OK I just want to go on record as saying I never said this would be a pretty season. The Stars proved that point too well last night. I had flash backs to March 3rd when the Stars faced Phoenix for their first game back after the extended Olympic break. In both games the Stars did not get the memo on the starting time for the game. In Phoenix they never did get their clocks set right, just cleaned out really thorough with a 6 to 2 loss. Last night they stumbled through the first two periods as if they were still on practice speed. They always seamed to be just a stride behind the Av’s players. They were not showing any drive to get to the puck and finish off their plays. There was way too many Av’s standing around in front of Turco unchallenged. It is times like that you miss Derian Hatcher. If you want to see how big an advantage it is to have a player hanging around the crease just watch Morrow. He is like a fly at a picnic to goalies around the league. You just can not get rid of him. As a result of hanging in there and taking his punishment he picks up a fair amount of trash shots. Trash or not they still count.
The Stars could not stay out of penalty trouble the first period which kept their shots on goal down to only seven. They took five minors resulting in a two man advantage for the Avs twice. Turco kept them in this game stopping 22 of 24 shots in the first. The Turco of old was back that’s for sure. Many of the first period saves were huge at one point he was actually flat out on his back but never took his eye off of the puck and flipped out his glove hand just in time to keep the puck from sneaking through just inside the low corner. The first goal that found its way past Turco came on the first 5 on 3 power play just past the half way point in the first period with the second coming just 46 seconds later with the Avs still the power play but now a five on four with Halpern coming out after the first goal.
The second period showed some improvement with the Stars beginning to play with more intensity. The Stars came out and you could see the hits picking up. The more aggressive play led to an evening out of the stats. The Avs were held to ten shots on goal while the Stars could only manage seven. Both teams had an equal five penalties for thirteen penalty minutes and each team was scoreless in the second. Even the one fight of the game came in the second between and was a definite draw. The Stars Barnaby and Laperriere each took two minutes for roughing 3:43 into the second. After exiting the penalty boxes it took the two pugilist three seconds to become combative again. This time it was a lot of pulling, jerking, and what looked like their impressions of Joey Lawrence and Edyta Sliwinski doing the Cha Cha. I’m pretty certain Bruno Tonioli would have not scored them more than a two. It ended up much like the rest of the second period, a draw.
To be a fly on the wall in the Stars locker room would have been priceless. Whatever was said and whoever said it hit a nerve somewhere in this team. When Dallas took the ice in the third it was as if they finally realized that the regular season had begun. It reminded me of my oldest daughter getting ready for school in the mornings. Hit the snooze once and she still looks like she is asleep. Hit it the second time and there is some movement but the lights are not all the way on. Then before hitting it for the third time the numbers lit up in blue register and all at once the eye fly open the feet hit the floor and there is no stopping her. The Stars were the same way. They took control of the game and they did it fast. Just a minute and twenty-eight seconds into the third Lindros set up Modano for a blast from the left circle beating Theodore for the Stars first goal. While the first goal took 41 minutes and 28 seconds the second would only take the 28 seconds. An impressive pass across the crease timed out perfect with the young Loui Ericksson breaking down the right side. A quick snap of the wrist and the second goal was in the back of the net and that quick it was a brand new game all tied up two to two. Dallas did not let up the rest of the third was spent almost entirely in the Av’s end of the ice. They put18 shots on goal compared to the 14 in the first two periods combined. The learned their manors also with no penalties in the third. Well that is until Sydor did his best Hong Kong Fooie impersonation on Milan Hejduk’s stick. With play in the Dallas zone as the last few seconds ticked off Sydor took an unnecessary slashing penalty just as the horn sounded to end the third period.
Dallas started the five minute overtime a man down for two minutes. The Stars penalty killers were able to hold strong. Just as Sydor’s penalty ended Turco gained control of a loose puck and looked up to see Sydor bolting out of the box. A beautiful pass from Turco glided down the center of the ice where Sydor picked it up in stride and went one on one with Theodore. Sydor snapped a wrist shot over the net minders right shoulder and buried the puck into the back of the net giving the Stars a 3 to 2 OT win.
Exciting? Yes very but I really do not want to go through another season of come from behind wins. The Stars set an NHL record last season with ten wins after trailing entering the third period. That’s just too much excitement. Bring back the get to two goals and then let the Defense go to work bogging down the blue line and pestering forwards with constant back checking. Those days are long gone in the new NHL.
The bottom line is a win is a win and the Stars streak of wining season opener games spans back 10 years now.
