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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Inside The Video Room With Coach Kelly Forbes

Learn more about how he’s earned so much trust. Plus, Stanley Cup odds, the Fleury-Rittich facedown, and more.

Dallas Stars video coach Kelly Forbes is one of the best in the business – but what does he do, and how do you get a job like that? It’s time to find out.

A 10-year Stars coaching veteran, Forbes has also provided some welcome consistency for that crew, writes Sean Shapiro. And, as he notes, there’s a reason why the team has never considered replacing him:

Of the 31 NHL teams, only the Stars and the New York Islanders (plus-1) have a net positive in challenges over the past four seasons in data collected through Feb. 7. The New York Rangers have an even record at 11 wins and 11 losses, while the rest of the league is deep in the negatives. The Detroit Red Wings have a 14-41 record in challenges, while the Carolina Hurricanes are 6-30.

Winning challenges and knowing when not to waste them is a point of pride for Forbes. If done correctly it’s more of a science than a guessing game; the Stars are 4-1 in challenges this year....

Forbes, as it turns out, is another of the Stars’ two-sport athletes – he played golf as a student at East Central University before turning to club hockey at the University of Oklahoma. Students take note, he landed his job with the Stars after a successful internship:

At the end of an hour-long interview, [then-head coach Marc] Crawford handed Forbes a laptop and five DVDs.

“(Crawford) said go break down these games, come back and present it tomorrow to me,” Forbes said. “So, I went home and stayed up until 3 or 4 in the morning, I broke them down, I had never touched the software before. I had obviously broken down video in games and knew the game well but it was kind of a quick learn, with the software. And then I went and presented.”

A few days after presenting his work to Crawford and assistant coach Stu Barnes, the Stars hired Forbes as the first full-time video coach in franchise history.

There’s more under the paywall. [The Athletic DFW]

Stars Stuff

Andrew Cogliano is back, Radek Faksa is (probably) not, and the Stars need another big win tonight as the Colorado Avalanche come to town. [Dallas Stars]

Mike Heika answers tons of lineup questions in the latest #HeyHeika.

And in his latest chat, Matthew DeFranks suggests that re-signing Mats Zuccarello may be the best revenge on the Rangers.

Love you some Chel? Want to pit your skills against the pros? Check this out.

Around The League(s)

In On The #Kill Taker

  • The St. Louis Blues scored twice in 12 seconds to salvage a last-minute 5-4 win against the Anaheim Ducks. [St. Louis Game Time]/

The Vegas Golden Knights beat the conference-leading Calgary Flames 2-1, and Marc-Andre Fleury and David Rittich nearly fought about it.

Is this a Toronto Maple Leafs version of the Daryl Reaugh Shutout? Dan Murphy is in the doghouse after mentioning the Leafs’ previously perfect record after two periods.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have the best stats, but the Western Conference has the best Stanley Cup odds, according to people who study odds for a living.

Ready for some championship action now? Twitter is streaming all (NWHL) or many (CWHL) of the Isobel Cup and Clarkson Cup games online.

Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park

The Texas Stars are fighting for a playoff spot, and last night’s loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins didn’t help.

Finally

These player intros...are incredible. Enjoy.

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