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Dallas Stars Daily Links: From “Worst Game” To First Victory

Posted on by Kathleen Tibbetts

Have the Dallas Stars turned their young season around? From their worst start to a big victory on the road, the Victory Green gang finally put it all together last night against the Washington Capitals.

The team is learning to manage the high emotions that great expectations bring, writes Stars senior staff writer Mike Heika. And they did it through the efforts of everyone from the Big Three line to the NHL’s newest incipient superstar, Roope Hintz:

Hintz, 22, is the biggest highlight of the young season, as the Stars are finding out they might have one of the best young players in the league. When that player is a fast, strong, second line center, it can change everything. It can make this team so much tougher to defend, and Hintz is showing no sign of slowing down.

Of course, that second-line center is most effective when he has a first line to take away the attention of the opposing team. The Stars have that line in Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov, but they haven’t gone to them much this season. On Tuesday, Montgomery tossed out his top line and stuck with it, and by the end of the game, that proved to be a great decision.

The Stars showed a new cohesiveness through the game’s lows and highs, Heika adds – and nowhere was it more evident than in Nick Caamano’s first NHL goal off a pass from Andrew Cogliano:

Not only had the top players made a difference, but also a rookie in his third NHL game. There was a feeling that maybe all of this talk of off-season improvement might actually be right.

“It was a blast. The best part of the night,” said Seguin of watching Caamano score.

There’s more at Mike’s place. [Dallas Stars]

Stars Stuff

Sean Shapiro has some thoughts on last night’s win in his latest 20/20.

Want another look at Caamano’s first NHL tally? Of course you do, especially with commentary from Nick himself.

Watch him whip, now watch him Roope (with a great assist from Jamie Oleksiak).

Jim Montgomery breaks down the victory.

Meanwhile, we can all cheer what may be the imminent return of Corey Perry, because this is the world we live in now.

Around The League(s)

#Murder Was The Case

  • The Winnipeg Jets found their footing last night, too, beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 even with a depleted defense. [Winnipeg Free Press]
  • The Nashville Predators ripped the San Jose Sharks a new one, 5-2. The Sharks have stumbled hard out of the gate; this was their fourth straight loss. [On The Forecheck]/

Could beloved vet Patrick Marleau help turn San Jose’s season around?

Former Star James Neal is looking like a really, really good acquisition for the Edmonton Oilers. He scored four of the Oil’s five goals in last night’s win over the New York Islanders.

Is Carter Hart the goalie the Philadelphia Flyers have been searching for? Signs point to Yes.

Talking Points