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It sure does feel these days like every mistake the Stars make is ending up in the back of the net. And yes, I proudly wear Victory Green-tinted glasses, but even when I make a conscious effort to not be such a homer, it feels that way. I mean, just look at the third period of last night's game in Philadelphia. Wayne Simmonds scores on a shot from distance with the partialest of partial screens, and then a checking line guy by the name of Raffl scores on a partial breakaway with only a few minutes remaining and the Stars pushing for the tying goal. Four shots on goal in the third for the Flyers at that point, and two of them went in.
It's a little back-breaking, to say the least.
And on the flip side, it seemed the first real Flyers' scoring chance went in, on a quick shot from the faceoff that beat Thomas. Never mind that the Stars had been pushing the play up to that point, what mattered was that they still found themselves in a hole.
Is there consolation to be taken in the fact that the Stars beat both the Penguins and Flyers on the first legs of the season series'? Perhaps. But the timing of the losses makes that 1-1 record against two strong Eastern teams seem not good enough.
Phoenix won last night, because of course they did, putting them 4 points up, and the game in hand the Stars have will begin with a 1-0 deficit. What a difference a week makes. The Stars have gone from controlling their own destiny, to needing the Coyotes to stumble.
So please, Coyotes. Any day now.
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Better reading than the loss to Pittsburgh at least. [Sports Day DFW] [Stars Inside Edge] [NHL.com]
And observations from Mike Heika. Not only on last night's game, but on the state of the Stars. [Sports Day DFW]
Great story here about a 9-year old fan, admittedly a Flyers' fan, who has the same heart condition as Rich Peverley. He didn't get to meet Rich yesterday, but he did get to meet the rest of the Stars' squad. [Stars Inside Edge]
Ryan Miller finally got a new mask, so no more blank white. Wonder how Tim Thomas' new one is coming along?
Down Goes Brown. More than just comedy these days. Apparently Sean McIndoe does fancy stats too. Although, he is a Maple Leafs fan, so I guess he can't help it. [Grantland]
Ten players flying under the radar and having amazing seasons. And no, Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin are not on this list, which we can take as a good sign. [Puck Daddy]