Dallas Stars

[Instant Karma]

Are you streaming the Ticket audio through their website?

[NoWayOut]

Are you streaming the Ticket audio through their website?

I was but the feed was so far behind the action it was distracting. Im making do with the Calgary feed.

Besides what better remedy is there for Ralph and Razor withdrawl then a Jamie Benn goal.

[plug]

Is Eakin back with Benn and Tyler? They do all really play well together.

[NoWayOut]

Is Eakin back with Benn and Tyler? They do all really play well together.

Agree 100%. He's still at his best with the Pitbulls but it's hard to argue with the way he and the dynamic duo perform together. It really does open up options for Ruff on the fly in game.

That last 5 minutes for Oleksiak and Demers was fugly. Poor puck handling and decisions that allowed Calgary to keep the puck in the Stars end and then the deflected shot from distance that Kari got twisted up on. He had been so good up to that point.

Just when you think Daley can't go and do anything dumber....he goes and totally redeems himself. Okay sue me it's the cliche joke. He has the shot but oh, all that other baggage. But we'll take it. Great job by Eakin and Benn on the transition to set that up and one of those well timed jump ups from Daley.

Now we see what these guys got as far as fight. You allowed that marshmallow goal, and it's now Calgary's strength against Dallas' weakness.....dun dun dunnnn the third period. Maybe it's a conditioned response from the first two-and-a-half months, but I get a sense of foreboding. Please guys, help me and other shell shocked Stars fans overcome our rational fears of the final 20 minutes of a hockey game......

[NoWayOut]

That's roughing? You got to be kidding.

Or is it a way to help Bouma get over his embarrassment? He's been rather comical in his failed attempts to get his pound of flesh.

[larrylintz]

Michalek was on left wing when they were hot and as i recall his ppg was close to Hemsky's and he got a few goals. It was a pretty solid trio, perhaps the only time Michalek earned his keep last year tho he tried hard.

[NoWayOut]

If Klingberg's contact with Bouma was roughing what the freak do you call that? Home town calls, you gotta love 'em.

[NoWayOut]

The Stars PK should have one of those warning stickers telling people with heart conditions to avert their eyes. Kari bailing them out here.

[larrylintz]

Was that a trip that cost sequin empty-etter or did that guy just fall?

[NoWayOut]

Didn't look like a trip to me. Plenty of Stars getting dumped on their ass along the boards but I guess when those happened the zebras had apparently swallowed their whistles. Calgary pretty much had carte blanche once they got down by two. The only penalty they got after Bouma's failed attempt to decapitate Daley was an offsetting minor to Granlund. And I figure the striped ones figured if they called Granlund it would cover-up their ineptitude, we'd never notice how bad they were.

[NoWayOut]

All around I liked the way the Stars played tonight in particular the later half of the third. I like seeing that. Says they're starting to get over those demons that plagued them. They did get a struggling Flames team, but they took care of business. Games like this are ones they should win more often then not and after not getting it done in these spots previously it's a real positive now that they are starting to win these, and with less drama.

-Jokipakka again looked good. He's not going to draw your eye the way Klingberg does, he just quietly goes about his business. It's steady play like that that we've been waiting for on the back-end.

-Other than that one goal, Kari looked good again. There were a couple of heart stopping moments on that final power play, but Kari bowed up and the guys found ways to make a critical play when he was left exposed by the frantic play. Aside from the Jets debacle Kari has looked good in the three wins. If he is well and truly back to being the old Kari, the Stars may just climb back into the playoff hunt. I stress may as they really dug a hole to start.

-I'll say it again, the way Cody Eakin works with both Benn and Seguin, and also with the Pitbulls, he give the Stars a lot of flexibility for a myriad of situations throughout a game as well as when injuries throw a wrench in things. He's easily Dallas' most versatile forward. The one glaring area he needs work on is draws, he can be very boom or bust on the dots.

-Going back to the opening bit, they did a great job of staying composed when it became obvious they had two opponents, the Flames and the refs. The parade of non-sensical penalties could have, and would have just a few weeks ago, unraveled them but they didn't. Another sign that things are turning a corner.

[NoWayOut]

Michalek was on left wing when they were hot and as i recall his ppg was close to Hemsky's and he got a few goals. It was a pretty solid trio, perhaps the only time Michalek earned his keep last year tho he tried hard.

At some point I think you just have to call what they had going in Ottawa luck. Maybe just the relief of being out of the asylum that is the Edmonton Oilers gave Hemsky a boost. Now that that's run it's course the reality is setting in. At this point it's hard to say that the signs are pointing towards Ruff giving Spezza and Hemsky a long run to see if they can regain some of the Ottawa chemistry. So either the Stars have figured that out and aren't going to waste time trying, or Ruff really is delusional enough to think he can motivate Hemsky to be something he never was so he can earn the spot with Spezza.

[NoWayOut]

So far no word on tonight's lineup other than the flu is running through the locker room apparently so there could be some juggling for Ruff to do. According to Heika it's not the dreaded M word, just the generic flu-like symptoms. Toss that in on top of Moen(injury) and Garbutt(suspension) who are both ready to return to action and possibly Jordie Benn who has been out sick.....hmm Typhoid Jordie perhaps? Anyway it's anybody's guess as to who's in, who's out, who skates with who. There hasn't even been word on whether Kari or Anders is starting in goal. Speculation would be Lehtonen since he's riding the hot hand, but Ruff said Lindback would get a start on this trip.....oh wait Lindy changes his mind like I change my underwear.

[NoWayOut]

The lines and D from Mike Heika:

Benn - Eakin - Seguin
Roussel - Spezza - Garbutt
Cole - Morin - Hemsky
Horcoff - Fiddler - Sceviour

Jokipakka - Daley
Goligoski - Klingberg
Benn - Demers

Lehtonen

I won't be able to catch the whole game but I will try to get what I miss watched tomorrow and post some thoughts.

[larrylintz]

Man, we both missed a barn-burner, would have been my 2nd-best fantasy nite of hockey his year with the Taylor-Tyler show...