Lacking Punch

Last Friday the Stars came up big, bouncing back from two straight blown games by defeating the rival Sharks in an eleven round shoot-out (the only team we can beat in the talent portion of the game). How did we follow that up? A shoot-out loss to the Kings. One can argue over Ribiero's goal that could have prolonged the shoot-out, but really back to back wins would be asking too much from this team. The one word that describes this team is inconsistent. The Stars have been unable to post more than a two game winning streak (which they've done a mere two times) and are right where they deserve to be, one point out of the playoffs. (I'm not sure which is more surprising, the Kings leading the Western Conference or the Red Wings holding the number eight seed). This team is on the fence, not really leaning one way or the other. Considering how we play at home, being a lower seed may prove an advantage come post-season, but unless they find some consistency, the season will end April tenth.

Frustration Rising

I'm speechless. As if blowing the Edmonton game wasn't bad enough, they do it yet again, this time to the Ducks. This game started off perfectly. Dallas went up three-love. During the Oilers game I remember saying "Brad Richards needs to shoot more. I know he's great at setting up goals, but he's really turning into a pass first player which is alright, except he possesses such a great shot." Well wouldn't you know, he scored twice tonight. Even Modano got in on the action on a nice two-on-one with Steve Ott. Anaheim looked pitiful; Dallas dominant. Late in the second, a stray Duck fresh from the penalty box streaked out, was fed the puck, and got the opponent on the board. No big deal. However, that deal grew with each shift in the third as the Ducks spent nearly the whole period in our zone, pelting Marty with shot after shot. Honestly, Turco played a solid game, but at some point somethings gotta give. Anaheim rookie Dan Sexton scored twice to force overtime, and for the first time this season I was praying for a shoot-out. I know we're anemic in that skills area, but we'd at least have a chance to win, and anyone watching the game knows we had no shot if it were to be settled before hand. The next game this Friday against the San Jose Sharks will be crucial. I'm not going to call this a must win game, but depending on how we play will be an indicator on how this season will play out. If the Stars roll over, we'll need to get our forks out. If they battle back and play well (not necessarily win), there is hope. Interesting post game interviews with Morrow and Turco. Morrow talked about the team needing to stop sitting on leads and not be afraid to win. Couldn't agree more. Anaheim was on the ropes and the Stars let them in. I'd say a team leader, either Morrow, Modano, Richards, even Turco, will step up and get the team on track.

-Skrastins missed last nights contest due to a cut finger. We recalled a guy from our minor league team, meaning all but one of our D-men were under I believe it was 26.
-This was the first time I've really noticed Stu Barnes behind the bench. I liked that.

Well...

Alright I have two games to catch you up on. First, Dallas beat the Ducks on Thursday, December 3 by a score of 3-1. The Stars were down 1-0 for the first two periods, but then lady luck decided to drop in to give us a flukey goal to tie it. Then the skill came in, and we never looked back.

Now for the real post. Stars lose in the shoot-out (what else is new) 3-2 to the Edmonton Oilers. Sucks I know, but this was my first venture of this campaign to the AAC to see the team live. I purchased one of those mystery pucks signed by a player; this time I ended up with Karlis Skrastins to go with my Barch and Ribiero. Oh and the tickets this time are to a game against Minnesota, should be fun. I was a bit disappointed with the crowd though; I'd say the place was roughly half full and never seemed to build much excitement till the shoot-out. As for the game, Dallas had a great first period, scoring twice by both Benn and Neal. Then they seemed to slow down. The Oilers brought it within one in the second, then tied it in the third. The over-time period was lack-luster, but the shoot-out was alright. Neal finally ended his streak of hitting the post...sadly he didn't hit anything. Morrow hit the post which would have extended the teams chance. Very dissapointing end to the game, but I did like what I saw from Marty Turco. We could have easily lost in regulation by multiple goals, but number 35 kept us in it. I applaud his effort.

Up Next: Five game road trip. Good.

Stuck in Idle

Dallas lost to Detroit 4-1.

As I have this game on in the background of my living room while finishing up loose ends for this semester, I'm hearing some good things. Now Turco is faltering a bit, but the forwards aren't playing too bad. I may just have the mindset of "oh it could be worse" but I'm not flipping the panic switch yet or writing off the season. We play the Ducks tonight, then the Oilers on Saturday (which I will be attending) then head back off on the road, where we tend to play better, which is strange to say as we've lost our last two road games. Tonight's game will bring some changes to the lines; Neal-Modano-Lehtinen and Richards-Eriksson-Ott. Will they work? Perhaps. Neal will inject some youth to the old man line, and he did play well with Modano last season. Ott could be the bad boy that charges the net, opening up new scoring opportunities for Richards who is actually an elite pointsman at this point in the season (fifth in the NHL). If Eriksson can recapture lightning in his bottle and Lehtinen find the board, this switch could work. Time will tell though, since this is such a hard game to predict. This upcoming road trip could launch the Stars back into the thick of the division, as we tour the West coast against our main competition.

-Barch has more fights than the entire rest of the team.
-I still don't like Matthew Barnaby as an analyst. I hadn't seen him in a while, but then he popped back up.

Week in Review.

Sorry for putting the site on ice, Thanksgiving week was quite a hectic one for me. So instead of a game by game recap, here's a look at last week, as it will appear on the Richland Chronicle Website. Let's hope there aren't too many games on FSN+, because not getting to watch is getting pretty annoying.

Dallas Stars November 22-28

The Dallas Stars skated to a mediocre week, finishing 2-2-0 after playing three of four games on home ice.

The week began with promise on Monday, Nov. 23 as the Stars shut out the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0. Marty Turco stopped all 22 shots he faced for shutout number 38 on his career. This marked Dallas’ first back-to-back home wins this season.

"There's been a lot of talk about not winning two in a row," Turco said after the shutout. "We came out with an effort that deserved the win. We need to do that on a nightly basis."

The home momentum ended Wednesday, Nov. 25 when the Stars found themselves on the losing end of yet another shootout, this time to the St. Louis Blues, 4-3. Dallas proved they still have fight, battling back and scoring in the last minute of regulation to send the game into overtime and an eventual shoot-out. This marked the Blues’ first shoot-out victory and the Stars’ fifth loss in six tries. Had they converted those five losses into wins, the team would be sitting in second place in the Pacific Division.

"It's a big part of the game and we do put emphasis on it in practice," Dallas' James Neal said, referring to the team’s ability to win shoot-outs. "We've got to bear down and find a way to win that extra point. It's so big."

The woes continued as the Dallas Stars traveled back to Phoenix Friday, Nov. 27 for the second time this season to take on the Coyotes. The result was the same, a 5-2 loss. Dallas has been unable to score more than two goals in each match against the Coyotes this season, which former Stars coach, now Phoenix Coach Dave Tippett won’t complain about. The current Stars coach doesn’t feel the same way.

"They capitalized on the chances they got," Mark Crawford said after the loss. "Our impatience really showed. They got a couple of opportunities because we turned the puck over because of our impatience."

The ship’s course was corrected the next night though, as Dallas defeated the Tampa Bay Lighting 4-3 in overtime. This game had many familiar faces, since the Stars and Lightning made the big Brad Richards/Mike Smith trade two years ago. Dallas blew a two goal lead late, but Tom Wandell played the role of hero by scoring the game winner in over time.

"Had we not gutted it out and got that overtime goal, it would have been pretty disappointing," Stars captain Brenden Morrow said after the win.

The team is still struggling to find consistency, and we’re looking to build off this win in their next game.

(Portions of this article were taken from The Associated Press)

Fight Off Your Demons

I have no idea why, but this game has given me an itch and the only way to scratch it is at the American Airlines Center. The season is a quarter of the way over and I still have yet to get out there. That should change soon. (Can't wait for Thanksgiving to be over, makes work insane) But I digress. Dallas beat New Jersey 5-3 in a game with the theme of "This is my house". They played some clips I'm guessing from a movie at the AAC (I could hear on tv but obviously not see) so it appears the organization is recognizing the issue of our lack of home ice advantage and is adressing it. The Stars could have easily rolled over and let the lead slip away; instead they buckled down and played a complete, solid game.

First Period
Brian Rolston opened the game by sliding the puck under Turco's pads. Warren Peters tied the game on his second career goal (first as a Star, previously with Calgary) by tipping a Robidas shot. Ribeiro and Robidas both added powerplay goals to put us up 3-1.
Second Period
Then things got interesting. After a poor first period, the Devils pulled Yann Danis to start the frame, sending arguably the best goaltender Martin Brodeur to man the pipes. I don't know about you, but I could hear Enter Sandman playing. (Like what I did there?) Things didn't bode well with the Stars giving up a second goal to Rolston and being held off the board, but they did get some great chances including a dinger on the powerplay.
Third Period
Travis Zajac tied the game, continuing to make our penalty kill look bad after finally looking decent on it. Then Dallas found it's fight. Tom Wandell gave us the lead back with a scrappy, keep wacking at it goal in tight on Brodeur. Robidas iced the cake with his second tally of the night, proving the Star's really can hang with the big dogs.


-So there are some crazy Devils fans here in Dallas. They had a row of guys dressed up as players in full uniform complete with a coach drawing up plays during breaks of play. Classic.
-Need a present for that special Stars fan? Why not the Holiday Hat Trick? Everyone loves the Snuggie...or at least making fun of it. I personally prefered the Razor Scooter they gave out one year, but the times they are a changin'.
-For music fans...
-Wednesday's game against the Blues is Brett Hull night.
Up Next
Tonight is the Holiday Classic (Carolina HurriCANES vs Dallas STARS; it's basically a play off of a Christmas tree, Star on top, candy Canes hanging on it) The Hurricanes have scoring trouble, so I'd like to think the Stars can keep the momentum rolling in a victory.

Statement?

Dallas comes out on top of Detroit 3-1 in a hard fought, well played game. Dallas has proved all season they can compete with the big dogs, yet for some reason struggle against the lower level teams. Alex Auld dazzled us again, and proved he's much better at giving Marty Turco an ocassional day off than being an every day starter.


First Period
Mike Ribeiro "scored" to get us the lead. I use that loosely because it was yet another fluke-y goal, charging the side of the net and banking it off a defender. We'll take goals however we can get them, but ideally it'd be nice to eliminate the flukes and concentrate on establishing an attack, since there wont be an out of place defenseman every time you have the puck but there will always be shots.
Second Period
Matt Niskanen rifled one from the blue line off the post to give us the two goal lead. Henrik Zetterberg pulled it to one by evading Richards and flipping it top shelf over Auld.
Third Period
I'm quick to criticize refs, regardless of who the call goes against. This time Detroit got screwed, as Brad May shoved the puck clearly over the line in the corner between Auld's skate and the net, but the ruling was that the whistle was blown, killing the play. I'm really surprised that it was still dissallowed despite going under review. Might have been wrong, but I wont complain. Loui Eriksson gave us some inssurance and the 3-1 win late in the third.

Bad Blood

Well apparently the Stars and Blue Jackets don't get along too well. How did I draw this conclusion? Maybe it was the three and a half fights in the first period? Maybe it was Neal getting kicked out of the game for nearly killing a guy? Who knows, but this game was ugly early and didn't clean up any. I want to blame this on playing a road game the night before, but great teams don't make excusses, they get things done. That being said, Columbus really is a pretty solid team this year, building off last season's success of the franchises first ever playoff berth.

First Period
Dallas gave up a power-play goal to the amazing Rick Nash on a very broken play with just a mess of players in front. They almost escaped the period down by just one, until a bad turnover resulted in Kristian Huselius scoring shorthanded with three tenths of a second left in the frame. Dallas had some great chances but the constant stopping for fights prevented much rhythm.
Second Period
One of the funniest things I've seen in a while was the Blue Jacket's penalty box to start this period. Five players. They had to wrap around inside it was so full. Then it turned ugly. James Neal rammed Derek Dorsett into the glass. Didn't seem like it was that hard of a hit, but the angle and where he hit is probably what caused the damage. Not gunna lie it probably hurt like hell and I feel for the guy (Jake once hit me in the side with the puck, not quite the same but still). To see what I'm talking about, click here. (In case it doesn't work, one of the videos on the side should suffice) Dallas gave up two more but then Modano rifled one in to pull it within three.
Third Period
During the intermission I anticipated a comeback. Not necessarily a victory, but at least the Stars getting back into it. I was rewarded with a scoreless third.


I've been meaning to talk about this for a while. The boards in the AAC really speak to me. My cell phone provider is AT&T. I hope to go to the University of North Texas. Dr. Pepper is pretty good. I love Chipotle. I drive a Ford. My insurance is with State Farm. I get stats from NHL.com. I buy stuff at Best Buy. I can relate to just about half the arena. Pretty sweet.

Up Next
Dallas hosts the New Jersey Devil's Saturday night at the AAC. Not many players remain from the Stars Stanley Cup loosing roster, but I'd like to think the new guy's remember what went down. The crowd should be into this match, look for the Stars to finally build off that and establish some sort of home ice advantage that they so desperately need.

Hello, Old Friend

Yet another game not widely televised due to college football. Not only did I not get to see TCU, but the Stars were left off Verizon as well. Perhaps they were doing us a favor though, seeing as Dallas lost this game to the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2. Former Stars coach Dave Tippett gets the last laugh in this one, although I can't believe it was too emotional just playing his old team. Now when he comes to Dallas...that will be a different story. I'd like to think he'll get a warm welcome from the crowd though; he never stepped on any toes, and his only fault was not making the playoffs last year.

No in depth analysis here due to the television debacle, but the overall feel to this game would be described as Phoenix having the extra pep in their step...er skate. Some of their new talent came through on the score card and Dallas just couldn't produce enough offense. Neal brought his shoot-out mindset to this game and hit the post on what could have tied the game towards the end. On a positive note, Mike Modano is starting to find his long lost scoring touch, having scored a goal in each of the past two games. Jere Lehtinen is battling injuries once again, and I'm starting to think he'll end up just like Zubov. Great in his prime, then later in his career can't stay healthy and slowly and quietly fades away...to Finland. The season is still relatively young, but the Stars are now ten points behind San Jose. I never thought we'd really contend for the division, but it would be nice to keep it close. As for getting back on the winning track, it doesn't bode well that our next match is against Detroit. Now the Red Wings have had some injuries this season and aren't on par with last season's Western Conference champions, but the Stars and Marty Turco have never played well up in the Joe. I'm not going to predict a score, but Ill say Detroit pulls this one off... Id be just fine with continuing to be wrong on these though.

View From Nick's Sports Grill

This was my first time watching a televised hockey game without sound (Although hearing five interceptions by Cutler was music to my ears, just not to my fantasy team). I drank root beer. Ate french fries, buffalo shrimp, and fried pickles. Enjoyed great company. Gave my number to an attractive waitress. All in all, a great night. Oh I almost forgot, the Stars finally won a shootout. I won't complain about the victory, but it must be taken with a grain of sand. Or is it salt. To be honest I have no idea how that phrase goes, not to mention what it means. But the point I'm trying to make is that it would have been very nice to win this one in regulation, that way division leading San Jose wouldn't have picked up a point. Either way, seven points behind is better than eight. This was a game where a mistimed bathroom break could ruin the game, since the scoring happened in two quick bursts.

First Period (0-0)
No Scoring
Second Period (0-2)
Pending my math, San Jose scored twice in a two minute and eleven second span, by Heatley and Clowe. Heatley was San Jose's big off season move, and he's paying dividends already.
Third Period (2-2)
Let the flukes begin. James Neal returned to the lineup tonight, giving the team a much needed spark. Interestingly enough, it wasn't with his wicked shooting ability or heavy hitting. Instead, he shot the puck off a defender's skate, popping it into the air and into the net. Modano kept the good times going a minute and forty five seconds later (pending my math) by (finally) scoring his first of the season.
Shootout (3-2)
Marty Turco topped off a great game with some great saves in the shootout, showing the world he has one of the best poke checks in the league. Neal hit the post for I believe the third shoot out in a row. What Dallas needed was a hero. Who would answer the call? Morrow? Ribeiro? Richards? Nay, the man who came through was Stephane Robidas, successful in his first ever penalty shot. Why did Crawford pick him to shoot? Beats me. Maybe he just wanted to change it up. Either way, we got the second point. Hooray.


Up Next:
The Stars travel to Phoenix to take on the Coyotes in yet another big game. No, they aren't too scary of a team, the drama is in the coach. Good ole Dave Tippett faces his former team for the first time since departing. I'll take Dallas over Phoenix in a close game, 3-2

Southern Stars

Dallas fell to Minnesota 3-2 Saturday November 7. The Stars were outplayed by a mile in the first period, but came back to keep it competitive despite the loss. From what I remember (sorry about being a little late) the game got pretty scrappy towards the end, so this series could shape up to be the rivalry it should be. The Wild sold out the Xcel Energy Center, so let's hope when they come down here January 18. Also, the season ends with Dallas playing Minnesota...the season is young, but who knows, maybe a playoff birth could be on the line. Hello late season drama.

First Period (0-2)
Dallas gave up their first shorthanded goal of the season which I guess was inevitable.
Second Period (2-3)
The Stars came back thanks to Ericksson scoring two power-play goals on the elite Minnesota penalty kill, but in the end the Wild get the last laugh by taking the lead back and not glancing in their rear view mirror.
Third Period (2-3)
No scoring

-James Neal skated and should be back for tonight's game against San Jose. I'd give him my nod for current MVP of the team. He skates hard, keeps his feet moving, delivers hits, scores goals, etc. Everything you could ask for.


Up Next:
As I mentioned earlier, Dallas is in San Jose tonight. Suddenly this becomes a pretty big early season match up, as the Stars look up at the Sharks in the standings (currently eight points behind). No way the Stars loose this game after having nearly a week off, regardless of how good San Jose is. Give me Dallas over San Jose, 5-3

Shots For Everyone

I seem to remember Wayne Gretzky saying something about missing 100% of the shots you don't take. Crawford must have mentioned that to the team during warm ups, because Dallas has 47 shots on goal in tonight's 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Everyone had a shot, from Benn to Wandell, led by Morrow with eight. The Stars pelted rookie Cory Schneider all night, who played well considering how many saves he made, but Marty Turco out dueled him, stopping 32 of 33 for his fourth win of the season. Dallas' healthy stretch lasted all of one game, since James Real Deal Neal missed last night's contest due to a groin injury (listed as day to day).

First Period (0-0)
No Scoring
Second Period (0-1)
Brad Richards opened the scoring with a tight shot top shelf stick side.
Third Period (1-2)
Brenden Morrow gets the game winner since Mason Raymond scored not too long after.

-Marty Turco continues to play well, which the team needs since they aren't lighting the lamp as much as they could.
-Dallas played a disciplined game, only taking two penalties towards the end of the game.
-My last post was very AP style since I decided to practice some for how I'll write for school.

Up Next:
Dallas takes on Minnesota tonight, in a match up I always enjoy watching. I'm hoping the rivalry of New/Old Minnesota heats up. The Wild aren't the greatest this year, so I'll take Dallas over Minny 4-2

The Game That Should Have Been

Seemingly every day NHL players get put on the Injured Reserve list or are simply scratched from games due to some type of injury. That being said, this game between the Dallas Stars (6-3-6) and Calgary Flames (8-4-1) was played between two fully healthy teams (all scratches were healthy scratches).

This was a fast paced game resulting in Dallas losing 3-2 to the Flames in Overtime to send the Stars to their third straight loss.

A scoreless first period was dragged down by six penalties (four on Calgary, two on Dallas). Each team had their chances and breakaways, but neither produced any tallies.

Despite a slow start, things began to pick up in the second period. Calgary captain and former Star Jarome Iginla opened the scoring with a goal on an out of place Marty Turco, who returned to action tonight after missing the weekend games due to the flu.

Brenden Morrow failed to tie the game after being awarded a penalty shot on a tripping call by Adam Pardy.

Dallas finally got on the board early in the third after James Neal scored his team leading ninth goal of the season. Loui Eriksson added another to make it 2-1, which looked to be the game winner until Daymond Langkow scored in the final minute to send the game into overtime.

Roughly a minute into the overtime, Nicklas Grossman was whistled for delay of game despite being in the neutral zone. Calgary won the game after the ensuing face off on Iginla's second goal of the game.

"In overtime and 4-on-3, you're just trying to set up the umbrella," Iginla said after the game. "I could see Olli in front. I was thinking if I just got it by him, it could have a chance to go in. I didn't even see how it went."

Clouded by the bad call in overtime, this game was a solid goaltending match between Turco and Curtis McElhinney. No one would have predicted a low scoring game between two of the four highest scoring teams in the league.

Dallas is adapting well to the changes made by coach Mark Crawford.

"We did what we wanted to do against Calgary; we got the puck behind the defense, we really exposed the defense," Crawford said. "I thought they were on their heels the better part of the night. We generated a number of power play opportunities. I thought we were the better club in terms of chances generated by a long shot."

Dallas looks to rebound Friday night against the Vancouver Canucks (9-7-0).

*Photo and quotes from the Associated Press*

It's Video Time

*Music by Explosions In The Sky* Even though you couldn't really hear it, it was playing.

So this would have been much better had my camera not cut off early every time I filmed it. The Stars are falling, but it's early in the season so it's not too big of a deal (yet).

As promised, here's the Wild View from Section 216

Questions, Comments, Suggestions? Let me know.

Finally, A Second Point

Dallas pulls out their first win after regulation, topping the Maple Leafs three to four. Sure, Toronto is the worst team in the NHL, but a win is a win. There is an underlying storyline to this game though. Marty Turco vs Jonas Gustavsson. What's the big deal, he's just a rookie, right? In a way yes, but he left a bad taste in GM Joe Nieuwendyk's mouth. Before the season, Dallas was courting him, trying to win him over other teams and getting him to sign in Big D. It came down to Toronto and Dallas, and we can see how that turned out. This is why we didn't draft any goaltenders this year; we were so confident he'd join Fabian Brunnstrom in signing here. However he jilted us despite throwing out a first pitch for the (Texas) Rangers. All was not lost though; we traded for Alex Auld who has proven to be a worthy backup and the rest will be left as what could have been.

First Period (0-0)
No scoring. Stars seemed sluggish but I do give credit to Toronto, they came out fighting.
Second Period (1-1)
Dallas couldn't score from in front of the net, so Brad Richards decided to try it from behind and bingo, off Ian White and in. Toronto flattered us by imitating Richards and Nikolai Kulemin tied it up with his own "strange bounce from behind the net" goal.
Third Period (3-3)
Richards scores from in front this time on a nice slap shot during the five on three power play. Lee Stempniak tied it back up on yet another play eerily similar to how Richards previously scored. Worry set in when Kulemin netted his second of the night after Turco lost sight of his rebound, putting Toronto up by one. Then Mike Ribeiro had one of the best tips I have ever seen. Jamie Benn shot it, and from out at the end of the circle Ribeiro tipped it with his back to the net going top shelf on a play I doubt anyone could recreate.
Overtime (3-4)
This never seems to play out well for the Stars. Well, never say never. This overtime is EXACTLY what the NHL was aiming for when making it four on four hockey. Huge chances for both teams going up and down the ice, major saves, and heavy hitting. James Neal deservedly gets the game winning goal on a nice rebound to finally get us the second point in extra time.


-Matt Niskanen returns to the lineup, and in a big way, assisting on both of the Richards goals.
-Mike Modano aims to be back in Friday's game.
-25 on penalty kill, 21 on power play.
-Dallas seems to have some talent on their AHL team.
-It has been brought to my attention that the Stars Dancers are pretty pointless. To be honest this is true. They don't get the crowd into it like cheerleaders try to, because no matter how much they dance, if the Stars aren't winning or hitting, the crowd is out of it. My guess is they're just there to try and entice males to go to the games. The NHL needs all the help they can get. For example, while touring the Associated Press yesterday for my journalism class, one of the writers discussed how the different sports have different policies on when the press can talk and get involved with players. Baseball was three hours before every game, football for short periods of time a few days a week, and hockey was referred to as "very good with the press because they'll take all the publicity they can get." That being said, the dancers are useless and to be honest not very good. After Neal's goal they showed a clip and a girl in the back row was facing backwards when the rest were facing the ice. Way to bring your A game girls.


Up Next:
Well I'm in kind of a jam. The next two Dallas games are Friday and Saturday. Friday I'll be at a concert and Saturday in Denton. Not sure how good those posts will be, but I'll do my best. The Florida Panthers roll into Dallas for the Friday game. They aren't very good either, so I'll take Dallas yet again to win. Florida 2 Dallas 4

Feelin' Good After The Blues

Solid game from Marty Turco and solid play from the rest of the team, winning four to one. The Blues had plenty of chances, and Dallas has an answer for all but one of them. This game could have easily seen four or more goals by both teams, but I'll take this win any day. Brenden Morrow is without a doubt the heart of this team, regardless of being held off the scoreboard. He has steely eyes for a magnetic puck, and fights from whistle to whistle. He doesn't care if the puck is under the goalie, on his pads, or resting on top of the net. If the play hasn't been blown dead, his stick is reaching for the rubber. His ethic is contagious, and the team is responding. Great game on paper, but too many Stars were awkwardly hit and roughed up to call it a perfect night. It seems we escaped relatively unharmed so that's a plus.



First Period (0-0)
No scoring after this gritty period. Plenty of break away type chances for both teams, all followed up by great stops by the goaltenders and posts. Two fights, compliments of Krys Barch and Brian Sutherby. Two losses compliments of D.J. King and Brad Winchester. Barch may have lost the battle, but he won the war since King left the game with an upper body injury.
Second Period (2-0)
Wouldn't you know, Real Deal Neal opened up the scoring in this game. Quick shot at an angle caught Ty Conklin off guard. Steve Ott created a mini brawl after hip checking (and flipping) Carlo Colaiacovo, who left the game afterwards. Relatively clean hit but Ott will have a phone conference with the NHL, hopefully just to tell him not to do it again.**Breaking News** While finishing up the third period, I recieved a text from ESPN saying Ott will be suspended for two games** Fans were furious that Dallas ended up with a four minute powerplay afterwards, causing them to unify in what I deciphered as a "Referees suck" chant. Loui Ericksson scored after some spin-arama moves by Brad Richards who is racking up assists and dominating his role on the power play.
Third Period (4-1)
Tom Wandell gets an easy tap in since every Blue targeted Fabian Brunsstrom. Brian Sutherby decided to get in on the action, so he stole the puck from Brad Winchester, walked in, and put it away. The only scorecard blemish came when Alex Pietrangelo ruined Turco's attempt at another shutout. Can't blame Marty for this one though, it deflected off Jeff Woywitka, who ironically enough started his career in St. Louis. They didn't go down quietly. B.J. Crombeen decided to take a crack at Ott after he tripped him up. Wasn't much of a fight though, more of a grapple.



-One of my favorite (in an evil way) things to see in hockey is hard hitting, in particular hits involving the surroundings. What I'm referring to is two players rubbing against the boards in front of the benches ending in one player leaning over into the teams bench and getting clipped by the glass at the end where the bench ends and fan seating begins. Tonight it happened to former Star B.J. Crombeen.
-Stars killed all five of the St. Louis power plays, bringing us up to 25 at an even 75 percent.
-One for seven on the power play, now 21 at 16.3 percent.
-Good seeing Darryl Sydor again. Any bets on when he'll come back to Dallas?
-The Blues' T.J. Oshie had an emergency apendectimy, leaving him sidelined for a while.
-Turco made 27 saves, and Alex Auld made one from the bench. Dallas pass went awry and Auld was forced to make a save in order to protect the teams medical staff.
-Ott will now miss the last two games of Ott-toberfest...such a shame.
-I'm still finding more ways to change my blog, so if you have any ideas/suggestions let me know. I don't know if this will work, but click here to possibly see video highlights from the game. Subscribe to the blog or comment it so I know John has company reading these.


Up Next:
The Stars come home to play the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are fresh off their first win of the season over the Ducks. Dallas doesn't play their best hockey at home, but Toronto doesn't play good hockey anywhere. Dallas will keep it rolling with an "easy" win. Toronto 1 Dallas 5

Overtime Woes

First and foremost let me say I am proud to be an American, and proud to be a Stars fan as well. MAJOR kuddos to the fans who go to road games (which would technically be home games for the locals) and yell "Stars" in the anthem. My heart warmed when I heard it. The tune usually isn't played on telecasts but for some reason the pregame ceremonies went longer so the game started late. Brad Richards is back from his groin injury, and Matt Niskanen sat out from his head injury. He claims to feel fine though, so I pray he wont miss too much time. My boy Alex Auld did indeed get the start tonight. However, I have one complaint about Auld: His play behind the net is pretty spotty. Had a mishap of turning it over against the Blackhawks which resulted in a goal and nearly had the same thing happen tonight. Sadly the pedestal I put him on has been knocked slightly down.


First Period (1-2)
Kings draw first blood when Anze Kopitar got some seperation on Robidas and Auld couldn't stretch his leg out far enough. Scary moment not long after when Jamie Benn was tripped up while breaking into the zone and slammed into the boards. Sutherby got in a "fight". (I use that quite loosely) Wayne Simmonds took advantage of a Stars turnover resulting in the second tally. Things looked dismal, until Real Deal Neal stole the puck at the blue line, trucked his way towards Quick, and ripped one in. Good thing he scored, I doubt he could have gotten back into the play he was so winded.
Second Period (1-4)
The organ rendition of rock lobster was the only good part about this period. Kopitar scored a second time. Kopitar then scored a third time. First hat trick allowed by the Stars this campaign.
Third Period (4-4)
Jamie Benn rocketed one top shelf to get us fairly back into the game. Too little too late? Mark Fistric fired one from the blue line that made it in to pull us within one. And then the goal that was, then wasn't, but finally was in the end. Real Deal Neal did it again. Flat out wicked wrister that went in and shot right back out was emphatically waved off but after review was called a goal, thus getting us a point in the standings.
Overtime
Less than a minute in, Michal Handzus beat Auld, granting the Kings an extra point and preventing a monumental comeback. Even with this loss, the Stars showed great fight after back to back games. For sure a game to build off of.


-I'm not sure whether NHL.com updates stats in real time, so I'll hold off on the usual statistics. (Gave up another one, didn't score any)
-Some horrible officiating in tonight's game, way too many penalties in the second and Neal's last goal was called off by a referee that seemed so certain he was right. Only he was wrong.
-Alright alright, Auld is human. He wasn't as sharp (saying Quick would be pretty cheesy a second time) and could/should have stopped the game winner. With more playing time I'm certain he would be better.
-Quick made 17 saves. This should be how many the opponents goaltender makes four minutes into the second period.


Up Next:
Finally a few days off before the next game. So strange to say that considering most games are spread out with two or three days between which honestly is pretty annoying. The Blues haven't been spectacular this year, and I think Crawford will whip these boys back into winning form. Give me Dallas over St. Louis, 4-1.

Well I'm happy for the win but still angry with Marty Turco. He played a decent game. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with him playing well. I just want some consistency out of him...is that too much to ask? We dominated the first two periods and the third was a little iffy. Overall a pretty solid game which thankfully resulted in two points and not just one. Steve Ott rejuvinated this team. He and Morrow play a very similar game, which could result in being the backbone of the team this season.


First Period (1-0)
Loooooooui Ericksson had a Morrow-ish goal after fighting in tight for a rebound. Could have had a second but his breakaway was stuffed by Hiller.
Second Period (3-1)
You can't mess up when Mike Ribiero and Brenden Morrow are on the ice. Hiller coughed up the puck behind the net, Ribeiro tapped it to Morrow who in return tapped it in. Did not know Trevor Daley could shoot top shelf on an angle...untill tonight. Ryan Getzlaf suprisingly scored his first of the season tonight on a tired defense pair towards the end of the frame.
Third Period (4-2)
Ducks cut it to one on an ugly Joffrey Lupul goal. Then Anaheim turned it on. Chance after chance resulting in a hectic ending to this one. Despite having clearing problems, Dallas held on and Steve Ott gets tonight's empty net goal to finish them off.


-Two fights tonight, neither of much note.
-Caution: Falling Stars. Modano, Lehtinen, and Richards are out. Ott came back, and now my boy Matt Niskanen is hurt after being up-ended along the boards and landing awkwardly.
-Power play/penalty kill didn't change on NHL.com since I'm actually on time with this game and wasn't with the last.


Up Next:
Thursday night takes us to LA for another shot at the Kings. The team will be tired but Auld will be fresh. (Assuming they stick to starting him) I like the Stars in this one. Dallas 3 Kings 1

Not Quick Enough, Marty.

I guess I should be pretty happy with Marty Turco right now.

"But Matt, he's lost his past two starts!"

This I know. Trust me on that one. All I'm saying is he's making my calling for putting Alex Auld in net even stronger. This is what the team lacked last season. Turco has a bad game, then keeps playing. Why not switch him out? It's not like our backup has beaten two elite teams. Looks like Turco gets the start tonight against the Ducks and Auld will get Thursday's rematch with the Kings. May this be the real measuring stick. Turco gave up three goals to this LA bunch, lets see how Auld stacks up. If Auld does worse, perhaps I will lighten up on this matter. If he fares better (which I bet he will) then there could be some goalie controversy in Big D. Dallas had a fancy goal, but Jonathan Quick out dueled Marty Turco.


First Period (0-1)
Oh captain, my captain. Brenden Morrow makes a wicked no-look pass from behind the net to "Now and Then Jamie Benn" (I want to come up with a cool nickname for him. I know this isn't it, but there has to be something cool. Real Deal Neal can't have all the fun)
Second Period (3-1)
"We three Kings have all scored all goal" (Hum the song when you read that) Dallas lets in three to Ryan Smyth, Justin Williams, and Anze Kopitar. Deflections or not, this is unacceptable.
Third Period (4-1)
Empty netter to Wayne Simmonds, so it doesn't hurt as bad.


-Mike Modano could be out for "several more weeks" according to ESPN
-Power Play has dropped to 21 at 17.1 percent
-Penalty Kill up one spot to 26 at an even 70 percent
-Dallas has more points in the standings than Detroit. Oh yeah.


Up Next:
Tonight we're in Anaheim to play the not so mighty Ducks. Turco's in net and the Ducks lost five-love to the Blues in their last game so I'm calling for an Anaheim victory. Stars 3 Ducks 5

Fox Sports Minus

So this game against the Chicago Blackhawks was not viewable to the majority of Stars fans for one reason: College football. There's some issue where FSN moves certain Stars games to FSN Plus I think it's called because of scheduling conflict. That's all fine and dandy except for most providers don't carry the channel. For that reason, this will be based off what I've read online and the box score. That will make for a lousy scoring recap, but I can tell you one thing for sure. Alex Auld played great. He has two wins out of two starts. Keep in mind these aren't wins against Toronto and Minnesota, these are victories over Calgary and Chicago, two upper echelon teams, both predicted to be heavy contenders for the cup. The season is young, but I like what I see from Auld.

First Period
No scoring
Second Period (3-2)
Brendan Morrow and Mike Ribeiro open the game with tallies. Troy Brouwer got one back for Chicago, then Toby Peterson found the net for Dallas, and Johnathan Toews closed the frame, trying to spark a Blackhawk comeback.
Third Period (4-3)
Now I did see a highlight of Stephane Robidas goal (which turned out to be the game winner) and boy was it one of those "How the..." moments. Simple dump into the corner, bounced out, I'm guessing hit a rut in the ice, and sneaked by into the net. Niklas Hjalmarsson pulled it within one, but they could do no more.

-Stars killed off all penalties, bringing them to 27 in the league at 68 percent.
-Fell to 19 on power play, 19.4 percent.
-Brad Richards will miss the next game due to a groin injury.
-Keep Auld in, please.

Up Next:
Monday night the Kings come to town. They've put on a surprising start, but no one really thinks they can last the whole season. Decent goaltending from Quick and some young talent could make for an upstet. However, not tonight. Make it four losses in a row for LA. Kings 1 Stars 3

Thomas and Savard and Bears, Oh My!

Dallas started this game extremely sloppy, seemingly incapable of clearing their own zone. I wrote that in the first period, expecting to change it, but wouldn’t you know it held true. Made this post a little easier. Offense couldn’t connect and the defense looked poor. Amazing how different a team can look from game to game.

First Period (1-0)
Knew it was too good to be true. Marc Savard threw one on net (totally called him having a good game), it went in, and the gears on Boston’s struggling power play started to go in motion.
Second Period (3-0)
More faceoff trouble and Patrice Bergeron shot it in through traffic for the second Boston goal. Star’s get caught on a long shift, turn it over, and Savard netted his second of the night.
Third Period (3-0)
No scoring.


-Nicklas Grossman took a puck to the nose and left the game.
-As of typing this, we are back down to 29 in the league on the penalty kill at 61.9 percent.
-Fell to 13 on power play, which makes sense since we were shut out.
-If I remember correctly...I mentioned two players when previewing this game. One got the shut out, the other two goals. Bow to greatness of Matthew Mahn.


Up Next:
I won’t predict this game since it’s currently on while I’m finishing this up, but when I heard last night we were playing Chicago, I felt a loss. They have quite a bit of young talent. Would be nice to see it match up against ours, but it won’t be on television. More on that next time.

When It Rains, It Pours

I’m not a huge Marty Turco fan, but it’s hard not to like him on a night like this. Dallas wins 6-0 over the Predators. So what did Marty do differently tonight? He looked calm. He didn’t try and do too much. He got lucky when Nashville hit the cross bar. Add those three things up and you get Turco’s first win of this year’s campaign.

First Period (0-4)

Simple pass from Mike Ribiero and Brendan Morrow buried it up high. It either caught the crowd by surprise or the broadcast was slow, because the crowd seemed to take a while to get going after it went in. 39 seconds later, Brad Richards tapped one in after Loui Erickson pulled Dan Ellis out of position. Erickson put us up by three after James Neal simply put it on net. Pekka Rinne replaces Ellis, but the results were the same. Morrow tapped in his second of the frame, making it look easy, off a pass from Richards in tight on the power play.

Second Period(0-5)

Morrow missed his hat trick when his goal was called off by a Nashville penalty. Erickson’s counted though, large bounce off the boards right to him in front that he leaned down to pick off the ice and put up high.

Third Period (0-6)

Toby Peterson had an amazing tip on a Karlis Skrastins shot to ice the 6-0 victory. What made it even better was the fact that it was scored when FSN was showing the behind the goal view. Seldom see that.

-Dallas is now a first period team, having double digit shots in all but this game’s first period this season. Large departure from how the team used to play.

-Perfect on the penalty kill tonight (a first) bringing us up to 27 in the league at an even 65 percent.

-On the other end of the special teams play, we’re 10 in the league at 26.1 percent on the power play.

-Brad Richards is looking like a Conn Smythe winner.

-Nicklas Grossman leads the league with a +10 rating.

-Nashville’s coach looks weird. Almost like a turtle without a shell. (Although we can’t be too sure what’s under the suit)

-Mike Modano sure looked comfortable up in the suite.

-Wayyyyy too many empty seats at the AAC. Come on guys.

-ESPN is hyping this kid up as a future star. You make the decision.

Up Next:

Friday night the Boston Bruins come to town. They are middle of the pack, but I like Marc Savard, and Tim Thomas is pretty darn good. Not trying to be negative off the big win, but it’s time for our first game without gaining a point in the standings. Boston 4 Dallas 2.

That's Canucked Up

Game four of the regular season and I'm already slacking. In my defense, I've had some crazy stuff happen at work so that's owned my life as of late. I "promise" this will be the only time. Maybe I'm just subconsciously tired of writing about the Stars loosing in the shootout? Maybe we should get Jokinen back? Maybe we should just win it in regulation? I like the sound of that.


Stars give up two more power play goals, making them officially the worst penalty killing team in the NHL. (Yes, even worse than Toronto) They kill off 56.2% of the penalties they take. Four words boys: Stay outta the box.

-Jamie Benn lit the lamp for his first tally. Huge goal with 1:33 left in the third to send it into overtime.
-Steve Ott left the game with I believe was a stomach muscle problem. Should be out a week.
-Modano is close to returning.
-With Turco in net: 3 OTL With Auld in net: 1 win

Up Next: Nashville comes to town tonight. I'm calling for a REGULATION win in front of the home crowd. Coming back to Dallas should revitalize the team and hopefully they play with some swagger, like they really do own the place. Predators 3 Stars 4

Doused Flames

When picking games, I usually get the team right but never the score. Never would have thought I’d get the score but not the winner. Now Calgary played the night before and then against the Stars used their backup goaltender Curtis McEhinney instead of Miikka Kiprusoff. With that being said, Dallas outplayed Calgary and earned this victory no doubt, handing the Flames their first loss of the season. I have a feeling Crawford read my last post, since Alex Auld was in net. Turco so far has been good enough to get us half a win each night, but Auld brought it all home. He was brilliant in this match, stoning Calgary in tight and stopping 21 of 23 shots. They showed an interesting stat about Dallas’ backup goaltenders, since 2000, playing so little. Only twice have they eclipsed over 30 games. The NFL is making the move to most teams using a running back tandem, and I say Dallas does the same. Crawford will play the hot hand in net, so I expect Auld again on Sunday.

First Period (1-0)

Mike Ribeiro got a nice rebound for his first of the year.

Second Period (3-1)

Sutherby got a short pass from Peterson while Calgary was reeling in their zone for his first of the year. Right off a face off Dion Phaneuf ripped one off the post to pull within one, thus ending the Stars’ extreme dominance of Calgary’s power play in the Saddledome. Tom Wandell re-established the two goal lead on an innocent shot that popped up over the goaltender and in. Hockey karma is paying us back for the Edmonton game.

Third Period (5-2)

Brunnstrom scored but it was called off because Ott was driving to the net and supposedly interfered. One of Auld’s few mistakes resulted in Calgary’s second goal by Rene Bourque off a bad rebound. Brad Richards made a beautiful pass in front of the net which seemed to bounce off both Jay Bouwmeester and Loui Eriksson to give Loui his first of the year. Richards finished the game off with an empty netter.

-Both Calgary goals were on the power play (We continue to poorly kill them this season)

-Steve Ott was in the sin bin both times Calgary scored on the man advantage.

-Dallas had two noticeable post hits.

-James Neal is playing very Ovechkin like, going after every puck with hunger for a goal.

-Robidas was called for diving after being checked from behind. Just have to remember, referees are human.

-Razor Quote: “Double pits to chesty is what McElhinney did on that one.” (Referring to the no goal on Fabian)

-The Stars played paintball on one of their days off. Canadians vs everyone else.

Up Next: We finish the tour in Vancouver Sunday night at 9 p.m. central. Luongo hasn’t looked good this season and I think we’ll build off this win. I’ll take the Stars over the Canucks 4-2

Take Two

New day, same problem. Another shootout loss, this time 5-4. ESPN’s John Buccigross ranks the Stars 11th in the Western Conference, citing they “…are in that precarious tweener stage.” (Full article here) I still haven’t raised the red flag yet. If the regular season didn’t have shootouts and just kept the overtime going, I firmly believe they would have picked up the second point. (Too bad that isn’t the case) At least we’re loosing correctly, after all two extra session losses are as good as one win. The offense is looking pretty decent. James Neal has had some crazy puck pursuit and everyone will agree it’s great to have Morrow back. But here’s a little disclaimer Dallas: Expect the season to resemble this game. Our defense couldn’t hold the lead and Turco was inconsistent. He had moments of brilliance, moments of head shaking, and moments of bad luck. I’m not ready to pull him out of the pipes, but I do want to see Auld give it a go. And the way the season is starting, expect that sooner than later.

First Period:
There were two goals in this period...and you can thank the Minnesota Twins for me not recapping them. Great extra inning game against the Tigers, resulting in them flying to New York. Best of luck. I will say this about the first frame; Krys Barch…stop fighting. I was embarrassed to be honest, seeing you get taken down, flipped around, and I don’t think really even landing a punch. Sheldon Souray now has a receipt, because he owns you.
Second Period:
James Neal…wow. Sweet puck pursuit resulting in a shorthanded goal. I think last season we had maybe two shorties and we’re on pace for 41 this year. Lets see how close we get. Stephane Robidas netted a power play goal, and Turco was undressed by Dustin Penner in tight when he went top shelf.
Third Period:
Morrow scored our second power play goal of the night but that was neutralized when Grossman was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Denis Grebeshkov’s shot deflected off him and rainbowed over Marty to tie it.
Overtime:
Back and forth, nothing real exciting.
Shootout:
One aspect of Marty’s game that I absolutely love is his poke check. I haven’t seen many goalies really incorporate it like he does in the shootout. He gave up an easy one to Ales Hemsky, who everyone thought would pull some fancy move when all he needed was a wrister. With the game on the line, the Stars leading scorer James Neal hit the post for the second straight shootout and game, thus giving the Oilers the coveted second point.

-Dallas scored two power play goals tonight. Good trend.
-Dallas gave up two power play goals tonight. Bad trend.
-Razor quote: “A bit of offshore drilling” (Talking about how the Oilers normally look within for open positions but now are looking outward)
-Razor quote: “He likes to annoy-itate” (Steve Otts playing style)
-Benn continues to look good
-I meant to mention this in the first game, but I really like the in game stats they show. Not only relating to the game but some were for the league.
-Still looking for my Stars girl of the year

Up next: Continuing the Canadian tour, next in Calgary Friday night at 8 p.m. central. I’m not a huge fan of the Flames and their rink, plus with Iginla, Jokinen, and Bouwmeester they look to be one of the elite in the Western conference. Here comes the first real loss. Stars 2 Flames 5

Somebody Fix That Door!

Stars lose 3-2 in a shootout. For the first 39 minutes of the game it was the Dan Ellis show, however Dallas fought back to send it to overtime. But the real story is the penalty box door coming open not once but twice after being hit. (I say that lightly) I’ve heard of fast boards but never a trap door. But I digress.

First Period
Stars had tons of chances, but couldn’t connect on any. Only goal in this frame was a gritty hack and slash by Jason Arnott.
Second Period
Stars held off the board aga…oh wait they scored with ten seconds left in the period by a falling James Neal. Steve Sullivan scored when Turco rolled a little too early.
Third Period
Ellis coughed up the puck, giving James Neal his second tally of the night on what is described by some bloggers as a “gift goal”. I’ll take it.
Overtime
No scoring but both teams had great chances on their power plays.
Shootout
I wasn’t very impressed with any goals, except maybe Ribeiro’s elevated backhand because I can’t get my own backhand off the ground. I do wonder about Richard’s shot though. At the beginning of the game, they were talking about how Ellis has bi-coloured pads, with the inside being white, possibly giving an illusion that his legs are apart when they aren’t. Could this explain the miss?

 Razor quote: “It’s poppin!” (In reference to his suit/tie combo)
 Razor quote: “It’s Santa big!” (In reference to Ribeiro’s “bag of moves”)
 If you can’t beat em, hurt em? Robidas nailed a guy into the boards, after which he left and didn’t return.
 Good seeing Arnott again, just not on the score sheet. I always liked him in Dallas.
 Richards was playing the blue line on most of the power plays. I’d rather see him inside but I’ll give it time.
 Jamie Benn was three months old when Modano broke into the league. His name came up in just about every other breath of Ralph and Razor. Expect good things from him.
 I am trying to figure out who my favorite Stars girl is…until I figure it out I will study up as much as I can. Needless to say, I’m in no rush.

Up Next: Dallas is touring Canada on the first road trip of the year. First up is the Oilers. We usually have their number, so I’m calling for a win 4-2

It Has To Start Somewhere

Out with the old, in with the new. My neighbors are moving, so every trash day I see different pieces of furniture and outdated appliances sitting curbside. The Stars got rid of the old (Morrison, Parrish, Zubov, Tippett) and brought in some new (Skrastins, Auld, Crawford). But could this amount of change be too much?

The most notable change is the man standing behind the bench. Gone is the stern face of Dave Tippett, replaced with that of Marc Crawford. Not only does he have twice as much experience as Tippett (fourteen years to only seven) but he ultimately brings a whole new style of hockey to Dallas. The previous two tenures over the Stars have been about one thing and one thing only: Defense. That won us the Stanley Cup a decade ago, but the game is changing. Hockey transitioned to an offensive game with the removal of the two line pass. Dallas stuck to defense first, but it’s time for change. People in Texas like flash. They want touchdowns. They want dunks. They want goals. That’s why Nieuwendyk brought him in. This team has the offensive potential; Ribeiro the magician, Morrow the warrior, Brunnstrom/Neal the next big things, Brad “Conn Smythe” Richards, and Modano the “Real American Hero”. Die hard fans could probably give a nickname or attribute to just about everyone else on the roster, which only adds to the talent this team has. Putting on a better show by finding the back of the net could even boost attendance which started lagging last season. More fans equals more money, and with the Stars falling roughly ten million dollars under the salary cap, that could really come in handy at the trade deadline. (Assuming we have money)

The Dallas Stars have guys who can light up the lamp. So what? Who cares if you score three goals a night if you give up four? I understand trying to push more for offense, but the defense has to remain solid. With defenseman averaging 26 years old, the time to step up is now. We have the veteran prescence of Karlis Skrastins to replace the departed Sergei Zubov and just inked Stephane Robidas to a four year extension. That’s two solid defenders, but how far can two guys get you? Matt Niskanen, Mark Fistric, and Niklas Grossman have spent the past few years developing and learning with the help of Zubov and Philippe Boucher. Not only does their play in front of Marty Turco have to solidify, but so does their prescence on the power play. When Boucher left for Pittsburgh, the Stars power play took a huge hit. Gone was his big shot from the blue line and Dallas fell to 27 in the league (15.4 percent). Modano filled in, but every team needs their own Zdeno Chara. Niskanen showed he had potential, making him a worthy candidate, but only time will tell.

Marty Marty Marty. The man between the pipes. Last year was statistically the worst season of his career (2.81 GAA, .898 SV%). However, he also started the most games in his career. Think there’s a correlation? Dallas has always had good backup goalies, (Dan Ellis, Manny Fernandez) but last year seemed to be different. When Turco didn’t start, the position flat out didn’t look good. I feel he took it upon himself to be the savior of the team, which he is capable of doing, but just fell short of last season. One man can’t do it all. The off season acquisition of Alex Auld should take some of the pressure off Turco and allow him to take more days off to ensure he’s at the top of his game. This really could bring a world of difference to the net minder, especially late in the season during a hopeful playoff race.

I’m willing to blame last years’ 36-35-11 record on injuries (which didn’t stop the Blues) but this year there are no excuses. This team has learned about adversity, knows how to deal with it, and must now take the next step. The Dallas Stars begin the 2009-2010 campaign Saturday, October 3, at 7 p.m., against the Nashville Predators.