Dallas Stars Daily Links: Room for Improvement
The Stars have been scoring a bit more lately, but there’s still room to grow. Plus, trade talk, trade talk, and more trade talk.
The Dallas Stars aren’t exactly a high scoring team — they currently rank last among all current playoff teams in goals scored. But the team has seen a recent uptick in their offense, and there’s confidence that they’ll continue to improve:
“We’re working on it,” Stars captain Jamie Benn said with a bit of chuckle. “It’s been the debate all season, and I do think we’re doing some things better... Brad Richards always said that the numbers will even out over an 82-game season, and that’s probably true.”
Of course, the Stars don’t want to sacrifice their excellent defensive play in the name of scoring a few more goals. In fact, interim head coach Rick Bowness believes a better defense creates a better offense:
“I think if you’re looking for analytics and performance, the Carolina game is what we’re looking for. We played great team defense, and that allowed us to create double the scoring chances that they created. That’s what we want to do.”
You can read more from Mike Heika here.
Stars Stories
Did you miss the Stars’ win over the Arizona Coyotes last night? Perhaps you weren’t feeling well and passed out, resulting in an article being late the next morning? I got you covered:
A couple of power-play goals, 39 saves from Ben Bishop and a game-winner from Jamie Oleksiak.
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) February 20, 2020
The Stars picked up their 35th win of the season last night. #ARIvsDAL | #GoStars pic.twitter.com/0amG5ZR8wX
Here’s what Bowness had to say about the game:
Bowness on matching the intensity of teams hunting for a playoff spot:
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) February 20, 2020
"Until we (clinch playoffs), we expect our intensity to be the same as anyone else's... We never want our guys to be satisfied and we haven't done anything yet."#ARIvsDAL | #GoStars pic.twitter.com/Df79aWdKEK
Here’s fan-favorite Corey Perry on his two point night:
Corey Perry on his power-play unit's recent success:
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) February 20, 2020
"Everything is a good combination, it's working, and we're feeding off each other."#ARIvsDAL | #GoStars pic.twitter.com/kVHDP90VNg
And lastly here’s Ben Bishop on his solid performance:
"You've got to take care of the home ice, so it's good to get that win tonight. Obviously we have a first-place team in St. Louis coming, so kind of turn the page here and get ready for them." - Bishop#ARIvsDAL | #GoStars pic.twitter.com/wsAQmKEzKz
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) February 20, 2020
Here’s what General Manager Jim Nill has to say about the Stars’ approach to this upcoming deadline:
The upcoming trade deadline. Having a surplus of defensemen. His seven seasons in Dallas. Rebounding from a slow start and a coaching change. The playoff picture.@DallasStars GM Jim Nill joined the Stars Live crew to discuss a variety of topics prior to puck drop!#GoStars pic.twitter.com/hoJu6OOAg8
— FOX Sports Southwest (@FOXSportsSW) February 20, 2020
Speaking trades, Sean Shapiro is the one “who says no” to several trade proposals:
Over the last week, you've sent @seanshapiro your Stars trade proposals. He tells you why they're bad — or in a few cases, why they make sense! Which category did you fall into? Read on!https://t.co/GdQNqbhkVh
— The Athletic Dallas (@TheAthleticDFW) February 19, 2020
League Links
It was a relatively light Tuesday night in hockey, but not for the Central Division:
- The Chicago Blackhawks were routed by the New York Rangers in a 6-3 loss which saw seven(!) goals scored in the third period. [Blueshirt Banter]
- Meanwhile the Colorado Avalanche currently lead the West in terms of points-per-game after last night’s 3-1 win over the New York Islanders. [Mile High Hockey]
- Finally, the Minnesota Wild haven’t completely given up yet, beating the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in the shootout. [Nucks Misconduct]/
It’s official: the Vegas Golden Knights acquired defenseman Alec Martinez from the Los Angeles Kings for two second round picks:
The LA Kings acquired two second-round picks in exchange for defenseman Alec Martinez today.
— LA Kings (@LAKings) February 19, 2020
The two picks include Vegas’ in the 2020 #NHLDraft and St. Louis’s selection in the 2021 Draft that was previously acquired by the Golden Knights. https://t.co/agGGmV2Nmt
Now comes the obvious follow-up: is Martinez worth the cost?
Two second-round picks is no small price to pay, but it's a price the Golden Knights could afford to land cost-controlled top-four defenseman Alec Martinez from the Kings.@THNJaredClinton with more:https://t.co/5vnnHwHY3W
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) February 20, 2020
For all the team’s selling, it’s already time to focus on next year’s draft:
It's time for @scottcwheeler midseason ranking of the top prospects for the 2020 NHL Draft -- a class that features an impressive number of star-level players. https://t.co/VUpkXOYEYv
— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) February 19, 2020
Finally, what’s it like to be traded? NHL players open up:
“It just turns your whole life upside down."
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 20, 2020
We're in the thick of #SNTrade season now, and it can be easy to forget the impact a deal can have on the individual players involved.
So we asked them, 'What is it like to be traded?' ⤵️https://t.co/tYy0zAwRqI