Dallas Stars Remembered How To Hockey Against Detroit
It was a successful Thursday night for the Dallas Stars as they skunked the Detroit Red Wings 5-2. Now that was the kind of victory that could carry the Stars a long way.
It seems as though it’s been forever since the Dallas Stars last beat the Detroit Red Wings on home ice. Ever since the Wings moved to the Eastern Conference back before the start of the 2013-14 season, they’ve only visited Dallas once a season.
Prior to that, the Stars would see them multiple times a year, considering both teams were in the Western Conference. They especially saw the Wings an awful lot in 2008 during the Western Conference Finals (too soon?).
The last time the Stars defeated the Red Wings within the warm confines of the American Airlines Center was on October 14, 2011. That was almost six full years ago. Yes, that’s crazy.
So entering last night’s game, there really was not a lot of hope that Dallas would get the job done. The Wings always seemed to have the Stars’ number when it came to head-to-head competition, especially when they met up in Dallas.
The Stars were also coming off of a disappointing 2-0 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night that capped off a 1-1-1 road trip, so things weren’t exactly heading in the right direction for Dallas. All in all, it didn’t look as though the Stars were in for a win.
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But the Stars didn’t just win. They won in an overtly dominant fashion. The Stars controlled the game basically from start to finish and emerged victorious with a 5-2 decision.
They were aggressive on offense, strategic on defense, and the goaltending of Antti Niemi was absolutely fabulous. The Stars scored four goals at even strength, getting tallies from Lauri Korpikoski, Brett Ritchie, John Klingberg, and Stephen Johns. The empty netter that sealed the deal was from Patrick Eaves.
On defense, Dallas only allowed one even strength goal all night and did not give the Wings much to work with until the third period when they played a “prevent” style while holding on to a 4-2 lead. The only other Detroit goal was scored in a 5-on-3 situation after back-to-back penalties were called on the Stars. Even their penalty kill stopped 4/5 chances.
Niemi was once again a workhorse for the Stars, stopping 31/33 including a few unreal saves in the third period to keep the Stars ahead for good.
All in all, Dallas won the game because they played their game. They played the style that we’ve been waiting all season to see. That overwhelming and smash-mouth scoring attack mixed with a confident defensive pursuit and lockdown goaltending effort. That’s the style of play they need.
That’s the style that wins hockey games. If the Stars can harness that level of energy and bring it to each game, they should have no trouble charging back into the playoff race.
It was a critical two points that Dallas picked up as well. The win helped Dallas jump the Winnipeg Jets and they now sit directly behind the Vancouver Canucks by one point with a game in hand. They are two points out of the final wild card spot and three points out of third place in the Central Division. They have some games out of hand, but if they keep on playing with this style and winning those games will take care of themselves.
It may not fix everything right now, but it’s a step in the right direction. It’s also an encouraging sign about the continued success at home. The Stars need to find all of the home success that they can this season. They are now 12-6-4 on home ice, including an 8-3-2 stretch in their last 13 games at the AAC.
Now Dallas just needs to figure out how to replicate that performance in their contests ahead so they can abandon their inconsistencies. After all, the surging Minnesota Wild aren’t going to beat themselves.
