Dallas Stars Daily Links: Homestand Off to Rough Start

Well, that wasn’t fun. If you want to know why the Dallas Stars lost last night, you should probably blame me; this is my third links post in a row that’s coming the day after a tough loss. I’m also scheduled to do links the day after the Calgary Flames game on Tuesday. I should probably switch with someone...

Anyway, last night at least started pretty well, with Tyler Pitlick’s historical goal off the faceoff:

The Winnipeg Jets proceeded to score a billion five consecutive goals in the second period, but it was Tyler Seguin who had the last laugh:

A full period later, the game was all but over, but Alexander Radulov wouldn’t go down without a fight:

Speaking of Radulov, here’s what the Rad Russian had to say about the loss:

Here’s the captain Jamie Benn’s two cents:

And here’s head coach Ken Hitchcock:

You can read other post-game quotes over at Mark Stepneski’s place: [Between the Blue Lines]

This might make you more sad about last night, but this Patrik Laine stat is pretty cool:

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Other Stars News

There’s only 20 games left, and they’re all going to be important:

I think Ken Hitchcock read my piece on Martin Hanzal. I don’t think he agreed:

The Dallas Stars may not have had a great Saturday night, but at least the Texas Stars did:

Congrats are in order for Texas goaltender Mike McKenna:

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Winter Olympics Update

The men’s hockey tournament ended in dramatic fashion last night, with the Russians ending Germany’s cinderella run in overtime:

Meanwhile, Canada captured the bronze medal with a win over the Czech Republic:

In anticipation of Germany’s quest for gold later that night, Jared Clinton recounted eight incredible Olympic hockey upsets from the past 20 years. [The Hockey News]

On the women’s side, the US veterans can rest easy after finally capturing gold:

Speaking of the future, could the 2018 Olympics be Germany’s equivalent of the Miracle on Ice, spurning a new generation of German hockey players? [The Hockey News]

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Around the League

It was a busy night around the league yesterday, though only two other Central teams squared off:

• The Chicago Blackhawks continue to have a disappointing year, as they dropped a 3-2 decision to the Columbus Blue Jackets. [Second City Hockey]
• The Colorado Avalanche didn’t fare much better, getting squashed by the Calgary Flames 5-1. [Matchsticks & Gasoline]

The big event last night was in New Jersey, where the franchise retired Patrik Elias’ number:

Down Goes Brown kicked off his Saturday Storylines yesterday with the Stars-Jets game: [Sportsnet]

We had another trade yesterday:

Finally, Erik Karlsson could actually get traded before the deadline on Monday. No, really. [Sportsnet]