Tell me if you've heard this story before.
The Stars battled, didn't play that great of an overall game and then lost in a shootout. This time it was against the Vancouver Canucks, as the Stars ended their three-game Western Canada road trip 1-0-2. Not the greatest way to get points but it's better than walking away with nothing, which is exactly what could have happened tonight.
Since it's nearly 1 AM on a Monday morning, a truncated game recap up after the jump. We'll have much, much more on this game tomorrow and Tuesday.
The Good: Jamie Benn finally got his first NHL goal and yes indeed it was highlight reel-worthy. Benn was sensational all night long, and had several opportunities to put one in the net before scoring the game-tying goal with 93 seconds remaining.
The Bad: Marty Turco was still shaky in net and just doesn't seem too sure of himself when the puck comes near the crease. Part of that may be due to some horrendous coverage around the net by the Stars defenseman, but it's also something we didn't see with Auld. He did have one incredible save on Henrik Sedin in the first period, but overall another poor showing for our #1 goaltender. While I know the shootout isn't a true measure of a team's performance, Turco was absolutely amateurish on both shots. Too deep in his crease, not challenging the shooter. Fundamental and basics.
The Ugly: The Stars surrendered two more goals while on the penalty kill tonight. Something is drastically wrong here.
Three Stars of the Game:
Stephane Robidas - Was +2 on the night, led the team in blocked shots (3), was physical throughout and blocked a shot with his face.
Jamie Benn - Scored his first NHL goal to tie the game in the final minutes, but was dominant throughout. Solid on both ends of the ice and slowly becoming one of the team's most complete players.
Ryan Kesler - Big goal for the Canucks to put them ahead on the power play, and had the winning goal in the shotout.