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Stars 4, Oilers 5 (SO); So Tell Me Why I Don't Like Shootouts, Tell Me Why...

And no, it has nothing to do with the fact the Stars have dropped their first two games of the 2009-10 campaign in them.

I'll freely admit that I enjoyed them in the first season after the lockout. How could you not when you knew that Jussi Jokinen was going to pull off a truly memorable move?

But the novelty on this has worn off. We've seen everybody's moves. And in the end, you're using a skills contest to decide not only games, but possibly, playoff spots down the road.

Anyway, I just wanted to get my stance on this on the record. I'll leave it at that because, let's face it, the Stars had one goal leads on three separate occasions in this contest and failed to hold onto each lead. That's why they found themselves in OT and eventually, the shootout.

For more on the game, follow me after the jump.

Star-divide

Edmonton jumped on the Stars from the outset and were rewarded with a power play when Jeff Woywitka was whistled off for high sticking 1:53 in. For the first 1:40 of the power play, the Stars did a good job of holding the Oilers on the perimeter. But then Andrew Cogliano carried the puck behind the net and waited for Mike Comrie to drift to the front. Stephane Robidas was late getting over, Cogliano fed Comrie, who tabbed the puck past Marty Turco to open the scoring 3:49 in.

Brenden Morrow knotted things just a few minutes later and picked up his first goal of the season in the process on a backhander past Nikolai Khabibulin. The teams remained tied throughout the rest of a ragged first period. In fact, they remained tied at 1-1 for just over 20 minutes of play before Marty Turco fired a pass off the glass on an Oilers' power play and into the neutral zone. James Neal picked up the puck and streaked down the right wing where he fired a snapper over Khabibulin to give Dallas their first lead of the game at the 5:57 mark of the second period.

Unfortunately, the lead didn't last as Sam Gagner, the son of former Dallas Star Dave Gagner, knotted things up just 48 seconds later with some helpers from Zach Sortini and Denis Grebeshkov. The back and forth action between the two teams continued throughout the second when Stephane Robidas' seeing eye bomb from the point snuck in past a screened Khabibulin to restore Dallas' one goal lead at the 11:57 mark. It looked like that power play marker would hold up until the second intermission before Dustin Penner scored at the 18:06 mark to tie the score for a third time.

Brenden Morrow's power play goal 1:25 into the third gave Dallas it's third lead of the game when he took a feed from Mike Ribeiro and found oodles of room to shoot the puck through Khabibulin's five hole. But just like on two previous deficits, the Oilers came back and tied the score when Grebeshkov's shot deflected off Nicklas Grossman and over a sprawling Marty Turco, who was far from his best in the this one but could not be faulted for this goal.

The goal scoring stopped and both teams went into OT where the Oilers nearly ended it early on when Patrick O'Sullivan's centering pass somehow got through to Tom Gilbert who redirected the puck towards the net, only to be thwarted by the left pad of Marty Turco. Twas clearly Turco's best save of the night.

Alas, the Stars couldn't take advantage of the great save and end it in the extra session. So for the second straight game, the Stars went to the shootout.

Both clubs traded missed shots and easy saves through the first two rounds. Brad Richards fired the puck right into Khabibulin and Mike Ribeiro fired wide of the net while Sam Gagner and Patrick O'Sullivan were both foiled by Turco. Ales Hemsky stepped up, skated in, and misfired on a wrister so bad that it fooled Turco and sliped in through the five hole to give Edmonton a 1-0 lead in the shootout.

And when James Neal hit the post on his attempt, the Stars had dropped their second consecutive shootout. As a fan, this contest was enjoyable as any contest between these two rivals. It was certainly fun.

But it could have been better.

Cue Marc Crawford from his post game presser:

"We're making it fun for everybody, but the fun comes from getting the results."

Their next chance to get a pair of points will come Friday night in Calgary.

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We sound like the biggest bunch of

hypocrites in the world because of the way the stupid skills competition favored us for seasons… But now basically, it looks like a sham.

The Stars, undoubtedly CARRIED the play in the OT period. They dominated it. But it doesn’t matter. A fluky tying goal and a fanned shot for the game winner in the shootout? It sucks, but that’s hockey, I guess.

by Brad Gardner on Oct 7, 2009 12:14 AM CDT reply actions  

It's not going anywhere

I think for the casual fan, it’s still very exciting. I have the NHL package on my computer and let my roommates watch using my password, and if they ever see that a game is in a SO, they make a switch. It’s here to stay, and it beats ties in my mind. I HATE ties.

With that said, I think it’s time for some new players to get a turn. Ribeiro is still the staple, but I would like to see Eriksson, Wandell and even Morrow. I think Fabian could be lethal like Jussi was coming right to left toward the goalie and quick shot over the blocker. There are too many lefties on this team not to dominate the SO. Ask any right handed shooter in the league, and they will tell you lefties have a distinct advantage in SO.

My shoot out line up would be this:
Brunnstrom
Eriksson
Ribeiro

Again, Dallas controlled the 3rd and OT. shame they didn’t walk away with 1 more point. But the fire is there, and they have looked very good transitioning from zone to zone. I think things will only get better.

by agvdstars on Oct 7, 2009 12:26 AM CDT reply actions  

Benn

for Brunnstrom if he doesn’t work out. He’s a smart player and wouldn’t waste any effort finding the back of the net.

by agvdstars on Oct 7, 2009 12:27 AM CDT up reply actions  

Erkisson is 1 for 8

Go with Neal or Benn and leave Loui for if things go deeper.

by Hull Fan on Oct 7, 2009 1:53 PM CDT up reply actions  

I know

I just really want to get him going. Think the SO could help. I don’t pay that much attention to career numbers, and clearly, this season, though very short, don’t mean anything. I spoke poorly of Neal earlier, and shouldn’t have. I’ll just reiterate, with the lefty crisis on the team, every team would kill to have a Eriksson as their 2 or 3. Lefties just dominate in the SO.

by agvdstars on Oct 7, 2009 10:29 PM CDT up reply actions  

SO lineup? (agvdstars)

How can you leave out Neal in the SO? Next to Robeiro, he’s the deadliest guy we have. Even his two misses this season were post ringers. My lineup would be:

Robeiro
Neal
Benn (give the kid a chance) Have you seen his release? Sick.

by 5PointPuckism on Oct 7, 2009 8:22 AM CDT reply actions  

Neal is a beast

I do think he’s good at the SO. But one time is an accident, two times is a trend. He had two unlucky bounces, which I won’t hold against him, but I wanna see Loui, and his release, and his abilities near the goaltender, and see if that sparks the SO for the team, and if that sparks Loui to get on the score sheet in regulation.

Benn would be a good pick too, and that’s my point. There are too many lefties on this team with good to great releases to not be successful (more like dominate) in the SO.

by agvdstars on Oct 7, 2009 12:20 PM CDT up reply actions  

I'm still a fan...

And I actually have no problem with the shootout order either. I like Richard’s approach – coming in with speed – but problem is once he commits to one side the goalie has him figured out. Brad has to throw a change up move in there once in a while because the book on him is pretty well read. I also like Ribs and Neal on the shootout so I don’t think the lineup is much of an issue (Although I agree I’d like to see what Fabian could do in one of these things..)

Turco was solid, but IMO he really should have had that Gagner goal…

Other than that no complaints about the team overall. Both teams played hard and it was tough to find any kind of real skating room… Good gritty game and hey a point is better than nothing.

by Art Middleton on Oct 7, 2009 10:09 AM CDT reply actions  

I love the SO,

but not lately. Maybe Crawford needs to put a little more focus on it like Tipp did. If every game’s going to be a SO, I’d like to at least win one.

With that in mind, I miss Jussi Jokinen.

Follow me on Twitter! http://www.twitter.com/SLStarsFan

by Brad_Richards_Rocks on Oct 7, 2009 10:24 AM CDT reply actions  

Ditto

He was phenomenal at getting the goalie to drop his blocker hand with a simple head move. It got the goalie to commit his hands moving down, opening the a spot about 2 feet off the ice every time. And that’s all you have to do. Get the goalie to make a commitment, then read and react to it.

There in lies my problem with Richards. He had his head down against Ellis and had him burned. If he read Bulin properly, he had him torched with a simple back hand drag over the left pad, the move that Ribeiro then tried and failed cause Bulin knew it was coming.

by agvdstars on Oct 7, 2009 12:25 PM CDT up reply actions  

I am just going to throw this out there but Turco has looked terrible the first two games of this year. Most of the goals he is giving up are very soft, actually every goal Edmonton scored could have been saved, well except the one off Grossman. People can try and defend him and say there were defense let downs but even so, he has to make the hard saves, he has to keep us in the game.

born to destroy

by Lifewish on Oct 7, 2009 2:17 PM CDT reply actions  

I kinda agree

It reminds me alot of how Eddie got toward the end. I really wish we would have not let go of Smith, or Ellis for that matter. This team has always had alot of great talent in net, but usually lets most go. I think I would have never done that deal. I would have kept Smith and the rest of the guys who got them to the semi-finals. It worked! Keep em….Pay em….case closed

by k9mike on Oct 7, 2009 3:16 PM CDT up reply actions  

Shootout

The shootout is a skills competition but so is THE REST OF THE GAME. Every facet of a shooout – the act of skating in, looking for a shooting lane, shooting the puck, attempting to stop said shot and read the shooter – all these are inherent skills put in place in every single game during action at any point in the game.

There could be a breakaway or penalty shot in ANY game – is that part of the game not a “skills competition”?

I just don’t get the lazy metaphor. It’s better than a tie, and you can’t force multiple overtimes until someone wins every night. It makes sense to end a game like this.

by matty in dallas on Oct 8, 2009 12:22 PM CDT reply actions  

I dont think anyone would make the case...

That this is a top notch defensive unit, I’m not trying to make excuses for Turco, I just wish we didnt have an owner in forebearance who tried to corner the market of owning 47 professional sports franchises. It literally insenses me that we have plenty of cap room but did not go get more help on the blue line.

by TX HOCKEY! on Oct 8, 2009 3:31 PM CDT reply actions  

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