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.