The Dallas Stars haven’t made their entire personality out of dropping the ball (losing the puck, whatever). Yet. But this late in the season, with difficult first-round match-ups looming around almost every corner, it’s a little concerning (and enormously frustrating) to see them do it three times in a row, at home.
Last night’s 6-5 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks was the echoing shout at the bottom of a deep and unexpected pit. The home team allowed five (count: 5) goals in the third period, including three in the final minute, to blow what should have been a lockdown victory.
Full-time Stars guy Robert Tiffin wants to remind you that the last games of the season don’t necessarily presage performance in the Stanley Cup playoffs. But for Jiminy’s sake, this team does not want to set this example, not now.
No one does this quite like Big Bobby T, so I’m just going to drop you into the middle of his piece and then give you a link:
“All totally different situations,” DeBoer said when asked about the three straight third-period comebacks by Stars opponents. And he’s not wrong, if only because the Vancouver loss was so preposterous that you can’t compare anything to it, unless the Stars get a piano dropped on their team bus tomorrow, then hop off the smoldering bus and right into an open manhole.
That’s the level of absurd calamity Dallas has strung together here in the last four days. It’s unprecedented, especially for a team like Dallas, that spent most of the year holding third-period leads especially well.
And as any millennial knows, there is nothing worse than living in Unprecedented Times.
Can you believe you still get this for free? In this economy? [Stars Thoughts]
Stars Stuff
Hey, Mason Marchment scoring in his 300th NHL game doesn’t make you want to tear your hair out. Let’s do that, huh?
In On The #Kill Taker
So what else happened in the Dirty Central last night?
- The Chicago Blackhawks took a road beating at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins and got blanked 5-0. [Second City Hockey]
- The Nashville Predators, playing out the string, still managed a 7-6 overtime victory against the New York Islanders. [NHL]
- Utah Hockey Club, still trying to make the playoffs, set a franchise record with their 7-1 win over the Seattle Kraken. [Deseret News]
- And the Colorado Avalanche squeaked out a shootout victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-2. [The Denver Post]
Around The Leagues
The #WomensWorlds are here, and they’re opening with USA vs. Finland. Now might be a good time to get familiar with IIHF.tv.
Need help getting a sense of who’s who and what’s what? This list might help.
Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park And Beautiful Boise!
The Idaho Steelheads are glowing with pride in grabbing that final Kelly Cup playoffs spot, and this guy is one big reason why.
Meanwhile, at Texas Stars HQ, Rémi Poirier is also enjoying some well-earned accolades.
7-0-0 in March for Remi…
— 100 Degree Hockey (@100degreehockey.bsky.social) April 1, 2025 at 2:47 PM
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And Petro got in on that sweet bobblehead action over the weekend.
Finally
So is Vic the Ally Sheedy or the Anthony Michael Hall? …Why not both? Enjoy.