The Dallas Stars came out swinging last night against the Calgary Flames, but too often found themselves punching at shadows.
A shorty from Johnny Oduya wasn’t enough to make up for a frustrated power play, and goaltender Karri Ramo demonstrated one big reason why the Flames are on a seven-game winning streak.
“The first 15 minutes we played pretty well,” said Stars coach Lindy Ruff. “That little bit of roller coaster ride we’re on, 15 minutes wasn’t good enough.”
“I think we got off to a good start. We talked about that. There was a little bit of a lapse in the first, and they capitalized. We just couldn’t get the puck in the net,” said Stars center Jason Spezza.
Oduya summed it up for the squad:
“We didn’t play good enough to win,” Oduya said. “The effort in this game tonight was better than the one before. With that said, there are certain things we need to do to get a win in a game. We are not happy with that; we have to move forward, and we have another big game coming up. We will look at some things tomorrow and move forward.”
Read the entire article here. [Stars Inside Edge]
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Jason Spezza thinks the Stars may be “overthinking” the power play at this point: “We’ve just got to get back to being simple.”
And Lindy Ruff talked about the challenges of playing teams with momentum.
Down about another loss to Calgary? Let Razor hug it out with you in the Emporium.
Last night, in Cell Block 7:
- The Minnesota Wild beat the New York Rangers 5-2, and Rangers backup goalie Antti Raanta left the game with a scary-looking injury after taking a shot to the mask. [Blueshirt Banter]
- The St. Louis Blues outlasted the Nashville Predators, 2-1, with a third-period PPG by Vladimir
TerrorTarasenko putting them over the top. [Sports Illustrated] - The Chicago Blackhawks blanked the Edmonton Oilers 4-0 behind two goals from Teuvo Teravainen (and a return to the line-up of former Star Ryan Garbutt). [News & Observer]
- And two goals from Francois Beauchemin led the Colorado Avalanche to a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders. [New York Newsday]
The Vancouver Canucks lost 2-0 to the Philadelphia Flyers, and lost captain Henrik Sedin to a lower-body injury, as Flyers G Steve Mason stopped 36 shots. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
With Ryan Johansen healthy-scratched and trade rumors making the rounds (again, as usual), Paul Berthelot writes that the talented but temperamental center is not what’s wrong with the Columbus Blue Jackets. [Hockeybuzz]
What good is winning on the dot if you can’t exit your own zone? Dominik Luszcyzsyzn looks at the stats and writes that you may be overestimating the value of face-off wins.
.@omgitsdomi explains why faceoffs aren’t as important as they’re made out to be: https://t.co/a13qwg7XC7 pic.twitter.com/xiEy34gqRD
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) December 17, 2015
Sidney Crosby is having a career season for all the wrong reasons, which has sparked a debate over his eventual role on Canada’s World Cup of Hockey team. [Sports Illustrated]
Ottawa Senators forward Zack Smith may be good at hockey, but he’s bad at acting: He’s become the latest NHL player to get slapped with a league fine for embellishment. [ESPN]
The Arizona Coyotes may be getting out of Glendale and into a temporary home in Veterans Memorial Coliseum. [KJZZ]
Trevor Daley has joined the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he’s still a member of Feel Team Six.
terrible pic.twitter.com/lYmt0aW3Rc
— Britta (@brittaml16) December 17, 2015
@hheyitsmonica pic.twitter.com/Dv4bXEIKAp
— Britta (@brittaml16) December 18, 2015
Speaking of the Pens, and of former Stars, defensive development coach Sergei Gonchar talks about the greatest Russian players of all time, and you’ll never guess which other former Star is on his list, by which I mean you buzzed in about 20 words ago. (Spoiler alert: It’s Sergei Zubov. Now he’s linked.) [ESPN]
And Shea Weber is the star of the latest edition of “What the (Blank)?” HE IS A NOBLE BEAST INDEED. [The Players’ Tribune]
Elsewhere, Canucks agitator Alex Burrows has apologized, years later, for a devastating taunt he used against Patrick O’Sullivan during their minor and NHL careers. [Puck Daddy]
Burrows says that the O’Sullivan back story is bigger than he ever thought and he apologizes now that he knows the magnitude.
— Dan Murphy (@sportsnetmurph) December 18, 2015
The Texas Stars began a 3-in-3 stretch by erasing a three-goal lead in the third period but losing to the Chicago Wolves in OT. [Texas Stars]
Sean Shapiro’s weekly T-Stars mailbag is back. This time out, Sean takes a close look at the team’s improved power play. [Wrong Side of the Red Line]
Finally: The Washington Capitals get their Christmas Story on in their 2015 holiday video. [Puck Daddy]
TL;DR: Alex Ovechkin in a bunny suit. Go. Now!