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Well, that was not a great way to start off a six-game road trip. Granted, it could be a lot worse than losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins (different conference on top of being the two-time defending champs), but the Dallas Stars have to win as much as possible if they want to succeed a tight Western Conference playoff race:
Western Conference Playoff Race (Games Ending 3/11) pic.twitter.com/V4tL0Tnnvj
— Damian Echevarrieta (@Ech28) March 12, 2018
Thankfully, the Stars get a break with a struggling Montreal Canadiens team next, but the game will be far from an easy win.
Here’s Ken Hitchcock’s postgame interview:
"It starts with our top players. Our top players look at times like they're waiting to go on the power play." pic.twitter.com/8nESFlhrz8
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) March 12, 2018
Here’s what Kari Lehtonen had to say:
And, in a pleasant surprise, we also got to hear from veteran Jason Spezza:
Stars Stories
At least a former Star did well last night?
Jamie Oleksiak had the game-winning goal and was selected as the first star of the game by Pittsburgh media.
— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) March 12, 2018
Oleksiak has three points in his past three games. He had three points in 21 games with Dallas.
— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) March 12, 2018
why can't the Stars get defensemen like Jamie Oleksiak?
— DL (@davelozo) March 12, 2018
Ken Hitchcock is not happy with how the team has been playing lately, calling it a “recipe for losing hockey.” [SportsDay DFW]
In happier news, Stars defenseman Stephen Johns has made great strides in his second full NHL season. [The Athletic]
Around the League
Sorry in advance for the low amount of links. Sunday was apparently a universal day off for hockey writers.
It was a quiet night in the league yesterday, with only four games on the schedule in total. That included the Chicago Blackhawks, who upset the Boston Bruins 3-1 - and yes, saying Chicago upset someone still feels weird to write. [Second City Hockey]
The Vegas Golden Knights will make the playoffs, but could they actually win the Stanley Cup in their first year?
Everything's coming up Vegas: Can the best expansion team we've ever seen actually win the Stanley Cup in its first #NHL season? @THNKenCampbell files: https://t.co/lBDWohMM6c pic.twitter.com/hi0VmmQLnB
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) March 12, 2018
Speaking of the playoffs, the Calgary Flames have gone from sure thing to borderline wild card at best. [FanRag Sports]
Arizona Coyotes owner Andrew Barroway recently assumed sole ownership of the team, but could he be on the hunt for new investors? [Arizona Sports]
Finally, the Carolina Hurricanes need a new GM, and we already have some front runners:
A few candidates have emerged in the #Hurricanes' hunt for a new general manager.https://t.co/rIgzR5Nuj9
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 11, 2018