The Dallas Stars took a quick trip north before the polar vortex hits to take on the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center tonight. The Blackhawks find themselves again (still) at the bottom of the league while the Stars are currently clinging to the second wild card spot by the skin of their teeth. In a time when every win counts, the Stars pulled through.
First Period
The first period was painful in multiple ways, not the least of which is that the period ended with only 5 shots on a goal a piece in a period with four power plays. The Stars struggled with puck control through the neutral zone for much of the first, relying on the tried and untrue dump and chase over a clean entry into the Blackhawks’ zone.
The Blackhawks open with a bench minor for too many men, which was called by Jamie Benn from the Stars bench. And then it was Jamie Benn in the box shortly after, and Connor Bedard scores his 10th of the season.
Then the Stars took a second penalty when Lian Bichsel took a slashing penalty on Ryan Donato, followed by Alex Vlasic slashing Wyatt Johnston. As previously discussed, the power plays were both anemic and generated little energy and even fewer shots.
As the power play ended, Evgenii Dadanov rushed the net and looked like he was going to get past Soderblom, but Jamie Benn ended up having to lift the puck over the goalie’s pad.
Shots: Stars 5, Blackhawks 5
Goals: Stars 1, Blackhawks 1
Period 2
The second period opened with two power play opportunities to both teams that both were unable to do anything with. A little over eight minutes into the second, Tyler Bertuzzi received a five minute major and a game misconduct for an elbowing on Colin Blackwell, who left the game at the time.
Fourteen seconds into the ensuing power play, Jason Robertson scored his first in five games, eight of the season.
“We back” was awfully ambitious for the first power play goal in an embarrassing amount of time, especially since the rest of their goals 5 on 5, but they were, in fact, back. While they didn’t score again on the major penalty, it wasn’t for lack of effort.
Dadanov got his own goal at full strength.
And then Esa Lindell had a cross checking penalty to close out the period.
Shots: Stars 19, Blackhawks 15
Goals: Stars 3, Blackhawks 1
Period 3
Things we expect when a team is down 3-1 heading into the third period: score effects. The team down normally tries harder, the team up normally turtles, and in fact that’s the Stars’ general MO and the reason most Stars fans dislike that lead. Things that did not happen in the third period of this game: anything like a normal score effect. The Blackhawks did not manage more shots on goal than the Stars, they took the only two penalties in the period (both were on Patrick Maroon in the last five minutes of the game). The Stars had more high danger chances in front of the net.
The Blackhawks did lead in hits but hey, you can’t hit if you have the puck.
Wyatt Johnston scored in front of his dad opened the third period with a goal at the ten second mark, although it was technically a Matt Duchene goal that bounced off of Johnston’s leg.
And then Duchene got his own goal roughly 17 minutes later, after a lot of back and forth and precisely zero penalties, which was a refreshing (if boring) change of pace from the first two periods.
Shots: Stars 31, Blackhawks 25
Goals: Stars 5, Blackhawks 1
The Stars will be home at the American Airlines Center on New Year’s Eve for a 7 pm puck drop against the Buffalo Sabres.