Kari Lehtonen stole a game for the Stars in Vancouver on Sunday. And last night Henrik Lundqvist stole a game for the Rangers in Dallas.
You could call it justice, but I won’t. The only justice in last night’s game was Derick Brassard’s goal getting overruled, even as he stood at his team’s bench innocently pointing out to his teammates how the puck had only deflected off his arm… whilst he swung it in the direction of the goal.
The story of the rest of the game? 43 Stars shots to 27 by the Rangers. A 23-6 Stars shot advantage in the first period. A 41-14 Stars advantage in shot attempts in the first period. 91 total shot attempts by the Stars.
And yet the Rangers never trailed. Here’s Lundqvist talking about the barrage he faced in the first period.
“Well the way the game was played I had to be aggressive. Especially in the first it felt like the puck was all over the place and they were putting in a lot of shots on net and there were rebounds. It felt good to get a period like that – to really work hard. It was just fun to be in there. There was so much action. They have some really skilled players, some skilled forwards that can hold on to the puck and wait; it was definitely a challenge.” [Sports Day DFW]
“It felt good.” “It was just fun.” “There was so much action.”
So that was the Stars problem! They made it too enjoyable an experience for Lundqvist! Next time they obviously need to hold off on a few more shots. Tease the goaltender a little. Maybe let the frustration mount.
23 shots on goal in the first and a 1-nil deficit. Sigh…
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So these people presumably watched the match. [Stars Inside Edge] [Sports Day DFW] [NHL.com] [Sports Illustrated]
Game notes too. [Stars Inside Edge]
Oh look. All 8 teams playing last night that were ahead of the Stars in the Western standings got points. Joy. [USA Today]
There was some discussion yesterday about Brad Richards being a somewhat forgotten former-Star (did you remember that he played in Dallas for three seasons?). Well Richards himself hasn’t forgotten. [Newsday]
In case anyone missed this article last week, tonight is the Allen American’s Alzheimer Night. If you’re in the area, go!
A little hockey history made last night, with Craig Berube and Ted Nolan becoming the first Native/First Nations members to coach opposite one another in the NHL. [The Color of Hockey]
This one scares me. If hockey turns into the on-ice equivalent of soccer, with all those pansies flopping around and diving and appealing to the ref, then I am going to cry. Long and hard. For the moment though, it’s still funny. [Eyes on the Prize]
So this article from the Jets‘ SB Nation site has an inbuilt nerd alert. Meaning I don’t need to give it to you now. Fancy and unfancy stats, looking at how the Central Division teams are faring, and what hope there is for the Jets (and by extension, everyone else) [Arctic Ice Hockey]
More Corsi! Looking at who deserves the record they have through the first quarter of the season, and who doesn’t. The good news, Colorado and Phoenix are both outperforming what stats would predict. The other good news? The Stars are underperforming. [Sportsnet]
Everybody loves a pleasant surprise. Thirteen of ’em from the NHL this season. [Puck Daddy]
And lastly, I hesitate to build up Harrison Mooney’s ego any more, but this might just be the greatest thing he’s done. Plus he’s never gonna read this anyway. The Canucks–Oilers Twitter feud from the other night, revamped. [Pass It to Bulis]