The final game of the Dallas Stars’ big homestand would be the first of three in a row against the Pacific Division leading Anaheim Ducks. Dallas is still in the hunt for a playoff spot and this week will really test them against one of the best in the west. Glen Gulutzan said that the Stars would be all out today after falling flat against the Kings on Sunday and it looked that way after one period, but the Stars couldn’t provide a full sixty minutes tonight.

First Period

The Dallas Stars set a physical tone in the first period as Jamie Benn, Eric Nystrom, and AHL call up Francis Wathier took a hit on a white jersey whenever they could and made Anaheim work for every inch of ice they got. Dallas looked to create offense as well, Loui Eriksson had the best opportunities for the Stars in the first period as he had a couple of good looks at Anaheim goalie Viktor Fasth.  Anaheim did get shots on Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen, but Lehtonen looked sharp in the beginning. After one period Anaheim outshot Dallas 9-6, but the score was tied 0-0.

Second Period

Dallas kept the pressure on Anaheim in the second period resulting in the Stars earning two shots on the powerplay, which they didn’t convert on, but they created some great opportunities. Soon after Anaheim received their first shot on the powerplay off a Stephane Robidas hooking minor, and the offense ignited for the Ducks. The first Duck goal was on the powerplay as Cam Fowler and Ryan Getzlaf set Bobby Ryan up for an excellent shot which he fired past Kari Lehtonen for his tenth goal of the season. A little over two minutes later at the 12:52 mark of the period the Ducks struck again as Bobby Ryan from behind the Dallas net found a streaking Corey Perry and set Perry up for goal number twelve this season. The Ducks final goal of the period came at the 15:02 mark of the period as Matt Belesky finished his own play he created with a backhand shot giving the Ducks a 3-0 lead after two periods.

Third Period

Dallas had opportunities to get back into the game throughout the third period including two chances on the powerplay, but couldn’t get any offense going. Anaheim’s Teemu Selanne added an empty net goal at the end of the game to give Anaheim a dominant 4-0 victory over Dallas to end their five game homestand.

Game Extras

• Congratulations to Stu Barnes who was announced as a member of the 20th anniversary team
• An attempted April Fools prank by the Stars in which they were unveiling their “new jerseys” which were just the old Mooterus jerseys did not go well with the fans tonight.
• Season debut of Francis Wathier as he was recalled to bring some size and toughness to the Stars lineup
• Tough not to notice the positive impact Sheldon Souray brings to the Ducks defensive core.
• Anaheim’s best players: Selanne, Getzlaf, Ryan, and Perry combined for six points tonight.
• Official game attendance: 13,748
• Three Stars of the Game chosen by Bruce Levine of KTCK 1310 The Ticket: 1. Bobby Ryan 2. Viktor Fasth 3. Ryan Getzlaf
• The Stars will travel to Anaheim to take on these same Ducks on Wednesday. Puck drops at 9:00 pm

It was a slow night in the NHL as their was only one game, the Dallas Stars were taking on divisional rival Anaheim for the first of five games this season. Dallas is coming off a three game road trip where they went 2-1-0. Anaheim is off to a hot start this season starting off at 7-1-1. This game is the return for Sheldon Souray to the American Airline Center and the first time the Stars got to see new goalie sensation Viktor Fasth. A big offensive push in the first period for the Stars and penalty problems for the Ducks paved the road for a Stars victory tonight.

First Period

The Stars opened the game on fire offensively, the Ducks looked were playing at a slow pace and starting goaltender Jonas Hiller was bombarded early with Stars shots. Hiller looked to be fighting the puck a lot, as the period progressed it was quite obvious that Hiller was playing through some sort of injury. The first period became real chippy as both teams were hitting hard and many scrums were developing. Anaheim was often the aggressor in the scrums and got extra minors from them. The Stars first powerplay came as a result of this over aggression. Brad Staubitz was called for roughing and the Stars made him pay as Trevor Daley fired a slapshot from the point giving the Stars a 1-0 lead on Daley’s first goal of the season.  The physical play never stopped, even producing a fight between Stephane Robidas and Corey Perry. Shortly after the fight the Stars were on the powerplay again as Brad Staubitz gave Brenden Dillon a low blow with a spearing penalty, earning a five minute major and game misconduct. The Stars scored once on the major penalty as Jamie Benn continued his hot play scoring his fourth goal of the season. The first period ended with the Stars ahead of the Ducks 2-0.

Second Period

Goalie change to start the period as Viktor Fasth took over for Jonas Hiller who left the game with a lower body injury. Second periods continue to plague the Stars, as they started the period off on the penalty kill and took two additional minors throughout the period. The Stars were pinned into their zone for long stretches of time throughout and eventually it cost them as Nick Bonino tipped a slapshot from Luca Sbisa and put Anaheim on the board. Anaheim outshot the Stars 13-5 and the second period ended with the Stars still in control 2-1.

Third Period

The Stars defense put on a great show in the third period as Anaheim was desperately trying to tie the game, but the Stars only allowed one shot on goal in the third.  The Stars were able to push their lead back to two goals at the 12:46 mark as Loui Eriksson fired a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle past Viktor Fasth for his fourth goal of the year and 15th career goal against the Anaheim Ducks. Dallas’ defense was lights out and the Stars push their winning streak to three games defeating the Anaheim Ducks 3-1.

Game Extras

• Finally the curse is broken. The Stars finally outshot an opponet for the first time this season. Shots: Dallas 28-Anaheim 21
• Jamie Oleksiak looks like he is improving every game. He played 14:05 tonight and was out there for key defensive situations in the third period for the Stars.
• Alex Goligoski made his return to the lineup an effective one as he had two assists and played tremendous defense in 21:05 of ice time.
• Trevor Daley by far had his best game this season as he used his skating ability to generate offense but to get back and prevent Anaheim offensive chances.
• Odd stat of the night: Antoine Roussel ended the game a -1 and Michael Ryder was a +1 every other Star was even
• Brenden Morrow has continued to pick up points since being paired with Jamie Benn and Jaromir Jagr. Morrow picked up his fourth point (1g, 3a) since being moved up.
• Tonight’s announced attendance: 18,112
• Official Three Stars of the game chosen by Dan McDowell of KTCK Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket: 1. Trevor Daley 2. Kari Lehtonen 3. Jamie Benn
• The Stars begin a three game western Canada road trip Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers. Puck drops at 8:30.

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?”

OH KARI LEHTONEN (Photo: Bridget Samuels/Flickr)

2011/12 was a breakthrough season for Kari Lehtonen, as his astounding performances made the rest of the league stand-up and take note. He was the reason that Dallas had any sort of playoff hopes towards the back-end of the last campaign. The team regularly depending on him, and he showed up every time.

On his way to a save percentage of .922, Lehtonen made some mind-blowing saves that needed to be watched over and over again to see just how he kept the puck out of the net. He recorded 4 shutouts and finished with a record of 32-22-4.

Next season will be a big year for Kari. I think his very good season last year has given him the ‘elite’ goalie status, putting him up there with the best in the business. His stats are good but not great, and this is down to the large amounts of pressure put on his shoulders, as he was regularly facing 30+ shots a game last season.

I am hoping that Kari will be provided with more rest time next season. Richard Bachman had a fantastic rookie season last year, with experience from that as well as the training throughout the summer, I think he will be a very good back-up. He will be trusted to play more games next season and this will allow Lehtonen more time to rest.

The 2012/13 season will be slightly different for Kari in terms of who he will have in front of him. Last years physical force, Sheldon Souray, has gone to divisional rivals, the Anaheim Ducks. The Stars signed Aaron Rome from the Vancouver Canucks as a replacement for Souray, and Kari will need to get used to some different styles of players in front of him. Jordie Benn could also be given a few more minutes this season in defense after signing a 1-year contract.

I feel that the Stars defensive unit is looking good, and I hope that Kari will face less shots than last season. Last season he was facing a lot more shots than other goalies, and it is a tough job for goaltenders to keep up high standards throughout the season.

It will be difficult to beat the great season that he had last year, but I think Kari can do it. With a decent defensive unit in front of him and more rest time, I hope he has a huge season, guides Dallas to a playoff spot and also pulls on an All-Star jersey, something he deserved to have done last season in my opinion.

Trevor Daley (Photo: Bridget Samuel/Flickr)

This season Trevor Daley enters his ninth career NHL season (all with Dallas) thus making him the second longest tenured active Star player (behind Brenden Morrow) and longest tenured blue liner. Trevor Daley turns 29 this October so he is just hitting the prime of his career and still has a long time in a Stars uniform as he is entering the second season of his six-year extension he signed in 2011. So with the departure of Sheldon Souray this off season, who played many of the crunch time minutes and a lot on the penalty kill and power play, Daley sees an opportunity to take those minutes and show how he has evolved.

Through Daley’s first five seasons he had the mentors of Sergei Zubov, Phillipe Boucher, and Mattias Norstrom. And the past few seasons we have seen what that leadership did to the game of Daley. George Royle explores the game of Trevor Daley more in his article here.

A big positive for Daley is his everlasting consistency, in the past five seasons Daley has suited up for at least 75 regular season games (two of those seasons he suited up for all 82 regular season games) and averages around 24 points a season, also rounding out being a plus player.

So to preview Daley, he has proven to be consistent so we can expect him to miss only a handful of games if not just play every single one and around the mid twenties for his point production, Trevor Daley is now a long time veteran and expect him to provide the leadership of what it takes to play in the NHL and to play in a Dallas Stars uniform for young players like Brenden Dillon and Jamie Oleksiak who are projected to see some playing time in the NHL this season.

Brenden Morrow (Photo taken by Melissa Grissom)

Brenden Morrow has been very loyal to the Dallas Stars and has become one of their most successful and well-liked players in the franchise history. Now aged 33, a lot of Stars fans feel that Breden’s time in Texas is over, as he is becoming less effective on the ice and starting to pick up more injuries as time goes on.

However, with the recent loss of Steve Ott to the Buffalo Sabres, I think it is crucial that Morrow stays in Texas with the Stars for the 2012/13 season.

Steve Ott was the enforcer in Dallas, and a great one at that. He was a player that every team wants, but a player that no team wants to play against. He got under the opposition’s skin and forced them to make mistakes and give up penalty minutes.

Brenden Morrow plays an enforcer role to an extent, but not to the degree that Steve Ott did. However, with Ott now in Buffalo, Morrow’s role has just become a whole lot more important. His physicality will be absolutely crucial next season. He is not afraid to put in a big hit, go hard at the goaltender or to drop the gloves. He backs up every single one of his team mates and his experience within the changing room is invaluable. Every team needs one of these guys to be a successful outfit.

The one thing that the Stars now perhaps lack is physicality. Ott and Souray were the main men for Dallas last season in terms of putting in big hits.  Sheldon Souray is looking unlikely to be in a Stars jersey next season, meaning the rest of the defensive unit need to work together to roughen opposition up.

Morrow is not the big points scorer he once was. He still seems to have the ability to score goals, and they seem to big goals in big games. Goals for Morrow now seem a bit of a bonus on top of the role of backing up his team mates. Morrow will be given new line mates for next season and it will be interesting to see how he clicks with them.

Now that Ott has departed, I think it is crucial for GM Joe Nieuwendyk to keep hold of Brenden Morrow for at least another season! At the end is a video of Morrow  discusses his childhood hockey experiences in Carlisle, Saskatchewan, being able to give back to children in his hometown the NHLPA Goals & Dreams program and the feeling of capturing a gold medal for Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Stars Defense (Photo Taken By Melissa Grissom)

In free agency the Dallas Stars didn’t make as many headlines in defense as compared to the forward group with the signings of the rugged veteran defenseman Aaron Rome and big Tyler Sloan, who will provide the veteran leadership in Austin with the Texas Stars, but the big moves in Dallas defensive and goalie groups are happening within the organization itself, it’s been awhile but the Dallas Stars cupboard is just packed with young prospects, and not just any but scouts have them reaching the NHL at some point in the near future, but for now let us look at the NHL team.  With the departures of Adam Pardy and Sheldon Souray and the addition of Aaron Rome the Dallas Stars defense for the part will look the same as it did last season with a few changes, but let’s look at the pairs and see how things might work out:

(note: I completely put these lines together how I would have done it, please feel free to disagree with me and make suggestions)

1st Pair: Larsen-Goligoski

Alex Goligoski led the Dallas blueline in points for a second straight season, “The Goose” has continued to log lots of ice time ever since the Dallas Stars acquired him in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins back in 2011 and the defense is completely not the same with him out of the lineup. A lot can be said for Philip Larsen, in the 2011-2012 season he proved he was NHL ready and was very impressive as it seemed he just developed right before everybody’s eyes each game, but this year can he take it up a notch as certainly now he has drawn the competitions eye and they will be going for him.

2nd Pair: Daley-Dillon

Joe Nieuwendyk had a lot to say about young Brenden Dillon, and if his play with the Texas Stars last season and what he showed in his NHL debut in game 82 against the St. Louis Blues then he is as NHL ready as they come and who better to mentor him as a partner than the longest tenured Dallas defenseman in Trevor Daley. Daley certainly isn’t what everyone wants him to be, but the thing he is that is a fact is consistent and will show Dillon the NHL ropes real well as he still has a lot to learn

3rd Pair: Fistric/Rome- Robidas

The third pair will consist of the never quit warrior in Stephane Robidas and the competition of physical stay at home defenseman between Aaron Rome and Mark Fistric any combination of these three will be able to punish opposing players with big hits and solid stay at home defense.

» Continue reading “Dallas Stars Lineups: Defense and Goalies”

Is Matt Carle a good fit for Dallas? (Photo: Bridget Samuels/Flickr)

The Dallas Stars once again found themselves on the outside looking in this postseason, but there is always a bright light at the end of a tunnel and for the case of the Stars our bright light has been scouting. Many players from playoff teams might be looking for new homes this offseason and Dallas is a very good destination.  This offseason is very important for the Stars, for the first time in four seasons the Stars will be a real player in free agency. The sour side is that this class of free agency is more on the weak side with two big names that pop out (Zach Parise & Ryan Suter) the constant media draw that those two bring I believe one guy is completely being overlooked and that is Philadelphia Flyer defenseman Matt Carle.

Matt Carle is a 6’0 ft. 205 lbs. defenseman from Anchorage, Alaska. Drafted 47th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2003 NHL entry draft.  Just coming off his seventh NHL season the twenty-seven year old defenseman will be entering Unrestricted Free Agency for the first time. The Philadelphia Flyers are having a bit of a offseason salary cap mess as they already have twenty players under roster and 61.2 million dollars in cap space taken up before the 2012-2013 season even starts and with a new extension to Nicklas Grossmann and the difficult situation surrounding team captain Chris Pronger, Matt Carle should definitely be looking for a new home and Dallas would be a great stop for him, let’s analyze the positives and negatives of Matt Carle in a Stars uniform.

THE POSITIVES OF MATT CARLE:

• Matt Carle is a relatively healthy player, only missing two regular season games in the past three seasons which would help a Dallas defense that had issues staying healthy at numerous times this season
• Carle is constant 35-40 point threat from the blue line, the Stars lead scoring defenseman of the 2011-2012 season was Alex Goligoski with 30 points (9G, 21A). And his career high for PIM’s for a season is 36
• In Philadelphia, Carle was partnered with Chris Pronger taking on the top lines of their opponents and even after Pronger went down with severe post-concussion syndrome Carle stayed as the top defenseman and still made a solid contribution to his teams regular season and playoff run where he was a consistent two-way defenseman scoring 6 points (2G, 4A) in 11 postseason games.
• Every season of his career Matt Carle has gone to the postseason at just the age of 27 Matt Carle has 84 games of playoff experience including Philadelphia‘s Stanley Cup run against  the Chicago Blackhawks.

THE NEGATIVES OF MATT CARLE

• This doesn’t really reflect Matt Carle, but the state of the Dallas Stars defense is really tricky. first the Stars have 5 defenseman already under contract with (Robidas, Goligoski, Daley, Pardy, and Brenden Dillon looking for a roster spot next season, and Philip Larsen, Mark Fistric, Jordie Benn and Sheldon Souray all looking for new contracts difficult decisions and some familiar faces will not be here next season whether Matt Carle or a new defenseman joins the team or not.
• Matt Carle at 6’0 205 pounds is not exactly the biggest guy and possibly could make our defensive core look really small which the Stars have had problems with since Derian Hatcher left in 2003, and which was the reason for the signings of Adam Pardy and Sheldon Souray last summer.
• Matt Carle was paid 3.43 million dollars last season and will definitely be looking for a nice pay raise. I don’t believe he will be looking for Christian Ehrhoff (10 Million) or even Shea Weber (7.5 Million) money, but he will definitely be looking to make 5-6 million a season with this deal and possibly a limited to full No Movement Clause.

So in perspective Matt Carle‘s good outweighs his bad and whatever team he signs with will be getting a complete under the radar defenseman who will bring a lot of options. He can play in all situations and has a lot of postseason experience. He would be a great option for the Stars to look at other than Ryan Suter who will be looked at by almost everybody.