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A thrilling game at the American Airlines Center finished with a whimper for the raucous home fans when Gage Goncalves scored the shootout winner in the fourth round for a 3-2 win for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Dallas Stars have been looking to get back to their game since the trade deadline, going 2-2-1 since making a massive trade and acquiring Mikko Rantanen.
The Stars were able to get a gritty comeback overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks to snap their two-game losing streak, but it was not pretty. Though Dallas has continued to be riddled with injuries, coupled with new additions to the team, two of the losses were against the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche which was supposed to be a small litmus test for the playoffs. With the postseason around the corner, there are some concerns about losses to top teams even with the adversity the Stars have faced all season.
Tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning was a loss, but the game was competitive and came down to one shot in the skills competition. The Lightning also made some big moves at the trade deadline and now have one of the deeper teams in the NHL. After morning skate, head coach for the Lightning Jon Cooper stated that both teams are in the same position, trying to figure out where their new pieces work the best.
After the puck dropped, Tampa Bay seemed like they had the edge when it came to speed and were able to come out of puck battles with the possession. The Stars started to push back and string some offense together, but that was foiled when Roope Hintz turned the puck over and Brandon Hagel made them pay off of a slick pass by Anthony Cirelli.
The rest of the period would tilt in the Stars favor, especially after Lian Bichsel and Zemgus Girgensons found themselves both heading to the penalty box after a scrum, putting the game at 4-on-4 for the first time. The Stars dictated the play for the rest of the period, although the first frame ended with the Lightning leading in shots on goal 14-8.
The second period picked up right where the first period left off. Hagel and Cirelli were tearing through the Dallas defense once again, and got on the scoreboard for the second time of the game. This time, the goal was Cirelli's with the assist to Hagel.
The Stars would cut the Tampa lead in half a mere 37 seconds later when the fourth line was cycling the puck through the offensive zone. Colin Blackwell skated around, fired a shot at the net and Oskar Back was able to get his stick on it and beat Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Later in the period, the Stars would get their first chance at the man-advantage after Victor Hedman got called for interference. The first unit was unsuccessful during the first half of the power-play but on the second unit, Matt Duchene shot the puck and all mayhem was released. Vasilevskiy was flailing around, unsure of where the puck was, while Jamie Benn and Mason Marchment were jamming their sticks at the puck and Marchment poked it across the line to tie the game.
The third period belonged to goaltender Casey DeSmith, who made two sequences of game-changing saves to send the game to overtime still tied 2-2. DeSmith kicked the puck rather luckily in the first instance in what looked like an open net for Tampa Bay, and the second chance was a more traditional but high-quality save and rebound save to earn Dallas a point.
Overtime was fairly uneventful because both teams were overly cautious not to lose for the five minutes. Credit the dangerous players on both teams for making all six skaters think twice before over-committing on a play in the 3-on-3 overtime.
In the shootout, Dallas beat Vasilevskiy through the five-hole on the first two shots, taking a 2-1 advantage going to the third round. Wyatt Johnston went up high and was stopped by the Tampa netminder, and Point scored to extend the skills competition. Mikko Rantanen was fourth up for Dallas, and tried to shoot low to Vasilevskiy's right, but the Russian kicked out the pad to make the save. Goncalves, the fourth liner, played the unlikely hero for the Bolts with the deciding shootout goals to send the Lightning off the ice winners.
Dallas continues their homestand Saturday afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers and still have answers needed as to why their top players seem to be struggling to produce and have good games at the moment. Head coach Pete DeBoer was not amused in the post game press conference, stating that while the fourth line and Lian Bichsel had great games, it was not a good sign to have the youngest defenseman and bottom line be the most impressive part of the team.
The search for answers as the season goes down the stretch resumes Saturday at 1 p.m. at the American Airlines Center.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Dallas Stars site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
Granlund Scores Twice, Dallas Defeats Ducks in OT
Stars Fight For Massive Two Points Against Winnipeg
Stars Defenseman Still Has to Clear Several Hurdles Before Return
Stars Face Vancouver Amidst Canucks Battle for Playoff Spot
Continue reading...
The Dallas Stars have been looking to get back to their game since the trade deadline, going 2-2-1 since making a massive trade and acquiring Mikko Rantanen.
The Stars were able to get a gritty comeback overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks to snap their two-game losing streak, but it was not pretty. Though Dallas has continued to be riddled with injuries, coupled with new additions to the team, two of the losses were against the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche which was supposed to be a small litmus test for the playoffs. With the postseason around the corner, there are some concerns about losses to top teams even with the adversity the Stars have faced all season.
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Tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning was a loss, but the game was competitive and came down to one shot in the skills competition. The Lightning also made some big moves at the trade deadline and now have one of the deeper teams in the NHL. After morning skate, head coach for the Lightning Jon Cooper stated that both teams are in the same position, trying to figure out where their new pieces work the best.
After the puck dropped, Tampa Bay seemed like they had the edge when it came to speed and were able to come out of puck battles with the possession. The Stars started to push back and string some offense together, but that was foiled when Roope Hintz turned the puck over and Brandon Hagel made them pay off of a slick pass by Anthony Cirelli.
The rest of the period would tilt in the Stars favor, especially after Lian Bichsel and Zemgus Girgensons found themselves both heading to the penalty box after a scrum, putting the game at 4-on-4 for the first time. The Stars dictated the play for the rest of the period, although the first frame ended with the Lightning leading in shots on goal 14-8.
The second period picked up right where the first period left off. Hagel and Cirelli were tearing through the Dallas defense once again, and got on the scoreboard for the second time of the game. This time, the goal was Cirelli's with the assist to Hagel.
The Stars would cut the Tampa lead in half a mere 37 seconds later when the fourth line was cycling the puck through the offensive zone. Colin Blackwell skated around, fired a shot at the net and Oskar Back was able to get his stick on it and beat Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Later in the period, the Stars would get their first chance at the man-advantage after Victor Hedman got called for interference. The first unit was unsuccessful during the first half of the power-play but on the second unit, Matt Duchene shot the puck and all mayhem was released. Vasilevskiy was flailing around, unsure of where the puck was, while Jamie Benn and Mason Marchment were jamming their sticks at the puck and Marchment poked it across the line to tie the game.
The third period belonged to goaltender Casey DeSmith, who made two sequences of game-changing saves to send the game to overtime still tied 2-2. DeSmith kicked the puck rather luckily in the first instance in what looked like an open net for Tampa Bay, and the second chance was a more traditional but high-quality save and rebound save to earn Dallas a point.
Overtime was fairly uneventful because both teams were overly cautious not to lose for the five minutes. Credit the dangerous players on both teams for making all six skaters think twice before over-committing on a play in the 3-on-3 overtime.
In the shootout, Dallas beat Vasilevskiy through the five-hole on the first two shots, taking a 2-1 advantage going to the third round. Wyatt Johnston went up high and was stopped by the Tampa netminder, and Point scored to extend the skills competition. Mikko Rantanen was fourth up for Dallas, and tried to shoot low to Vasilevskiy's right, but the Russian kicked out the pad to make the save. Goncalves, the fourth liner, played the unlikely hero for the Bolts with the deciding shootout goals to send the Lightning off the ice winners.
Dallas continues their homestand Saturday afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers and still have answers needed as to why their top players seem to be struggling to produce and have good games at the moment. Head coach Pete DeBoer was not amused in the post game press conference, stating that while the fourth line and Lian Bichsel had great games, it was not a good sign to have the youngest defenseman and bottom line be the most impressive part of the team.
The search for answers as the season goes down the stretch resumes Saturday at 1 p.m. at the American Airlines Center.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Dallas Stars site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
Granlund Scores Twice, Dallas Defeats Ducks in OT
Stars Fight For Massive Two Points Against Winnipeg
Stars Defenseman Still Has to Clear Several Hurdles Before Return
Stars Face Vancouver Amidst Canucks Battle for Playoff Spot
- Follow Taylor on Twitter: @THN_taylor
Continue reading...
