Dallas Stars go down fighting, lose to Anaheim 4-3 in shootout

On a night where the Ducks ended up needing just one point to make the playoffs, the Dallas Stars gave them all they could handle. 84 total shots in the game, plenty of hits, great offense, outstanding goaltending and a gritty Dallas Stars team made the final game of the season a very fun one to watch.

Steve Ott tied the game at three with just 13 seconds remaining in regulation, and the Stars ended up losing in the fourth round of the shootout.

Some thoughts from the game:

• Steve Ott, after going a bit dormant the past few weeks (and admittedly depressed over not making the playoffs), had a tremendous game again. He finished with two goals, one assist and five hits and was once again the Stars center of emotion and physicality.
• Ivan Vishnevskiy once again had another very impressive game. 21 minutes of ice time, four shots and another assist after a booming rebound on the power play. His one supposed weakness, defensive liability, seems to have been improved upon during this past season in the AHL. He should start next season with the Stars.
• Tippett decided to play his veterans a bit more than last night, and I thought that was the right move. Give the big guys one more shot to show their stuff.
• Marty Turco looked great in his final game of the year. I guess a little rest can do some good.
• These guys do not know how to give up or go down without a fight. It seemed they were just about finished, and there Ott and Brunnstrom are with the tying goal in the final minute.

This was the final game of the season. While this was far from how things were supposed to go, there were still a ton of positives to take away and I'm looking forward to seeing the Stars being right back on top next year.