Dallas Stars Daily Links: A Vote of Confidence
The Stars have faith in their current roster after deciding not to add this past trade deadline. Plus, interviews from last night’s win, David Ayres mania, and more.
The NHL trade deadline can be scary for players, or at least those without No-Trade Clauses. But the deadline passed without any fanfare for the Dallas Stars, and each player can rest easy knowing they’re in it for the long haul:
“You never know, so it’s one thing that is out of your mind now,” said defenseman Roman Polak. “I think we’re a confident group and because they didn’t do anything, I think they are confident in us. So then we go out and play our game and do the best we can. I don’t think it changes much, but we know for sure now.”
Of course, no trades means no reinforcement for the team’s, erhm, unimpressive offense. But the Stars have faith that they can solve their lack of scoring from within, and are pleased with how the team looks right now:
“We know what our team is and that’s a good feeling. It’s a really good feeling that we didn’t make any changes, because we have a lot of faith in the group in there,” Bowness said. “So it’s a true vote of confidence to that group that we kept it intact and didn’t disrupt it.”
You can read more from Mike Heika here.
Stars Stories
If scoring more is the goal (pun intended), Dallas got off on the right foot last night with their 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes:
"We needed that early goal to quiet the crowd and quiet that enthusiasm and the veteran line came through for us."
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) February 26, 2020
Rick Bowness discusses tonight's quick start and approach to the game. #DALvsCAR | #GoStars pic.twitter.com/JR8xJjakUh
Here’s what Roope Hintz had to say about his three point performance:
Roope: "We didn't give them too many chances and (Dobby) was great today."#DALvsCAR | #GoStars pic.twitter.com/ize4WnrT4h
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) February 26, 2020
And here’s Jason Dickinson, whose face survived yet another game:
"We cashed in when we needed to and we were able to hunker down until the end." - Jason Dickinson#DALvsCAR | #GoStars pic.twitter.com/p5eJmsGXRT
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) February 26, 2020
Sean Shapiro offers his own thoughts on the Stars’ lack of trades in his latest Shap Shots:
What's the fallout from the Stars opting against adding a player at the NHL trade deadline? The offense needs to step up.
— The Athletic Dallas (@TheAthleticDFW) February 25, 2020
That, plus the impact of the Emil Djuse deal plus Anton Khudobin's appreciation for LEGOs, in @seanshapiro's latest Shap Shotshttps://t.co/zyD2xccf4P
Do you think David Ayres gave them an autograph?
Pavelski. Ayres. Seguin.
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) February 26, 2020
Just three hockey legends taking a picture after the game. #DALvsCAR | #GoStars pic.twitter.com/4128pzzpz9
Around the League
If you watched a Central Division game last night, odds are you saw a lot of goals. Counting up...
- Tied with the Stars’ game with only five goals, the Nashville Predators edged out the Ottawa Senators 3-2. [On the Forecheck]
- Next up with seven goals, the Winnipeg Jets lost a 4-3 nail-biter to the Washington Capitals in the shootout. [Japers’ Rink]
- Meanwhile the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets combined for nine goals, with the Wild pulling away 5-4. [The Cannon]
- Finally, with a grand total of nine goals, the St. Louis Blues prevailed 6-5 over the Chicago Blackhawks. [Second City Hockey]/
Joe Thornton wasn’t traded at the deadline, but it’s not because he didn’t want to be:
‘I wanted a shot’: Joe Thornton is disappointed he wasn’t traded to a contender https://t.co/feYT892DYF
— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) February 25, 2020
Thornton isn’t the only one who had a rough deadline:
What it means to win or lose at the deadline is different for players than it is for franchises.
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) February 26, 2020
With that in mind, @THNJaredClinton looks at which players will be pleased with and which will be disappointed by what happened on deadline day:https://t.co/VUsOjQMySL
From Zamboni driver to NHL goaltender to minor celebrity, it’s been an interesting few days for David Ayres:
David Ayres is still adjusting to new-found stardom after winning a game as the emergency goaltender for the @Canes.https://t.co/7IdpW97kqJ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 25, 2020
We all know Ayres’ story by now, but what about hearing it from his wife’s perspective?
“It felt like forever for him to get on the ice, then he stepped on. Then I actually grabbed the guy who I didn’t know, beside me, and screamed, ‘That’s my husband.'” -@35Ayres https://t.co/WOTmBrOliJ
— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) February 25, 2020
Finally, if the past is any indication, then this last quarter of the season is going to be a lot more important than the first three:
Every Stanley Cup contender wants to head into the post-season riding high, but how much does it matter for a team to peak in the stretch run? @THNMattLarkin with more:https://t.co/s6QNaLRG2Y
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) February 25, 2020