Riding the momentum of an epic win Sunday against San Jose, the Stars needed any kind of spark in their game tonight against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings are 8-1-1 in their last ten games against the Stars in the American Airlines Center, and with players like Justin Williams and Jeff Carter playing really hot right now and Jonathan Quick looking like the MVP he was last season, the Stars certainly looked to have their hands full tonight, but as the young players have stepped up the past few games tonight the veterans took charge and lead the Stars to a 5-1 victory over Los Angeles.
First Period
It didn’t take long and the Stars were already on the penalty kill as Loui Eriksson took a double minor for high sticking only 34 seconds into the game. Los Angeles didn’t take long on converting the first powerplay into a goal as Drew Doughty scored his fourth of the season. Dallas killed off the second opportunity and began to grind their way back into this game with physical play. Dallas dominated the last ten minutes of the period and were able to draw the Los Angeles Kings into two penalties they didn’t score on the first one, but six seconds after it expired Alex Goligoski scored his second goal of the season on a slapshot from the point tying the game at one. At the 14:18 mark of the period the game went into a tv timeout and during the break, Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen had skated off the ice and went down the Stars’ tunnel with the teams medical staff and Richard Bachman had entered the game. Bachman had a combined 34 1/2 minutes played in his previous two games and hadn’t had a start since February 26th. Dallas made it the rest of the period allowing three shots on Bachman in the final five minutes of the period. The Kings and Stars were tied at one after one period.
Second Period
No goals were scored in the second, but none the less this period was one of the best the Stars played all season. The Stars penalty kill was really put to the test this period as an Aaron Rome double-minor for high sticking put the Stars in a corner, but a round of applause to Richard Bachman, Eric Nystrom, Vernon Fiddler, Alex Goligoski, Stephane Robidas, Trevor Daley, Brenden Dillon, Cody Eakin, and Eric Cole as they kept the Stars in the game and gave them a big momentum push killing off two penalties in the second period and not really allowing a premium scoring chance for the Kings. Dallas faced 17 LA shots in the period and eight on the powerplay, but they stood strong and kept the game tied at one going into the third period.
Third Period
The Stars opening rush into the offensive zone paid off greatly as Alex Chiasson set up Ray Whitney for his eighth goal of the season just 52 seconds into the period. This seemed to have a domino effect on the Kings as Dallas scored three additional goals this period, including another one by Ray Whitney and two by Vernon Fiddler. Dallas dominated Los Angeles in the third period and shut them down to just five shots giving Richard Bachman 22 saves on 22 shots as the Stars defeated the Los Angeles Kings 5-1.
Game Extras
Congratulations to Ed Belfour who was named as a member of the 20th Anniversary Team
Kari Lehtonen left tonight’s game with a “Lower Body Injury” and will be re-evaluated Wednesday.
PLAYOFF WATCH: With tonight’s win Dallas leapfrogs over Columbus to ninth place in the west and only two points behind eighth place Detroit, and nine games remaining this season and the regular season finale will be against Detroit this year.
Stephane Robidas and Trevor Daley both ended tonights game a +4 on the scoresheet. The +4 brings Daley and Robidas to an even 0 on the season.
With tonight’s win Richard Bachman has won his last three decisions in a row including the game against the Minnesota Wild where he played a full 2:32 to pick up the win.
Kings’ player names you heard a lot of tonight: Regehr, Richards, and Quick. Names you didn’t hear a lot of: Kopitar, Carter, Williams
Official Attendance for tonight’s game: 16,367
Three Stars of the Game chosen by John Tranchina of the Associated Press: 1. Ray Whitney 2. Vernon Fiddler 3. Stephane Robidas
Keep Dallas Pesky honorable mention to Richard Bachman as he made 22 saves on 22 King shots in relief of Kari Lehtonen tonight.
The Stars have a couple of days off before they travel to Music City to finish their season series against the Nashville Predators Friday, puck drops at 7:00 pm
It was the second game of a back-to-back for the DallasStars tonight as they traveled north to Minnesota to take on the Wild and see the new look of Minnesota, with offseason signings Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, and highly skilled prospect Mikael Granlund. Dallas called on 28 year old rookie goaltender Cristopher Nilstorp to take the pipes and make his NHL debut. Nilstorp had a fantastic debut, but the offense was unable to cash in.
First Period
The Stars opened the first period skating and seeming to pick up right where they left off last night even drawing a tripping minor on Wild captain Mikko Koivu in the first minute of the game. Dallas was able to create some chances on the power play but Minnesota goalie Josh Harding had an answer for everything, and the willingness of the Wild forwards and defenseman to drop to the ice and block shots hurt the Stars offensive game. After a set of penalties by both teams Minnesota controlled the puck in their offensive zone and kept the Stars pinned in their own zone for a long time and eventually cashed in as Zach Parise scored on a slapshot from the top of the slot at the 8:11 mark of the first period. The Stars had another powerplay opportunity at the 12:59 mark of the first period but that power play and the rest in the game struggled to get any offense going.
Second Period
In the second period, Minnesota really started to turn up the physical game, led by Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle Brodziak the Wild took many opportunites to finish their checks and physically wear out an already tired Stars team. The Stars were not able to gain a lot of time in Minnesota’s zone and also lost the puck possession game.
Third Period
The Stars looked exhausted as the third period came along as they didn’t have the same pep as they had in the third period against Phoenix. It looked like they were always late when they needed to be half a second quicker to make an offensive play and Minnesota’s persistent shot blocking shut down the Stars offense completely.
Other Notes
Reilly Smith needed dental work after last night’s game against Phoenix, but joined the Stars Sunday afternoon to play in Minnesota
Brenden Morrow left the game in the first period after taking a puck to the face that came of the stick of defenseman Stephane Robidas. Morrow got stitches and put on a visor and returned to the game in the second period.
Dallas got 18 shots on goal, but Minnesota blocked 26 shot attempts tonight
Stars first line of Loui Eriksson, Derek Roy, and Jaromir Jagr registered nine shots and seven points (3g,4a) in Friday’s victory against Phoenix. Against Minnesota the trio registered two shots on goal and zero points.
The Stars will travel to Detroit to take on the Red Wings Tuesday as Detroit will be on the second half of a back to back when they take on the Stars.
Stephane Robidas off to Europe (Photo taken by Melissa Grissom)
It has been announced that Stephane Robidas is heading to Europe to play for IFK Helsinki in Finland’s SM-Liiga. His contract guarantees him a month of hockey over there, but this could be extended if terms are agreed.
In the last NHL lockout back in 2004, Robidas went over to Germany to play his hockey. He played very well indeed and he bought that confidence back across the Atlantic for his next season of NHL hockey. Hopefully this will be the case again.
Stephane departed a bit later than other NHL players who have gone to play elsewhere simply because he wasn’t 100% sure if it was the right decision to benefit his game or not. It was a tough decision for him but he thought that the move would definitely help his game in preparation for when the NHL action starts once again.
The Dallas Stars’ defensive unit definitely improved over the course of the 2011/12 campaign and Robidas was a crucial part of it. His experience is invaluable to the team and he is helping the development of some the younger defenseman such as Alex Goligoski, Phillip Larsen and Mark Fistric. I think that Robidas is one of the more underrated defenseman in the NHL due to his high levels of consistency throughout the 82 games.
Robidas joins Jamie Benn, Tom Wandell, Jaromir Jagr, Loui Eriksson and Philip Larsen in Europe. It will be great for these guys to maintain their fitness and sharpen up their skills ahead of the return of the NHL, hopefully!
Also the Dallas Morning News Stars blog talks about Robidas going to finland: Robidas heading to Finland
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.
John Mulhern (Photo credit: steve connor photography)
I know its cliché and I know it’s worn out, but I would like to take the time to introduce myself to the Keep Dallas Pesky fan base and readership. First of all thank you to Missy for allowing me the privilege to cover and write about the Idaho Steelheads for the website.
Next, before you all start thinking, “Who the hell is this guy” and Why should we care what he thinks?” I owe you a little bit of background. I am a 4 year film assistant for the Idaho Steelheads and I was a 5 year color analyst for the Penn State Men’s Hockey team. I’ve been a hockey fan since 1987 when Ron Hextall and the Philadelphia Flyers took the Edmonton Oilers to a 7th game in the Stanley Cup finals.
Also in the interest of full disclosure and at the risk losing all of my readers before I actually ever get any, I am a lifelong Flyers fan. Also based on the rules at the time, and I think you might know where I am going with this, Brett Hull’s goal to win the Stanley Cup should not have counted. I tell you this, so that you’ll know that I will call something like I see it. If there is an issue, or something that needs to be discussed, I am willing to take an unpopular stance if I have too.
I’m not going to promise a ton of groundbreaking information, but I will promise to honestly asses what I see or hear about the Idaho Steelheads both on and off the ice. I’ll tell you what I think of moves the team has or hasn’t made. How will they affect the team? Will a decision be a net gain or net loss? Also, I’ll point out who might be at fault for a losing streak and the hero(s) for a winning streak. I’ll also stand up and admit I was wrong about something if that is what is needed as well.
You’ll get game recaps either in a game by game format or on a weekly basis. I’ll make sure that scores are posted and some sort of a brief recap will be posted as soon as possible. From time to time, I’ll also give some updates about all things ECHL when things warrant it.
The next article that I will write will reflect a bit on the Steelheads offseason and some signings the team has already made. I’ll also take a look at how the lockout might affect those that have already signed with the Steelheads as well as will the Steelheads get any players from Dallas/Texas because of the lockout.
NHL 13 is the new hockey video game created and published by Electronic Arts in their sports division. Electronic Arts is also responsible for such video games as The Sims franchise and the legendary Madden franchise. NHL has come a long way in developing its hockey series including new things each year like Winter Classic Mode or the use of NHL legends which were new features in NHL 12, or the constant work they put into their already successful modes such as the EASHL (Electronic Arts Sports Hockey League) which is an online mode in which players ”create a pro” and through playing online games build their players attributes from rookie to legend status, or HUT (Hockey Ultimate Team) which is a league in which players create the ultimate team through the use of hockey cards starting off with a bunch of players not really heard of around the world and then working to build the ultimate team.
Earlier this week the team and player ratings for NHL 13 were released and including a statement from EA saying that they have changed their system of rating players. In NHL 12 players attributes and overalls were considered by their playing style so many times tough guys had higher overalls than a two-way forward or grinders, but that didn’t mean they were a better player. For example George Parros in NHL 12 had an overall of 82 as a tough guy and Alex Goligoski’s overall was 83. That doesn’t mean that George Parros is just as good as Goligoski, but as a tough guy he is 83 overall not as a general hockey player. For NHL 13 they have based the overalls on the players skills overall and not by what type of player they are, so for starters this season George Parros will have a rating of 69. Below we will look at the Dallas Stars’ updated team rating and player ratings from the end of NHL 12 and the starting ones for NHL 13
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.
Mark Fistric has had a main objective in this league since his rookie season in 2007-2008, and that objective is to move play the puck second and deal with the opposing player first most of the time with a hard body check hence his high hit total which was second to only Steve Ott (278) and Ott played in 14 more games than Fistric this season. Fistric also was suspended for 3 games this season for a high check and leaving his feet while hitting New York Islanders forward Nino Niederreiter, also resulting in a concussion for Niederreiter. Fistric’s game is obvious, big stay at home defenseman who will clear the goalie crease of any opposition player with force, he moves well for a real big man, but can get himself outta position attempting to go for all those hits. He doesn’t score a lot of points but he makes up for it by helping keep the puck out of his teams net, big proof of this was in the 2009-2010 season when in 67 games Fistric finished the season with a +27. Fistric is the biggest Dallas player on roster and losing him would be a huge blow to the physical game of the defenseman as the next leading defenseman in hits was Stephane Robidas who had over 100 less hits than Fistric. Fans should look for Fistric to continue his stay at home style of play and keep forwards away from his net, and hopefully he gets a good deal and can be a household name for Stars fans for years to come.
Mark Fistric is on Twitter you can follow him @Fistric28
Boston throws out Zdeno Chara for half of each game, Nashville has the dynamic duo of Ryan Suter and Shea Weber playing the majority of minutes on the back end, and down in Dallas we have Stephane Robidas who fills those shoes, every game he suits up knowing he will be going head to head with the best forwards of the opponent that night and obviously not the biggest player by a long shot, but amongst many players and coaches Robidas is noted as one of the toughest to play against and where he lacks in size he makes up for in heart in determination. This has not gone unnoticed as Robidas was voted TSN’s 2009 No Guts, No Glory champion (an unofficial award) for taking a shot to the face breaking his jaw in a game against Phoenix, but only missed one shift putting a cage on his face and logging more ice time than any other skater that night. Since the retirement of Mattias Nordstrom and the departures of Phillipe Boucher and Sergei Zubov in 2008, Stephane Robidas has averaged about 24 minutes a game and if you take every game Robidas has played since the 2008 playoffs that is almost 7,500 minutes of him taking a beating from big forwards and also handing out crushing body checks of his own.
Stephane Robidas has been with the organization for a long time in two tours of duty, including being traded in the 2003-2004 season to the Chicago Blackhawks for Jon Klemm and returning to Dallas as a free agent the very next offseason. He is second only to Brenden Morrow amongst active Dallas Stars in career games played in a Stars uniform, (632 of 799 career NHL games) and one All-Star appearance in the 2009 All-Star game in Montreal.
Robidas is a part of the aging leadership core in Dallas and in all those games and all those minutes his health really started to take a toll this season with injuries and often being exposed by other teams top lines and at the age of 35 with young rookies like Brenden Dillon looking for a spot on the NHL roster next season and possibly first round draft pick Jamie Oleksiak getting a look at NHL ice time some point next season will the Stars be better suited moving Robidas to a team that has a better spot for him possibly as a strong second or really good third pair defenseman, and moving on possibly making room for a free agent and moving the veteran leadership responsibilities to Trevor Daley and Alex Goligoski.
Former Dallas Stars Karlis Skrastins (Photo taken by Melissa Grissom)
Karlis Skrastins was a hockey player. He was also a son and a brother. A father and a loving husband to a wife and three kids, who are grieving through his death but with the help of the Dallas Stars and their families. He was somebody’s teammate and somebody’s friend. I knew Karlis Skrastins as a hockey player and someone who loved the game like I did. He didn’t skip a turn whenever he was signing autographs for the fans after practices. He made conversation and he touched my heart when he told me how to pronounce his last name. He just grinned at me, told me and signed my Morrow jersey before he left. Little did I know that that day was going to be the last time I would ever see him walk down the lines to sign autographs and skate for the Stars again.
Over the summer in 2011 and after 11 seasons in the NHL, Skrastins signed a contract with the KHL team, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl on May 17. A few months later on September 7, 2011 he along with his teammates died in a plane crash when their aircraft carrying his team crashed outside of Yaroslavl, Russia. The NHL world was shocked to learn that Skrastins along with Pavol Demitra died on the plane. I took it hard also cause Skrastins was an important part of the Stars and he was gone. The Stars players that day were shocked that a teammate, a friend was gone. The news hit the team hard cause they knew that Skrastins was not coming back.
Stephane Robidas had a few words about Skrastins, a gritty defensive defenseman from Latvia who led the Stars with 139 blocked shots last season in 74 games, was remembered as a great teammate and a giant-hearted, soft-spoken good guy.
“Karlis was just one of those guys, a nice team guy who would do anything for the team,” Robidas said. “I’ve never seen anybody block shots like that, just played through pain and never complained about his ice time or anything like that. He just worked hard, just a nice person, a nice family man and I had a lot of fun with him. I have nothing but good things to say about this guy.” (Source: Official Dallas Stars Site)
During the regular season the Stars honored Skrastins while wearing the number 37 on the back of their helmet. Then on March 24, 2012 against the Calgary Flames honored Skrastins memory with a video of his life in the NHL and outside it with his wife Zane (pronounced Za-neyh), and three daughters (Karolina, Laurena, and Viviana) who were at the game before the puck drop for this amazing cermony. The video was hard for me to watch cause it brought tears to my eyes but I am glad to say that the Stars did this for Skrastins and his family, who is trying to move on without a significant part of their family in their lives
Saying goodbye is hard especially for a hockey player who has made an impact on the hockey world like Skrastins did. I see how his absence has affected the people that did know him so I know that he did matter to them. And I know he was loved. He will be missed and many people will remember him as a great hockey player, who loved the game like we did. Right now he is up in heaven playing hockey with Pavol Demitra, Derek Boogard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak while the rest of the world keeps their memories of the fallen players during the summer.
Hug your family. Hug your mom and dad. Hug your friends and kids. Cherish those days with loved ones because you may never know when you will spend your last day with them. Karlis Skrastins, you will be sorely missed by me and many of the fans who remembered you as the Iron Man. He will always be remembered as a Dallas Stars in the eyes of the Dallas Stars fans and me.
