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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Grinding it Out

The Stars-Flames series has been a low scoring affair so far, just how Dallas likes it. Plus, the NHL Central Scouting rankings, Conn Smythe voting, and more.

Although the final score was 2-0 thanks to the empty netter, the Dallas Stars really beat the Calgary Flames 1-0 last night. Pair that with the 1-0 loss on Tuesday, and there have been only two “real” goals in both games, only one at even strength.

That’s made this series a bit of a slog so far, but that’s just how the Stars have drawn it up:

“That’s how we have to play,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said. “We have to grind it out with them. This is one of the best defensive teams in the league. They’re not going to give you a lot of chances, no matter if you play Dallas Stars hockey, whatever hockey. They don’t give you very much.”

After getting blown out in the first period in Game 1, the Stars took the lead early in the first, courtesy of a Joe Pavelski tip. That gave the team a nice boost of confidence that carried throughout the game:

“It’s nice to get the lead,” Pavelski said. “We handled their forecheck a little bit better, a little bit cleaner. You reset, you see what you can do different, and guys responded. They’re not going to go away, and you just have to take situations as they come.”

You can read more from Mike Heika here.

Stars Stories

Saad Yousuf offers his own thoughts about the game:

Also from Saad, here’s a (prophetic?) piece he wrote about the Stars’ top line before the game:

Now that Game 2 is in the books, the series is heading back to Dallas for the weekend:

Around the League

It was a night of series-tying games. Well, for the most part...

  • After falling short in triple overtime in Game 1, the New York Rangers came back with a vengeance, trouncing the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2. [Blueshirt Banter]
  • The Florida Panthers were similarly merciless in their bounceback game, scoring five of their own in a 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals. [Litter Box Cats]
  • Finally, the Nashville Predators were at least able to force overtime, but the Colorado Avalanche took a 2-0 series lead with a 2-1 win. [Mile High Hockey]/

The Arizona Coyotes won’t be homeless this next season:

In a case of cross-border peculiarities, the Edmonton Oilers bused into the United States in order to avoid COVID testing protocols:

The IIHF has found a new home for the 2023 World Juniors Championship:

On the subject of prospects, the NHL Central Scouting report has been finalized for the 2022 Draft:

That being said, maybe don’t read too much into it:

Finally, Greg Wyshynski digs into the history of the Conn Smythe award and proposes some changes to how the media votes on it:

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