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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Road Trips Build Team Chemistry, Says Captain Jamie Benn

Posted on by Kathleen Tibbetts

We’ve already talked about the offense, the defense, the goaltending and everything else that has helped the Dallas Stars blast out of the gate like a rocket this season. Now let’s talk about all the time they’ve spent on the road the past couple of weeks, keeping each other company at dinner.

Mike Heika has posted a quick hit on how the Stars have used their early road trip to get to know their new teammates better:

Stars captain Jamie Benn said the team already has had an organized dinner and several impromptu gatherings. He said building team chemistry is important to winning games.

“I think you definitely can tell when you have it,” he said. “I think what you do off the ice affects what you do on the ice.”

There’s more at Heika’s blog. [SportsDayDFW]

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The Stars get their turn at hosting #HockeyFightsCancer night this Saturday, Oct. 24, against the Florida Panthers. Watch for the Stars’ lavender warmup jerseys: They’ll be auctioned for charity later. [SportsDayDFW]

In addition, the team is partnering with the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation for Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer Nov. 6-8, 2015. A $10 registration fee covers both your skate rental and ice time at a Dr Pepper StarCenter in Frisco, McKinney or Farmers Branch, and 50 percent of the proceeds will be donated to cancer-related causes. [Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer]

And in case you were dying for this, here’s a closer view of the #HockeyFightsCancer jerseys the Pittsburgh Penguins wore during last night’s warmup.

A callous e-mail from the NHL’s deputy general counsel has created some ugly optics as the league’s concussion lawsuit drags on. [Sports Illustrated]

Are you surprised that defense and goaltending made such a big difference against the Penguins last night? You shouldn’t be: This is what the Stars’ D looked like against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Now that The Hockey Writers have judged all NHL team play-by-play broadcasters, they turn their attention to color analysts. You’ll never guess who’s No. 1 in that department, and by that I mean you already have. [The Hockey Writers]

If you’ve ever had teeth extracted, you know that sometimes, air hurts. Add in getting screws pulled out of a broken jaw…yikes. These were good reasons why Derek Stepan was a game-time decision yesterday for the New York Rangers. You can imagine what happened next. [CBS Sports]

Zac Rinaldo didn’t get suspended for his dangerous-looking hit on Sean Couturier during the Bruins-Flyers game Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Raffi Torres is still watching from home. Discuss. [Today’s Slapshot]

Kerry Fraser is probably at least as incredulous as you are. [TSN]

Carey Price and his reality-TV-star wife are expecting a little Price, and a Montréal blogger is in tuh-rouble because he announced it before they did. [Puck Daddy]

Now these are the burning hockey questions of our age. This is why we have Steve Dangle.

DBizzle99 brought this story in yesterday’s links post: Sean Shapiro writes about how Radek Faksa has gone from a sidelining shoulder injury on his birthday to starting for the Dallas Stars in the space of less than one calendar year. If you’re on board for ALL THE FAKSA FEELS – and let’s face it, who isn’t? – this is your meat and drink. [Hockey’s Future]

Eliteprospects has shared this handy infographic on the NHL’s increasingly international makeup.

Obviously, therein lies a sobering wake-up call for Canada’s next prime minister.

It’s autumn, so don’t you want a little soup with all that pumpkin-spice-flavored everything? Carolyn Wilke, who actually has a degree in this stuff, has even made this recipe Stars-related, so that’s some kind of feat. [Two Bearded Ladies]

Melissa started a cute fight in yesterday’s links. I see your rhyming kindergartener and raise you Jake Virtanen.

Finally: And to think some of us (which is to say, me, pretty much) were grumbling about the various JFK miniseries disruptions during the Stars’ season opener. I’ll take James Franco Parking and appreciate it next time.

Talking Points