The Dallas Stars took on the Minnesota Wild in a Central Division showdown tonight. Some sparks flew in the first period, as there were two fights in which the Stars looked pretty decent. Jake Oettinger and Filip Gustavsson had a goalie duel tonight, in which the Stars won 2-1. It was a good win for the Stars, as they finished the week winning three out of four games.
The Stars return home to take on the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks at the American Airlines this week. Oettinger deserves a break from this past week so I expect to see Casey Desmith between the pipes for the Stars for both matchups. Just because both teams are not at the top of their division doesn't mean the Stars should take the week off. Let's examine the three takeaways from tonight's win over the Wildin.
We’re sorry it wasn’t a touchdown. 😔@Lexus | #TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/pLOTvtnmP9
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) November 17, 2024
Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild Recap: 3. It was a goaltending battle
The Minnesota Wild's only hope seems to be goaltender Filip Gustavsson. He kept the Wild in the game for as long as he could. He just went up against a better goaltender in Oettinger tonight. Oettinger did get some assistance from the pipe around him, but he was at his game tonight. He's due for a game off after winning three out of four games this week. Due to the upcoming schedule, I expect Casey DeSmith will get the next couple of starts.
Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild Recap: 2. It was a low-scoring affair
I was not expecting the Stars to drop another seven goals tonight. Once I saw Gustavsson was starting, that possibility went out the window for the final result in Minnesota. Both goalies were giving it their all for 60 minutes. It was a nice deflection of Marchment's knee that got the Stars on the board first tonight. For all the fans who were excited about the seven-goal games, don't expect the Stars to have another one of those games for quite some time.
Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild Recap: 1. Marchment continues to find the net
If I had to guess a player that would be on fire at the beginning of this season, I wouldn't have guessed Marchement. He added another two goals to his season total tonight, which got the Stars going on offense. He's on the hottest line the Stars have right now. Tyler Seguin and Matt Duchene compliment his game, and I don't want to see that line changed unless there's an injury to one of the three. The Stars return home to take on the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night.
Digging in. 😤 pic.twitter.com/akEMkU74bZ
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) November 17, 2024