The mistakes from Thursday's game against the Vancouver Canucks seemed to have reappeared for the most part. There were a lot of short-handed chances from the Blues tonight, but Jake Oettinger smothered those opportunities. The Stars had to fight hard for the two points tonight, but were unable to secure the win against the Blues. The Stars would go on to lose 3-1. The Stars are moving on to next week with a two-game losing streak.
Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues Recap: 4. Oettinger is the only reason the Stars didn't trail in the first period
The Blues probably would have been up 3-0 in the first period if Casey DeSmith were in the net tonight. However, the Stars had their franchise goaltender Oettinger in net, and he shut down the Blues' offense in the first period. There were a lot of times when I thought the Blues played better in the first half than Dallas. If it weren't for Oettinger, this game would have a completely different outcome tonight. The Stars have a lot of defensive issues to work on before Tuesday's game against the Blue Jackets.
Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues Recap: 3. Jordan Binnington is a menace
The Stars had a lot of good opportunities to score in the first period and couldn't find the back of the net. Binnington is a good goaltender, and he stood his ground tonight against the Stars' ambush. I'm glad the Stars had the Blues early in the season, because they will have games like this where the opposing goaltender has a good night. The Stars had Connor Hellebuyck in the first game of the season as well. Binnington made the Stars work for their win tonight, and I thank him for it.
Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues Recap: 2. Moose has a concerning stat
One of these stats is something you don't want to be proud of being the leader of the team for. Mikko Rantanen is the leader for most drawn penalties and most penalties on the team. I'm happy to see that Mikko is sending his opponents to the penalty box, but going to the box for two penalties tonight really got the Stars out of sync on offense. Mikko should lay off being the one who goes to the penalty box. He might want to fix that as the season moves along.
Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues Recap: 1. Oettinger has every right to be mad
Jake Oettinger deserves to be angry at his team tonight for the loss on his record. The team showed absolutely no energy tonight, leaving Jake to fend for himself. I'm sure Glenn Gulutzan will address it, but Oettinger needs more effort from his teammates if they want to win the Stanley Cup this season. You can't win the Stanley Cup if you leave your goaltender to fend for himself. Don't be surprised if they have a long practice on Monday before taking on the Columbus Blue Jackets.