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The Dallas Stars AGAIN scored three-straight goals after trailing 2-0 in a 3-2 win against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Sunday.
Chasing and Threat Level Midnight
Dallas was the second-best team in period one.
Nashville played on its toes, pushed the pace, and took a 1-0 lead on a messy play by the Dallas penalty kill… one that has been among the best in the NHL and was going against a poor power play from Nashville.
I’m not sure why Miro Heiskanen is chasing up top off the faceoff loss here.
It would be one thing if they were 5-on-5 and he was still playing the Pete DeBoer man-on-man defense. But it’s a penalty kill. He ends up losing his stick and is practically useless in a battle in tight. Esa Lindell is not a lot better off on the play. Lindell tries to front the point shot, but in doing so, leaves two Preds alone in front of Casey DeSmith.
Such an uncharacteristic play from the Stars two best defenders.
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Heiskanen has had an up-and-down early season. There have been plenty of plays that have made me use the word “uncharacteristic”, and moments that you shake your head at his skill and IQ. But the uncharacteristic is starting to outweigh the good, or at least from what I am seeing. I am not sure if he is just shaking off some rust or effects of his knee injury, playing tired, or what the reason… But I can tell you that a very injured Dallas team desperately needs its best player to find his game a little more consistently.
Speaking of DeSmith, though… Wow, is that guy ever good on the second night of a back-to-back when his team needs him to be? And did they ever need him to be in the first 20?
A hilarious moment — for me, at least — in the first period was Tyler Seguin’s in-tight shot. Seguin, along with plenty of other players, likes to turn his palms up and get under pucks to elevate shots in tight. Sometimes, it’s the only way to beat these big NHL goalies. Sometimes, it doesn’t go so well…
Especially when the puck lies flat on your blade.
The shot not only made me post this GIF…
But it also reminds me of Agent Michael Scarn putting all of his frustrations with women into the puck bomb, slapping it out of the arena and into the lap of a laughing GoldenFace. Threat Level Midnight. What a film.
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I got skills, they’re multiplying
And I’m loooooosing contro-ol. Sorry, sometimes I forget what I’m doing and just start singing.
After losing a couple of puck battles and some coverage on Nashville’s second goal, Dallas woke up.
Before we get to the goals, I am just wondering if we are going to see this elite version of the Stars for 60ish minutes at some point this season?
I know it’s early, and that very much could be the reason we haven’t seen a complete game. I know you can’t dominate any NHL team for 60 minutes; too much parity in the league. But if Dallas can ever put the 2nd period tonight or the first 40 minutes in Winnipeg type of game together for close to 60 minutes — or even just not implode the rest of the time — they are going to be very, very hard to beat. Especially when they are healthy, or even close to it.
But I want to focus on a couple of skilled plays that tied the game 2-2.
Oskar Bäck returned to the lineup to play his first game of the season after being injured in training camp. During a great shift by the 4th line, Bäck got fancy and deflected Radek Faksa’s shot between his legs to get Dallas on the board.
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Bäck, I believe, is playing his first NHL game without the braces he had to wear after breaking his jaw.
Funny to basically only me… Bäck signed his contract extension on January 2, the same day I “covered” morning skate from the side of I-35 with a completely destroyed tire. Tonight, Bäck scored his first goal of the season… And yes, I had to take a Lyft to work and call a tow truck because I once again had a flat tire come off the rim while on my way. I thought that was neat.
The Stars second goal was a filthy 2-on-1 from Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston.
DeSmith made a big telescoping save on a huge slap shot — and the Stars did a good job not allowing Nashville near the rebound while DeSmith was way out of the net. Robertson picked up the loose puck, carried it up into a 2-on-1, and slipped a pass onto the forehand of Johnston, who had shifted and opened his hips for a possible one-timer.
Johnston went forehand/backhand and slipped a shot through the five-hole to tie the game.
If he meant to do it, it was elite. If he didn’t, let’s just pretend he did anyway, okay?
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THEY DID IT AGAIN
In back-to-back games on back-to-back nights in a dark, dark room, the Stars allowed the first two goals before ultimately scoring three straight to win the game 3-2. That’s pretty wild.
The goal tonight was beautiful, as every player on the second unit touched the puck after nearly two minutes of zone time.
Just watch the sequence.
The final pass from Mavrik Bourque to Mikko Rantanen was elite. I thought, at first, he was going to just jam it into the pads in tight. Then, I thought he was too focused on trying a cross-crease pass and should’ve shot the puck. Then, with the help of some pretty awful defending on the backdoor, he finally made the perfect pass on the tape of Rantanen.
If you are wondering just how good a pass that was, just look at the reaction from Rantanen.
Good for Mavrik Bourque. I am rooting for him to break out, whatever that ceiling for him is.
For a team going through all they are going through, 5-3-1 doesn’t feel too shabby.
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