense. Oettinger is a great goaltender, but he can't be the only defense in every game. Hopefully, the Stars will learn from their mistakes tonight at the hotel as they prepare for another game against the Panthers tomorrow.
Dallas Stars vs. Florida Panthers Recap: 1. Bobrovsky
It seems that Bobrovsky always has the Stars' number when defending the net. The Stars have issues scoring against him whenever they play the Panthers. Tyler Seguin got a lucky deflection off his pad for a goal, while Esa Lindell got a great pass from Jason Robertson. Other than that, Bobrovsky had the Stars' number when saving the puck. Don't be surprised if Bobrovsky is between the pipes tomorrow for the Panthers.