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One of the more interesting stories coming out of the Dallas Stars’ win over the Buffalo Sabres were comments made by Linus Ullmark following the game. He said that Jamie Benn “just runs his mouth all the time,” and it turns out chirping goaltenders is nothing new for the Stars’ captain:
“Just talking,” Benn said. “I like talking to the goalies.”
...
“Lots of chatter, yeah. The friendly chirps,” Benn said with a smile. “Some compliments, some ‘Hey, how you doing?’ Just reminding him and other goalies where I might shoot sometimes.”
At one point in the game, the talking extended past goalies. Benn got into an argument with Jeff Skinner while they were on their respective benches, and poor Anton Khudobin was caught in the middle of it:
“...It was captain versus high-scoring guy right now, and that was really funny,” Khudobin said. “The way they started going on each other, I just started laughing. It always makes me smile on how it is going to end up, and there is nothing I can do about it, and I am just sitting there and laughing.”
You can read more in Mark Stepneski’s piece here.
Stars Stories
Speaking of Khudobin, he and Ben Bishop have been on fire this season. Want some insight into why that may be?
Whether it's Bishop or Khudobin in net, the Stars goaltending this season has been terrific. Goalie coach Jeff Reese talks about how Monty's system allows for consistent play between the pipes. pic.twitter.com/7DCW8aMCek
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) January 31, 2019
In fact, could that goalie play lead the Stars to make some playoff noise?
The Stars aren't a top contender in the Western Conference, but they might be more than simply first-round fodder. @THNJaredClinton on why Dallas could play post-season spoiler:https://t.co/5Uifw1tkrb
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) February 1, 2019
Sean Shapiro talks about the return of Jamie Oleksiak and possible trade scenarios in his latest mailbag: [The Athletic]
The Stars could use a new rivalry, and the Nashville Predators might just fit the bill:
Rinky Dinking Podcast: Could Stars-Predators blossom into great rivalry? https://t.co/zkBFELaZBq via @NHLdotcom
— Mike Heika (@MikeHeika) January 31, 2019
Around the League
In the lone Central game last night, the Winnipeg Jets continue their hold on 1st with a 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets: [Arctic Ice Hockey]
One Ex-Star makes this list of potential bargain forwards at the deadline:
Cap concerns could limit which teams chase which big targets at the trade deadline, but these five forwards can be added on a budget, writes @THNJaredClintonhttps://t.co/DGaXLBHjGb
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) February 1, 2019
The ESPN crew gave out mid-season report cards, and the Stars’ isn’t as bad as you’d think: [ESPN]
No hockey related, but the Dallas Mavericks made a blockbuster trade yesterday with the New York Knicks for Kristaps Porzingis. Which then led to this gem:
NHL: We'd like to upgrade our fourth line but we can't do anything during the season because the salary cap makes trading too complicated.
— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) January 31, 2019
NBA: Our franchise player seemed grumpy this morning so we made a six-player trade over lunch.
Finally...
Women’s hockey has been getting quite a bit of attention lately. Let’s hope that that doesn’t change soon:
Kendall Coyne Schofield is breaking barriers and she's not done yet https://t.co/t5mOOKJhwJ
— Katie Strang (@KatieJStrang) February 1, 2019