“Vegas kept doing what they do, and Dallas somehow got progressively worse at dealing with it,” says Robert Tiffin.
The Dallas Stars depart for their weekend in Vegas down 2-0 in their Round 1 series. Right now, the Victory Green Gang looks less like the Western Conference champions than the team that went 0-3 against the Golden Knights in the regular season.
So what do they do? Robert Tiffin was at Game 2, and he saw what you may have seen – a better team that seems unable to solve Vegas’ relentless ability to clog up the works:
There’s gotta be more juice in the orange, because they’re pressing hard and not [getting] much of anything in return. As a fan, watching a game like this is downright awful, like playing basketball at Recess with taller kids, helplessly jumping and stretching, but immediately getting smacked down on the rare occasion you managed to touch or shoot the ball. One of these teams has felt like the eight seed more and more as the series has worn on, and it is not the team that it should be.
Peter DeBoer is, no matter what you think a Vegas series proves, one of the best coaches in the world, by definition. His staff has two full days to rest and re-evaluate before what is, unfortunately, a must-win game. The Stars need better execution from some of their players, but they need a better approach by all of them, collectively. Both of these games have been close on the scoreboard, but the gap between these teams is starting to feel miles wide. The only way to fix it is to force Vegas to do the jumping, for once.
Read the whole thing at Robert’s site. [Stars Thoughts]
Stars Stuff
Can Pete DeBoer out-coach Bruce Cassidy on Vegas’ home ice? It’s worth finding out.
Sadly, the Stars may have to win on the road without Radek Faksa and Mason Marchment.
Meanwhile…from one solid dude to another. The Stars family is pretty amazing, when you think about it.
The Story So Far – Round 1
- The Boston Bruins got their series lead back with a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, led by Brad Marchand’s two goals and one assist. [Stanley Cup Of Chowder]
- And Anže Kopitar got the game-winner in overtime to help the Los Angeles Kings tie their series with the Edmonton Oilers, 5-4. [CBS News Los Angeles]
Around The Leagues
The U18 World Championships are go, and the talent is thick on the ground. The Hockey News is keeping an eye on 16 players and what they want to prove.
So the Arizona Coyotes have landed in Salt Lake City. What will they call themselves now? Let’s read the tea lea…fudge that, take a look at the paperwork instead.
Not everyone is happy with the Stars’ hottest defensive prospect, as it turns out. The Swiss national team has beef, for starters.
Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park – And Beautiful Boise
The Texas Stars have a chance to move on after tonight. Head coach Neil Graham talks about the next steps in their Calder Cup run.
Meanwhile, up North, Jake Kielly produced a 28-save shutout to help the Idaho Steelheads take a two-game lead in their first-round series with the Allen Americans.
Finally
So how about some more of this in Vegas this weekend? Please and thank you.