3 Stars: Wacky Wednesday, forecheck trouble, Lindell’s famous grin, & Happy Thanksgiving in win at Kraken.
The Dallas Stars finished their four-game road trip at 3-0-1 with a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on Wednesday.
Wacky Wednesday
This game started very calm, serene and under control, didn’t it?
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It was sarcasm, in case you don’t know me and what I’m capable of.
Really, the game was immediately chaotic and wacky in all three areas. Seattle just got Jared McCann back from a 17-game absence, and he took a high stick from Alex Petrovic 49 seconds into the game and went straight down the tunnel to the locker room. Bad for McCann, bad for Petrovic, who sat for four minutes with a double minor. McCann returned with a few new stitches shortly after.
But give Dallas credit – hey, this sounds familiar… Have you all read today’s article yet? – because they went down and bailed out their teammate with an excellent and generally clean penalty.
On the other side, just after Petrovic came out of the box, he set up Roope Hintz for a high point that slipped between Joey Daccord’s five holes and gave Dallas the lead. Nothing special about this one. Just make a quick play, don’t think too much, and get the bodies in and around the net.
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Scoring first on the second night of a back-to-back… Always strongly encouraged.
Then there was a whole series of Seattle puck turnovers, spins and chases around the defensive zone, as well as saves from Casey DeSmith.
Unfortunately, DeSmith went on a bad pass, which resulted in the first goal.
DeSmith is a tough goaltender. It must be because of its small size. He can’t play the position like Jake Oettinger because he would get beat in spots that his body simply doesn’t cover with positioning alone.
While you don’t necessarily want your goalie rushing, because that likely means the opponent is swarming and your defense is mediocre, DeSmith is generally very good at it. He reads plays well, has some of the best footwork I’ve seen in a goalie, and uses his athleticism to not only make the save, but often make it quite easy.
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That’s what happened the rest of the first half on the defensive end. He made some key saves, notably on McCann, and kept this match at 1-1.
Forecheck, backcheck, forecheck again
You thought I was going to say paycheck, didn’t you? Don’t lie.
Dallas couldn’t handle Seattle’s forecheck in the second period, any more than in the first. And it wasn’t much.
Seattle is excellent on the forecheck – shocker with Mason Marchment on their roster, I know – and creates a lot of offense. When you turn pucks over, it only makes the situation worse. That’s what Dallas did.
Somehow the shots are all equal after 40 minutes. I say one way or another because that’s not how I felt. But as I wrote today, Dallas always seems to find a way to hang around and score enough to win or earn a point.
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Thanks to their goalie and Mr. Smiley, Esa Lindell, they are 20 minutes away from winning three out of four on this road trip. Has this guy ever not smiling from ear to ear? I certainly haven’t seen it.
As Razor said on the show, Lindell does this very well. He’s not the most skilled defender, or even top three, but he’s more than capable of carrying the puck past the blue line, putting it back, and then simply continuing toward the net. This has led to virtually all of his goals, which are often scored right around the net.
Speaking of Marchment, he and Oettinger had a good time before the game, one that befits their friendship, as Marchment shot a puck at Oettinger during warmups.
Now Dallas has a real test ahead of it.
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It’s a close game, and the Stars have been playing a lot of hockey lately, including last night in Edmonton. If they are able to stay mentally and physically alert and play a simple period, they could come away with another 2-1 victory like they did a few weeks ago. Otherwise, Seattle is going to come under pressure, and it may be up to DeSmith to stop it.
Very grateful to DLLS for this Thanksgiving
I know it’s not a game thing, but I get all sad during the holidays. Sue me!
These first 15 months at DLLS have been surreal. We didn’t know what to expect on a daily basis, let alone what our reception would be and if we would be able to build this thing from scratch. Thanks to you, we’ve done just that and are now looking for ways to expand, build and be creative to deliver the best Dallas sports coverage possible.
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I just want to say thank you. And I really mean it.
If you’ve met me, you know I’m not a liar. I wear my heart on my sleeve because it’s the only way I know how. And I’m so grateful to all the Stars and DLLS DieHard fans who have supported me and us. From Justin Hryckowian friendship buttons and bracelets (two of them…sorry), to meet-ups, selfies, events, hugs, high fives, and the non-stop hilarity of our social media back-and-forths, I love every moment. And I appreciate each and every one of you.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, eat some good food, try to forget about hockey for 24 hours (but not longer because the Stars are playing about 100 games this week), throw out the old pigskin, maybe avoid politics at the table, flatter your wacky aunt or uncle by acting GREAT at whatever they’re trying to talk to you about, and be present.
Holidays are special, not because of the food or the gifts, but because of the people around you. Personally, I’m excited to spend Thanksgiving with my fiancé for the first time since we started dating. Who are you looking forward to seeing tomorrow?
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To the number of people you will be hosting or sharing your turkey with, Happy Thanksgiving from me and all of us at DLLS.
I’ll see you here on Friday.
