Photo by Tony Guiterrez – Staff Photographer at The Associated Press
It has been an incredibly long time since I’ve covered Dallas Stars hockey. In the 12 games (yikes) that I’ve missed covering the Stars have gone 5-4-3. I apologize for my lack of coverage making the Stars worse. ANYWAYS…. tonight was another opportunity for Dallas to get-back at their conference foes the Kraken. This matchup is the first time that Dallas and former Stars forward Mason Marchment have matched up since Dallas traded him in the offseason. It was all smiles in the pre-game skate. Marchment and Oettinger had another fabled “secret meeting” on the ice, showing that Marchment still has tons of love for Dallas.
Stars starting lineup: Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz- Tyler Seguin on offense. Esa Lindell- Miro Heiskanen on defense. Casey DeSmith starting in goal.
Key Injuries: Matt Duchene (Upper-body / head injury), and Jamie Benn (Collapsed Lung) are out for today’s game.
Game Recap:
First Period: Goals Galore
Seattle struck first 3 minutes into the first. Jaden Schwartz deflected a point-shot from Adam Larsson past the Stars’ goalie, giving the Kraken a 1-0 lead. Less than two minutes later (4:24 mark), Dallas answered. Wyatt Johnston snapped a shot at the top of the crease during a power-play to tie it at 1-1, with assists going to Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen. The period stayed competitive, back and forth, until near the end. Then at 19:26, Tyler Seguin turned back the clock and snuck a backhander under the goalie’s pad to put Dallas ahead 2-1. After one period: Dallas surged and took the 2-1 lead going into the break.
Second Period: Defensive masterclass
No goals were scored by either team this period. Dallas seemed to shift into a more controlled style of play. They limited Seattle’s high-danger chances, and managed the pace by winning the faceoff battle 67% of the time. Seattle attempted to mount pressure and generate offensive zone time, but couldn’t break through the Dallas defense or beat the goalie during this period. Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, and Casey DeSmith shined this period. Dallas remained ahead 2-1, with momentum modestly in their favour after a strong first and a solid second.
Third Period: The period of goaltenders
The period started off mellow. American Airlines Center was as quiet as can be, barring a couple of good saves from Casey DeSmith. Two minutes into the period Mikko Rantanen and Matty Beniers were both called for holding leading to a 4-4. After that holding penalty subsided both goalies took over. Casey DeSmith took over first. Miro Heiskanen was called for slashing, leading to a Kraken advantage. The Kraken peppered DeSmith with shots, luckily the backup goalie stood his ground, saving every single shot. Not to be outdone by DeSmith, Matt Murray (the Kraken 3rd string goalkeeper), saved a flurry of Dallas shots. Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston continued to show why they’re the most fun duo in the league. However, the duo got no goals due to Murray’s heroics. Fortunately for Dallas the Kraken let their goaltender down. They only mustered attempts at goal during a powerplay. Dallas kept up the great defense throughout the period and stonewalled the Kraken during their empty-net attempts. Defense won this game for Dallas. The Stars finally hold onto a lead and beat the Kraken 2-1!!!
Standouts Stars Stats:
Face-off dominance: Dallas won~67% of draws gave them valuable possession and control over the entire game.
Seattle Shot Margin: Seattle outshot the Dallas Stars 31-24 despite the loss. They only converted 1 of these shots into goals, leading to Casey DeSmith having a 96.7% save percentage this game. Dallas converted two goals on 24 shots, leaving Matt Murray with a 91.7% save percentage.
Power play effectiveness: Dallas capitalized on 33% of their power play advantages. The Stars scored their first powerplay of the game thanks to Wyatt Johnston. Dallas’ penalty kill made the difference in this game. They killed all 3 Seattle penalty opportunities for a 100% kill-rate. Dallas has the 3rd best powerplay in the league, scoring on 32.7% of all powerplays.
Stars of the Game:
Star 1: Casey DeSmith – What a performance from the backup! A 97% save percentage, and a brickwall performance in the 3rd period to keep the Stars ahead. DeSmith, or as Stars fans call him “DeWall”, kept up an impressive series of performances with today’s game. The 34 year old is 3-1-1 in 5 games with a goals against average of 2.73 and a save percentage of .897 this season (according to statmuse.com)
Star 2: Wyatt Johnston – Man this kid is special. With his powerplay goal today Wyatt Johnston now leads the league with 7 powerplay goals (according to statmuse.com). Johnston has 10 goals and 10 assists in 16 games as a Star this year, 11 of which (7 goals 4 assists) have come on the powerplay. THIS KID IS SPECIAL!
Star 3: Mikko “Moose” Rantanen – The best player in hockey right now. Nothing else needs to be said about this guy. So far Moose has 8 goals and 13 assists, many of the ladder going to Wyatt Johnston. His menacing presence left the door open for Seguin and Wyatt to do their thing. Another great game by the Finn.
Highlights:
Wyatt Johnston ties the game on the powerplay:
Tyler Seguin gives the Stars the lead:
Game Highlights:
Highlights provided by the NHL and NHL Channel. I do not own any of the media used in this video.
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