As someone who spent the entire day yesterday watching how silence will fall in preparation for the late night game against the Ducks, it was quite amusing to see the level of panic across the internet when people realized that Dan Ellis was starting.
Forget that it was his old team who he had already beaten once before, and that his mediocre play in the last couple of games was no more mediocre than Kari’s during that same terrible stretch in January. This was obviously one that the coach got wrong, and all the fans knew it.
Right?
Yeah, I’ll gladly eat crow on that one.
— Brandon Worley (@brandonworley) February 2, 2014
Well, at least people were willing to admit they were wrong after the game.
They may not have received a ton of help from the best of the Leastern Conference, who lost to Phoenix, but the Stars still gained an incredibly valuable two points. Now, if they can just grab six more before the break, things might begin to look a little brighter.
By the way, in case you were curious, the magic number is 57.
On to the links:
- Want to relive last night’s victory with a recap or two? Well, you’re in luck! [Stars Inside Edge] [Dallas Morning News]
- Mike Heika is on the same roller coaster ride the rest of the fans are. And despite turning off the TV after each sickening loss and calling it quits, we can’t help but watch for the great wins like last night. [Dallas Morning News]
- The Stars have been working on their gap control this season, and it’s far more than just positional hockey. [Dallas Morning News]
- Here’s a not-quite-so-pleasant look at the Stars defensive issues, and how every defenseman that leaves Dallas seems to perform better with other teams. Hopefully that trend is coming to an end. [Dallas Morning News]
- The trade rumors for Ryan Callahan appear to be heating up. Could the Stars be interested? [Puck Daddy]
- Here’s an interesting controversy: Can a goalie knock his own net off during a shootout and call it a save? [Puck Daddy]
- And while the Stars don’t get any special mentions, here’s the top stars from around the NHL last night. [Puck Daddy]
- Finally, if you haven’t been to the arena this year, they have put together some fantastic videos to get everyone ready for the upcoming period. This is the latest that plays at the end of the second intermission, and I think it’s a nice way to fist-pump last night’s victory./