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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Opening Night

Posted on by Adam Gaston

Well, that wasn’t how it was supposed to go.  The Stars were cruising along with a 1-0 lead until Ben Bishop took a shot to the face in the third and had to exit the contest.  Things were chippy throughout, with 11 combined penalties (7 on Dallas, all of them killed successfully).  Ultimately, the Stars were done in by former friends James Neal and Cody Eakin.  Mark-Andre Fleury put up a gargantuan effort for the Golden Knights, saving 45 of 46 shots (though the Stars hit iron and missed an open net several times).  Let’s hope the boys can right the ship tonight in St. Louis.  Here are a few highlights and links from the game:

A nice moment during the pregame ceremony:

Alex Radulov made his presence known:

Ben Bishop was in the midst of a “subtle and perfect” debut according to Razor:

But then….

Good news:

How I felt as a San Diego resident until I Firestick finagled my way into the game (it also isn’t part of the paid Center Ice package when the game is on NHLN):

Mood:

And a little positivity heading forward:

Dallas! Stars!

Should the Stars have started Kari Lehtonen on opening night? Sean Shaprio thinks not:

This is a bad idea in my opinion.

While Kari Lehtonen may have had better numbers in the preseason, the Stars made a commitment to Ben Bishop as the No. 1 goalie when they signed him to a six-year contract. If this were a video game without egos and expectations from ownership — who happen to be the ones shelling out the money for Bishop’s contract — it would make sense.

Starting Lehtonen on opening night would create too many distractions. There would be a perceived goalie controversy right away, as media members we’d ask Bishop about it — it would provide an unneeded sideshow right off the bat.

See more at Sean’s mailbag. [Wrong Side of the Red Line]

Here is some clarification on the A’s for this year:

And Mike Heika with some further clarification on the Radulov selection:

Stephen Hunt takes a look at how the Stars have helped change the hockey scene in Dallas over the last 25 years. [Star-Telegram]

Razor, Luds, and Brent “The Throat” Severyn dish on the 4th winningest coach in NHL history, Ken Hitchock. [SportsDayDFW]

If you haven’t been paying much attention to the Stars this offseason, here is a good refresher as the season begins:

That’s looks like a fun way to get warmed up.  Wonder if it is more effective than the soccer volleyball they used to play.

League News

Brian Bickell, who was diagnosed with MS in November, had a nice retirement ceremony in Chicago. [Deadspin]

This isn’t technically hockey news, but if you aren’t reading Down Goes Brown, you should be.  Here is where you can find him this year. [Down Goes Brown]

Speaking of DGB, his Friday Grab Bag explains what your Stanley Cup predictions say about you.

Kevin Shattenkirk had quite a crew cheering him on in his hometown Rangers debut, in which he recorded an assist.  They also had super cool matching t-shirts. [Sporting News]

Five things we learned in the NHL on Thursday night, including a look at the Red Wings debut in their new arena. [Sports Net]

It’s been a good start to the year for goal scorers:

Obvious and uncomfortable questions for each NHL team this season. [ESPN]

Who said football is better than hockey because there is more scoring?  The Blackhawks have more goals through one game than the Bears have touchdowns through four.

Talking Points