Dallas Stars Daily Links: Kari Lehtonen Earns Shootout Redemption Against Calgary Flames

As good as Kari Lehtonen has been during the Dallas Stars recent hot streak, there was one segment of one game he'd probably like to have back - the shootout against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

While the big Finn can't go back in time, he did get a chance to redeem himself Sunday when the Stars headed to the shootout against the Calgary Flames.

And it went just like it used to when the Stars boasted Jussi Jokinen, Sergei Zubov and "the best shootout team in the history of the national hockey team," (TM Daryl Reaugh), with Lehtonen making both stops and the Stars scoring twice in two stops to pick up the critical second point.

The quick turnaround wasn't lost on him or the coaching staff.

"I had a really rough shootout against Pittsburgh, so this is kind of redemption for me," (Lehtonen) said. "Now it's going to be a little bit easier going to the next one. I try to do little tweaks, and they worked out today."

After the jump, more on the Stars shootout win over the Flames, Stephane Robidas had a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day and the Boston Bruins do a good deed.

• Like Friday's game against the Edmonton Oilers, it wasn't necessarily the prettiest game of the season, but Sunday's win over the Flames does extend the Stars current hot streak. [ESPN Dallas]
  
• The penalty count might not have shown it, but it was a highly physical game with a lot of line-walking from both teams on Sunday, and Mike Heika details in this paywalled gamer why that isn't a bad thing. [DallasNews.com]
  
• A pretty fair, if brief, assessment of the game, where Dallas was probably the better team but didn't put the game away when they should, in large part due to the goaltending. [Matchsticks and Gasoline]
• The Flames are really good at getting to overtime this season, especially against Dallas, but they aren't so good at picking up the second point once there. [Calgary Sun]
• The Herald also gave a nice little writeup to how the Stars have really turned their season around. [Calgary Herald]
• You know how sometimes you get the feeling it just isn't your day? Stephane Robidas had one of those days on Sunday. Not only did his skates continue to give him problems, but he broke five (five!) sticks and finished the game using one belonging to Philip Larsen. [Twitter]
• Trevor (perhaps better known to many around here as Tsudbury) does some great work with magic numbers, and he has some good news about the Stars playoff chances as of Sunday's games. [Defending Big D]
• Around the dearly departed trade deadline, there's always a lot of talk about "selling high" and "buying low." This editorial tries to expand on both those topics, though I do think it underplays exactly how much luck is involved in some of those moves. [Backhand Shelf]
• Washington Capitals coach Dale Hunter said he didn't bench Alex Ovechkin for a giveaway that led to the only goal of the game against the Philadelphia Flyers, but the Caps captain did sit for a while and took responsibility for the gaffe after the game. [Washington Post]
• There have been a fair number of instances where a skater has to dress as the backup goalie for a team for some reason. But they almost never have to go into the game. The Erie Otters of the CHL, however, weren't quite so lucky. [Hamilton Spectator]
• Meet the enemy: The Vancouver Canucks are not pleased with how their power play is rolling along right now. Gee, that's not a familiar complaint to Stars fans at all... [The Province]
  
• Around the Pacific Division: The Phoenix Coyotes have only lost two games in a row, but that's been enough to really tighten up the division, and the Yotes know they need to play better to remain in the hunt. [Tuscon Citizen]
  
• Other scoreboard watching: The Colorado Avalanche crept within one point of the San Jose Sharks (doesn't that feel good to say?) with their 2-0 win over the Minnesota Wild. I think it's safe to say the Wild are out of the race, and the Avalanche still have played one game more than Dallas and three more than San Jose. And the Detroit Red Wings were of no help as they lost 2-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks. [St. Paul Pioneer Press/Detroit Free Press]
  
• I went to high school in a town right near Norwood, Mass., so this story strikes a close note with me. A local high school hockey player was paralyzed more than two years ago but has been essentially adopted by the Boston Bruins, and he got to drop the puck before their game on Saturday. [Puck Daddy]
  
• Does Kari Lehtonen ever get excited? He is starting to move ahead of Jamie Benn in my mind as the most monotone interview on the team regardless of the subject. Not that being an even-keeled goalie is a bad thing, mind you. It just amuses me.
  

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