The Dallas Stars came into this game against the Columbus Blue Jackets looking to gain the two points and have hope for their post season. But with Detroit topping the Nashville Predators with a 5-2 win, the game against the Blue Jackets would no longer matter. The Stars will now close out the regular season against the Detroit Red Wings and look to use their off-season to not only get stronger but find a few new pieces to the puzzle that they hope will make a contending play-off team in the 2013-2014 season.

First Period:

It would only take 19 seconds for Columbus to get on the board with a shot from Cam Atkinson, assisted by Blake Comeau and Brandon Dubinsky. Soon after at 6:54 Eric Nystrom would drop the gloves with defencemen Dalton Sprout with Nystrom clearly landing the better of punches. Both would sit for the next five as their respective teams battled to stay alive. At the end of the first the Stars would be outshot 12-10.

Second Period:

With the Stars future still up in the air the team would come back to play their hardest like every night. They would tie the game on a power play goal from Jamie Benn, with the assists going to Eric Cole and Ray Whitney at 8:43 in the period. This time the period would end with the stars out shooting the Blue Jackets 15-10 for a two period total of 25-22.

Third Period:

It would be during the second intermission that Stars coaching staff would learn of Detroits win. But the team come back for the third ready to do what it takes and keep on fighting, but Columbus would take the lead with two power play goals. The first at 7:56 in the period with Stephane Robidas in the box for inference, from Mark Letestu and Brandon Dubinsky. And again late in the period with Eric Nystrom in the box for interference, the Blue Jackets would take a 3-1 lead at 18:20 with Cam Atkinson scoring his second of the night from Jack Johnson and Dalton Prout.

Notes:

- Head coach Glen Gulutzan said in the press conference that coaching staff knew of Detroits win after the second.

- He also said that players were not told, and locker room TVs were all off, but seems to think a majority of them had found out from other media outlets.

- Aaron Rome was out of the line up as he has  been battling a hip issue that will require surgery to repair.

Dallas meets Minnesota tonight in a rematch from Monday night’s disastrous defeat. Monday’s loss pushed Dallas back down to tenth in the western conference. With a huge amount of Pacific Division games on the horizon Dallas needed to start winning and looked to start tonight.

First Period

Dallas opened the game establishing control of the puck in the Minnesota zone as they were sending a message to Wild goaltender Matt Hackett that tonight was not gonna be an easy game. Dallas’ pressure paid off early as Mikko Koivu took an early period penalty that put Dallas on their first powerplay of the game. Off an offensive face-off win by Jamie Benn, Ray Whitney had a slap shot set up for him and he fired the puck past Hackett for his sixth goal of the season. Dallas continued to apply offensive zone pressure and soon were rewarded with another goal at the 7:31 mark of the period when Tomas Vincour scored his second goal of the season. Dallas looked to have dominated the period outshooting the Wild 17-7 , but a costly mistake by Alex Goligoski led to a Wild goal as noted Stars killer Devin Setoguchi scored goal number twelve this season at the 18:48 mark or the period. The first period ended with the Stars up 2-1.

Second Period

It was another struggling second period for the Stars as Minnesota bounced back this period, and Dallas continued with their second period woes. The Wild tied the game on the powerplay off Jared Sturgeon’s fifth goal of the season after an undisciplined roughing minor by Brenden Dillon. Minnesota carried the momentum this period and until the final minutes when Dallas made an offensive push and the trio of Eric Nystrom, Jamie Benn and Jaromir Jagr almost took the lead right back, but outstanding saves by Matt Hackett kept the game tied at two after two periods.

Third Period

Dallas immediately went on the attack in the Minnesota zone to open the third and it didn’t take them long to score as Eric Cole scored his sixth goal of the season and third as a Star just over a minute into the third period. Soon after the goal Minnesota got into penalty trouble as Mikko Koivu and Ryan Suter were both called for seperate minors at the same time giving Dallas an early period 5-on-3 man advantage. It took Dallas only 10 seconds into the first powerplay to score as Jaromir Jagr passed to Ray Whitney, who drew two of the Minnesota defenders, passed to Jamie Benn who shot the puck into a wide open net as Hackett had commited to Whitney taking a shot. Benn’s goal was his seventh of the season and first in over a month, and the second assist which went to Jaromir Jagr was career assist number 1,000. Minnesota could not stay out of penalty trouble and their penalty kill didn’t bail them out. Dallas’ powerplay struck again at the 12:40 mark of the period as Cody Eakin scored his sixth goal of the season. Soon after the Eakin goal, Minnesota’s fourth line came out and was looking to let out some frustration. Zenon Konopka grabbed a hold of Reilly Smith and after trying to shove him into the Wild bench, Konopka dropped his gloves and started throwing punches causing all players from both teams on the ice to get involved. The scrum resulted in three game misconducts as Zenon Konopka was sent away, as was Mike Rupp from Minnesota who was throwing punches at Jaromir Jagr trying to draw him into a fight, Antoine Roussel was given a game misconduct as a result of coming to the aide of Reilly Smith.  Soon after the big scrum ensued Eric Nystrom was on the ice for the Stars and looking to respond to Minnesota’s aggresive play and challenged defenseman Justin Falk to a fight, as the Stars were not gonna end this game quietly. The rest of the period went without a spark as Minnesota did score another goal at the 19:00 mark, but Dallas’ big push on the powerplay in the third sealed the fate of the Minnesota Wild as Dallas wins this one 5-3.

Game Extras

• Congratulations to Mike Modano as he was named a member of the Dallas Stars’ 20th anniversary team
• Congratulations to Jaromir Jagr as the 12th player in NHL history to record 1,000 assist, and the first European born player.
• Richard Bachman recorded the win tonight. Kari Lehtonen was having an equipment issue in the third period and Richard Bachman came in relief. While Bachman was on the ice, Jamie Benn scored what would become the game-winning goal thus giving Bachman the win. Bachman played for two minutes and thirty-two seconds and didn’t face a shot on goal.
• Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, and Ryan Suter, three of Minnesota’s best players combined for 1 point and four minor penalties.
• Scoring Streaks: Jaromir Jagr’s four game goal streak came to an end, but he pushed his point streak to five games with assist 1,000 tonight.
• Jamie Benn’s goal tonight was his first since the Gordie Howe Hat Trick game against San Jose.
• Official Game Attendance- 17,376
• Official Three Stars of the game chosen by Mike Heika Dallas Stars Beat Writer for the Dallas Morning News: 1. Jaromir Jagr  2. Jamie Benn  3. Ray Whitney
• It’s an Easter showdown for the Stars in their next game as they continue their homestand against the Los Angeles Kings, puck drop at 5:00

The Stars enter game two of a four game homestand on a two game losing streak and in need of points to keep up with the rest of the Western Conference. Tonight the Stars faced off against the Anaheim Ducks, in their last meeting the Stars dominated the Ducks in a 3-1 victory. Anaheim has been hot all season being just four points behind Chicago for first in the West. Stars Captain Brenden Morrow made an unexpected return to the lineup after missing the past two games with a groin injury. The Stars are still without center Jamie Benn who sits out with a wrist injury. Dallas played their heart out tonight, but in the end just didn’t have enough fire power to capitalize on their scoring chances.

First Period

A real back and forth game developed in the first period as the Stars and Ducks traded chances back and forth. Goaltenders Kari Lehtonen and Jonas Hiller put on a show making unbelievable stops. The Stars were the first to score in the game as Ray Whitney scored his first since returning from injury off of a broken play and giving Dallas a first period lead. The first period was pretty even, but the Stars led the Ducks 1-0 after one.

Second Period

Anaheim came ready for the second period. They had an early period powerplay after Vernon Fiddler was given an extra roughing minor after engaging in a fight with Luca Sbisa. The Ducks didn’t convert on the powerplay but they did have momentum on their side. At the 7:28 mark of the period Andrew Cogliano tied the game on his tenth goal of the year after he put back a rebound from an amazing Kari Lehtonen save. After the goal Dallas had opportunities to tie the game including a post hit by Reilly Smith, many chances for Loui Eriksson, and a controversial call when Jonas Hiller coughed up an enormous rebound and Derek Roy stuffed it behind Hiller and into the net, but the refs had quickly blown the play dead so no goal for the Stars.  Anaheim kept Dallas on their heels in the second and had a tie game going into the final period.

Third Period

Dallas had many opportunities to take back the lead including two power play opportunities. The best chance for the Stars came on their second powerplay of the period as Jaromir Jagr sounded the goal horn, but he also hit the post and the puck went out. The Stars peppered Jonas Hiller with 12 shots in the period, but couldn’t get one past him and the game went into overtime tied at one.

Overtime/Shootout

Neither team took a big momentum push in the overtime period, The Stars got four shots to Anaheim’s one, but nothing too threatening. The game went to a shootout.

• Bobby Ryan went first for the Ducks and scored on a smooth backhand move.
• Loui Eriksson went first for the Stars and tried the Jussi Jokinen sweep to the backhand, but Hiller made the save.
• Teemu Selanne went next for the Ducks, but missed the net on a forehand shot.
• Ray Whitney went second for the Stars and also missed the net on a forehand shot.
• Ryan Getzlaf went third for the Ducks and started wide and went with a sweeping move to his backhand and shot the puck past Kari Lehtonen giving the Ducks a 2-1 victory in a shootout.

Game Extras

• Congratulations to Steve Ott who was named as a member of the 20th Anniversary Team.
• The referees for tonight’s game were Kevin Pollock and Marc Joannette and the Linesmen were John Grandt, and Bryan Pancich
• All though Dallas had some questionable calls go against them, they still went 0-for-5 on the powerplay.
• The Stars really missed Jamie Benn this game, on some of their powerplays they had Eric Cole, Jaromir Jagr, and Ray Whitney as the forward set, but none of whom play center.
• This is the second time this season Dallas has had a three game losing streak.
• Tonight’s attendance announced at 15,775
• Official Three Stars of the game chosen by Mark Stepneski of StarsInsideEdge.com: 1. Jonas Hiller 2. Kari Lehtonen 3. Ryan Getzlaf

The Dallas Stars returned home tonight after a two game roadtrip where they went 1-1-0. Tonight for the second time this season they face the Nashville Predators. In the first game between these two teams it was a heated game in which Dallas ultimately could not keep their discipline and in the end it cost them the game in overtime. Tonight a lot of the same could be said as Nashville scored two powerplay goals which was more than enough as Pekka Rinne and the Predators blanked the Stars 4-0.

First Period

Dallas looked flat to begin the game as the offense could never get established in the Nashville zone. An early powerplay resulted in nothing for the Stars. The first goal of the game came at the 12:16 mark as Jamie Oleksiak tried to start an offensive rush, but instead ended up turning the puck over in the neutral zone to Matt Halischuk who passed to Nick Spaling who finished off the fast break with a wrist shot goal for his fourth goal of the year. The shots were pretty even in the first, 9-8 Predators, but Nashville had the Stars on their heels early and led the first period 1-0.

Second Period

Early penalty trouble cost the Stars in the second as Brenden Dillon took a tripping minor in the first two minutes of the period and it only took Nashville fourteen seconds on the powerplay to score as Shea Weber sent a backhand shot to the net and scored his fourth goal of the year. Dallas started to get the offense going more, but Pekka Rinne denied all Dallas shot attempts. A lapse in defense cost the Stars again as Jordie Benn took away a scoring chance from Richard Clune, and Clune was awarded a penalty shot in which Clune went five hole on Kari Lehtonen for his third goal of the season. Dallas put 15 shots on goal in the second but could not get a goal and trailed Nashville 3-0 after two periods.

Third Period

Dallas had two powerplay opportunities within the first ten minutes of the period, but they resulted in nothing for the Stars. Soon after frustration got the best of the Stars. At the 13:43 mark of the period,  Eric Nystrom grabbed Ryan Ellis after a hit and aggresively started a fight which got Nystrom an extra roughing minor. Then at the 14:25 mark after Mike Fisher made contact with Kari Lehtonen, Stephane Robidas and Mike Fisher got into a fight, as a mini-brawl ensued. Antoine Roussel fought with Shea Weber, and Brenden Dillon got tangled up with Bobby Butler. Soon after the fights Gabriel Bourque scored his seventh goal of the season making the game 4-0. Jamie Oleksiak was also ejected from the game early as Richard Clune drew him into dropping his gloves, causing the refs to give Oleksiak a 10 minute misconduct. The Stars returned home and got their four game homestand off to a bad start as they lose 4-0 to Nashville.

Game Extras

• Congratulations to Bill Guerin as he was announced as a member of the 20th anniversary all-time team.
• Ray Whitney returned after missing the past 16 games with a broken foot. Whitney looked good in his return playing 20 minutes.
• Tomas Vincour returned to the lineup after a month stint in the AHL with the Texas Stars.
• Pekka Rinne recored his league leading fifth shutout of the season.
• Nashville’s goals per game average is 2.08 which is last in the league, but in two games against the Stars, Nashville has scored 9 goals which is a 4.50 goals per game average.
• The Stars were without Brenden Morrow and Jamie Benn tonight, both out due to injury.
• Official three stars of the game: 1. Pekka Rinne 2. Richard Clune 3. Shea Weber
• The Stars take the ice Thursday as the Anaheim Ducks make their way to the AAC for the second of five games this season. Puck drops at 7:30.

The wait was finally over for hockey fans all over as today opened the regular season in the NHL. The Dallas Stars opened the regular season at home against division rival the Phoenix Coyotes. The Coyotes were 2012′s Pacific Division Champions led by goalie and former Stars prospect Mike Smith and head coach Dave Tippett.

First Period

It looked like both teams had just been through a very long layoff in the opening minutes of the game. Phoenix defenseman Derek Morris took a very early elbowing penalty which gave Stars fans a real great first look at what new forwards Ray Whitney and Jaromir Jagr will provide this season. With Whitney at Center and Jagr and Brenden Morrow on the wings, the power play definitely had a different look to it which was desperately needed to improve the leagues’ worst powerplay from 2012, including where Jagr got a semi-breakaway which he wasn’t able to score on. The first period continued to roll on with both coaches using all four lines and all three defensive units. At the 18:36 mark of the first period a small lapse in defense by the Phoenix Coyotes was all the Stars needed as Loui Eriksson found a streaking Jaromir Jagr in the slot and Jagr was able to snipe the puck past Mike Smith and give the Stars a 1-0 lead on his 666th career goal.

2nd Period

The Jagr goal had given Dallas a bit of a momentum boost to start the second period but it was soon deflated four minutes into the middle frame. Philip Larsen was called for a double minor high sticking call which the Stars killed off, but it was the first of four straght penalties taken by the Stars, the fourth being a tripping call once again called on Larsen. Phoenix was able to score on two of the five powerplay opportunities with goals from Lauri Korpikoski at 9:04 and Radim Vrbata at 11:53. A late Phoenix penalty put the Stars on the powerplay once again and this time they were able to cash in as Jaromir Jagr once again found the back of the net for his 667th career goal and helped the Stars close the second period tied with the Coyotes 2-2.

Third Period

Boyd Gordon of Phoenix took a slashing minor with 23 seconds left in the second period, so the Stars opened the third with over a minute and a half of power play time. And just 31 seconds into the third Ray Whitney found the net against his old team and put the Stars ahead 3-2. At the 3:30 mark of the third Radim Vrbata was able to find the back of the net off of a Jordie Benn mistake on defense once again tying the game at 3-3. The game really picked up in pace physically as both teams were trying to get the next goal. At the 13:05 mark of the third the Stars found some time in the offensive zone and off a Jaromir Jagr shot Loui Eriksson stuffed home the rebound and gave the Stars a 4-3 lead. The Stars held Phoenix’s offensive pushes for the rest of the game and closed out a 4-3 victory.

Other notes

• The opening home game this season for the Stars was called a sellout as 18,532 were in attendance for the game.
• Derek Roy and Tom Wandell filled in as first line and second line center due to the absence of Jamie Benn who is without a contract with the Stars at this time.
• Jaromir Jagr finished the game with 4 points (2g,2a), Ray Whitney registered 2 points (1g, 1a), and Derek Roy registered one assist as all veteran newcomers contributed in tonight’s victory.
• Aside from new veterans joining the squad four rookies also played in tonights game (Jordie Benn, Brenden Dillon, Cody Eakin and Reilly Smith) Brenden Dillon really stood out with his physical play and poise in the defensive zone.
• Tonight’s scratches include Aaron Rome who was out with a groin injury and Colton Sceviour was a healthy scratch
• Stars play Minnesota Sunday at 7:00 pm central

Benn and Ryder Giggling (Photo: Melissa Grissom)

An NHL lockout has not only knocked out the Dallas Stars but also made them lose the month of game for October and November.  A total of 22 games have been lost so far and many fans are wondering if they are going to see their big brightest stars play in Big D. Many fans wanted to see Jamie Benn grow into the player he was last year and see if Michael Ryder can live up to the expectations of his career high season last year. Many fans wanted to see Jaromir Jagr do his salute for the fans after he scores a goal while others wanted to see that Ray Whitney do his famous “Where’s Whitney” interviews. They also wanted to see if this team, their Stars, try and make the playoffs for the first time since 2008 when they had their magical run to the Western Conference. Their  journey was then ended by the Detroit Red Wings as they lost their series 4 games 2. After that they saw their team not make the playoffs. I know that fans are mad that the NHL season is currently locking out their favorite teams but there are other opportunities to see your players.

» Continue reading “Stars And The NHL Lockout”

The Stars were out in Allen, Dallas Stars that is for the Allen Americans training camp which opened yesterday, October 8th and continues through the home opener on October 20th vs the Arizona SunDogs.  In attendance were Loui Eriksson, Trevor Daley, Stephane Robidas, Mark Fistric, Kari Lehtonen and Captain Brendan Morrow.

Brenden Morrow, one of the six stars, in Allen (Photo Credit to Todd Miller)

While these guys were there to keep their skill set up to par, they also served as good mentors and pace setters for the Americans players.  Workouts lasted 2 hours each session and everyone was skating hard.  Head Coach Steve Martinson, Assistant Coach Richard Matvichuk, Owner Steve Duchesne and Owner Craig Ludwig put everyone to the test, challenging everyone including the Dallas Stars in attendance.  While there was a few schooling sessions by the Stars players..for the most part, the Americans were up to the task.  They were keeping up with and even putting on some clinics themselves for the NHL’ers.

Standing out for the Americans were newcomer #27 Darryl Bootland, veterans  #6 Mike Berube and #3 Tyler Ludwig.  Personally the most impressive Americans player is new defenseman #23 Mike Montgomery recently acquired from the AHL Houston Aeros.  Montgomery has explosive skating speed and his backwards skating ability is second to none.  In the goalie sector, #83 Chris Whitley and #40 Steve Silverthorn were looking fantastic, stopping most onslaughts from every angle. From viewing these first few practice sessions, the Americans are set to be a tough opponent for any team with a great mixture of skill and size.  The Americans continue their workouts this week and play their first pre-season game against the Texas Brahmas in Ft. Worth on Friday October12th.

(Photo taken by Melissa Grissom)

There was a lot of activity in Dallas during the free agency period. Several players departed Dallas to enjoy their careers elsewhere, but a few players headed to Dallas to pull on a Stars jersey.

GM  Joe Nieuwendyk surprised a lot of Dallas Stars fans as well as a lot of fans across the NHL in early July. He managed to work some magic and bring Czech legend Jaromir Jagr to Texas. The deal was announced on July 3^rd 2012, and was worth a reported $4.5million.

I am really hoping that a deal is made and the lockout won’t occur. Jagr is on a one-year deal and the 2012/13 could be the only chance to see him in a Stars shirt. He will also be massive to the hopeful success on the ice. I expect him to form a formidable first line alongside Jamie Benn and Loui Eriksson. Jagr is superb at puck distribution, and if Jamie and Loui can get themselves in the right positions, we could see a lot of goals from this line. Jagr has a massive 988 assists in the NHL, he will certainly develop the game of his peers.

Another big addition for the Stars was center man Derek Roy. He was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in a trade involving Steve Ott and Adam Pardy. It is as simple as this: Roy was acquired to be a top 6 forward and replace Mike Ribeiro who departed to the Washington Capitals.

The Ottawa native will bring a lot to Dallas. With over 500 games to his name, the 29-year-old brings a lot of experience, and also has the ability to be a relatively big points scorer, scoring 60+ points on 4 occasions.

Another asset of his game is the crucial one for me, and this is his ability to perform on the power play. The Stars’ power play was average at best last season. It lacked structure and rhythm, managing to score just 33 goals throughout the season. I am hoping that this is an area of the game that they will be working hard on in training camp. Roy will be an integral part of this, and if the power play can get going, the team will benefit with positive results.

The third big addition was of Ray Whitney from the Phoenix Coyotes. He is another experienced player and a points scorer as well. This is a great addition for Dallas. He has well over 1000 appearances in the NHL and over 1000 points. He is getting on a bit, aged 40, but he is still a great hockey player.

I think that Whitney will help form the second line alongside Michael Ryder and Derek Roy. These guys might take a bit of time to gel, but if they get going I think they will bring the best out of each other. The Stars lacked depth last season, and a lot of scoring was done by the first line. 2012/13 will be different, the second line will take a lot of pressure off of the first line, and should benefit the team as a whole.

With other new recruits including Cody Eakin and Aaron Rome, and some promising draft picks, the Stars are starting to look like a decent outfit for next season!

Stars Practice (Photo: Melissa Grissom)

When the regular season begins the Dallas Stars will be looking to make the playoffs, after missing the postseason in four straight years.  This off season was very productive for the Stars in free agency and in the trade market, as they completely changed the look of the team, with the free agency signings of Jaromir Jagr and Ray Whitney, plus the off season trade acquisitions of Cody Eakin and Derek Roy, Dallas looks to roll with a deep lineup game in and game out to push for the playoffs. So what questions do the Stars have to answer? What do people say when they look at our organization?

» Continue reading “What Questions Do the Stars Face This Season?”

Loui Eriksson (Photo: Bridget Samuels/Flickr)

Loui Eriksson can now be seen as one of Dallas’ more experienced forwards. He has 453 appearances for the franchise, recording an impressive 328 points in the process. This guy is a massive talent.

The 2011/12 campaign was another decent one for Loui, as he showed his puck distribution skills by tallying 45 assists on his way to 71 points. He yet again displayed his consistency, as he will guarantee you 60+ points a year. What can we expect from Loui next season?

I am predicting a big year for Loui. A potential first line of Eriksson-Benn-Jagr is one of the best you will find in the league, and one that looks very exciting. Jaromir Jagr  will use his experience to bring the best out of both Loui Eriksson and Jamie Benn, and we could see some fireworks from these guys.

Jagr is traditionally known for setting up goals rather than scoring them. Being one of the best in the business at it, I think Loui could see his goal tally’s rise in 2012/13 from playing alongside the legendary Czech. Jagr has sublime vision and puck distribution, if Loui exploits this by getting himself into good positions in the offensive zone, he could record some pretty big numbers next season.

One of Loui’s best assets is his ability to stay out of the penalty box and keep his talents on the ice. He picks up the odd penalty here or there but they are always accidental rather than intentional. Don’t expect this to change next season, as keeping his line at full strength as much as possible is crucial.

The new recruits of Ray Whitney and Derek Roy could work in favour of Loui. In recent seasons, the Stars have lacked depth in scoring. Whitney and Roy, along with Michael Ryder, should add a lot more scoring options. This will take a lot of pressure off of Loui’s shoulders and should allow him to play his own game more.

So, with potential new line mates and some more scoring depth, expect Loui to tally some big numbers on offense in 2012/13!

In this youtube video, Loui Eriksson helps the puck cross the line, batting it just below the crossbar for a 3-1 Stars lead.