Dallas Stars Daily Links: With Second Defeat of the Blackhawks, Have the Stars Taken Back Their Game?

The Dallas Stars beat the Chicago Blackhawks in two games in three days. They’re also riding a four-game winning streak. Is it too early for analysis?

Head coach Ken Hitchcock seems to believe the recent streak is a course correction for a team that may finally be catching some bounces and answering difficulty differently, writes Mike Heika of The Dallas Morning News:

"It's how you deal with adversity," Hitchcock said. "You can build or you can crumble, and we're building. Every team has to go through adversity. You have to go through it, you hope you don't go through it for long, but that's what we're doing. I like the way we're responding.

"We're going to have to face it all of the time," Hitchcock added. "I just don't think it's relevant whether it's road or home. To me. it's when the push comes to shove, how do you respond? I like the way we're responding right now."

Some of that adversity came from missing Antoine Roussel due to a bout with flu. And observant fans might be forgiven for thinking another backup netminder (Anton Forsberg with 33 saves) was about to drink their milkshake, or perhaps their Victory Green smoothie. So it’s not surprising that Hitchcock is slowing the roll on talking about that other kind of roll:

...[Last night’s win] makes the Stars 6-1-0 in their past seven games, but don't tell Hitchcock they are on a roll.

"I think roll is the most over-rated word in the league," he said. "To me, it's not about getting on a roll. It's how long you stay in the ditch, and if you stay in a short time, you're going to have a very successful season."

There’s more at Mike’s place. [SportsDayDFW]

Heika has some cold facts about Ben Bishop’s big performance and the importance of good passing:

And Stars digital correspondent Scott Burnside brings his Five Takeaways from a whirlwind few days.

To the highlights! Radek Faksa is on pace for at least 30 goals this season, and he scored a second-period beauty off a great assist from Remi Elie.

And you’ll probably be talking about Bishop’s sliding block on Nick Schmaltz in OT for the next couple of days at least.

Josh Bogorad put Tyler Seguin’s long night in its historical context.

There’s also this:

Meanwhile, from the Chi-town side, this Alex DeBrincat stat may amaze you. Too bad he’s so small and everything, right?...

Can it be coincidence that the Jere Lehtinen ceremony came so soon before this #MDK winning streak? Between the banner and the laces lie some powerful magicks.

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More Stars

It’s another day in the #MDK, and the Stars are in Denver to take on the Colorado Avalanche with Kari Lehtonen in net. Mark Stepneski has the official preview.

John Klingberg made the cut when the NHL.com staff announced their 11-man 2018 All-Star team for the Central Division. Fan voting is on now. [NHL]

We’ve already mentioned Rou’s flu, but Mark also has a Martin Hanzal update: The big center is “week to week” with a hamstring injury, and Jason Dickinson has gotten the call-up.

You may remember that defender Stephen Johns forged a close bond with Nathan Beatty, an eight-year-old Stars fans from Glen Rose who suffered from a rare and deadly brain cancer. Nathan died on July 4, but Johns is still cheering on his family.

Around the league(s)

Last Night, In #Murder

• The Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues spread the Central-on-Central violence around, with Matt Dumba playing 3-on-3 hero in the Wild’s 2-1 OT win. [Hockey Wilderness]
• And the Nashville Predators won a 3-2 shootout of their own, this one against the Anaheim Ducks with skills goals from Kevin Fiala and Kyle Turris. [On The Forecheck]

Viktor Arvidsson and P.K. Subban got big assists off the ice last night as they helped one Perds fan pop the question to another.

Have the Montreal Canadiens missed Carey Price, do you think? Price backstopped his fifth consecutive win and Paul Byron netted his first career hat trick during a 10-1 blowout of the Detroit Red Wings. [Eyes On The Prize]

After years of back-and-forth and at least one expired Memorandum of Understanding, the Seattle City Council is expected to approve a $600 million deal for the KeyArena renovation tomorrow. Will the NHL come calling? [NBC King5]

The Philadelphia Flyers are experiencing a bad stretch, and Jakub Voracek isn’t mincing words.

Check it out, Stranger Things fans: Dustin (a.k.a. Gaten Matarazzo) sang the national anthem before Friday night’s New York Strangers Rangers game.

Texas Stars

Roope Hintz scored his fourth goal in five games, but the Texas Stars’ winning streak ended, as did their latest road trip, with a 6-2 loss to the Rockford IceHogs.

Finally

Leave it to @TylerSeguinProblems to sum up the past few days with a GIF. Enjoy.