An overtime goal from Tomas Hertl sank the Stars‘ hope for a win in Antti Niemi’s first game back at the Shark Tank since being traded. But while Dallas didn’t find the win column, coach Lindy Ruff felt the team seemed more like its old self.
“It’s a good point for us,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. “I thought we played a heck of a third period. There were some guys who really skated well for us. That looked more like us.”
Jason Spezza, who tied the game 12 seconds after the Sharks took a 3-2 lead in the third, also noticed the difference in last night’s effort.
“It’s a step in the right direction for us,” Spezza said. “We much more resembled the team we are and we have to be.”
Dallas moves to 29-12-5 (63 points). The Sharks are 23-18-2 (48 points).
“There was a little urgency in our game,” Spezza said. “We lacked that in the past two weeks. Even the mistakes we made tonight were harder working mistakes. When we go through a stretch like we did, sometimes you have to crawl before you can walk.”
For more on the game, head to the link. [SportsDayDFW]
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The Stars have today and tomorrow off before they hit the ice on Wednesday against the Kings.
Although Antti Niemi’s return to San Jose didn’t exactly pan out, you should still check out what he had to say about returning to California before the puck dropped. [SportsDayDFW]
In case you missed it yesterday, the Stars assigned Jamie Oleksiak to the Texas Stars for a conditioning assignment. [Stars]
The Texas Stars had a much better night last night than the Dallas Stars did. Coach Derek Laxdal also said Oleksiakplayed well for the team.
RECAP: @ranford19 Leads Stars to 4th Straight Win with a Hat Trick – https://t.co/NjyNr9gKF8 pic.twitter.com/apv9ajz63L
— Texas Stars Hockey (@TexasStars) January 17, 2016
With Mike Smith out with a core muscle injury, 23-year-old Louis Domingue has stepped in for the Coyote sand provided stability for the team. [Puck Daddy]
Here’s what went down in the Central last night:
- The Blue Jackets beat the Avalanche 2-1, thanks to a deflected shot from Jack Johnson. [NHL]
- Brian Elliott made 46 saves to help the Blues outlast the Canadiens for a 4-3 overtime win. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
- Carter Hutton led the Predators to 3-0 shutout win over the Wild. [The Tennessean]
In non-Central news, Braden Holtby failed to win his 23rd consecutive game in regulation last night—the Sabres stopped the Caps 4-1. [The Hockey News]
The Kings and Anze Kopitar agreed to terms.
Anze Kopitar extension by season, starting with 2016-17: $9M sb/$5M salary $9M sb/$4M salary $12M $11M $8M $8M $7M $7M
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) January 16, 2016
Predators goalie Pekka Rinne credits Pesapallo—a Finnish version of baseball—to his success in the NHL. [TSN]
Despite their differences in playing style, both Erik Karlsson and Drew Doughty are considered two of the league’s elite defensemen. [Puck Daddy]
The Hockey News’ Mike Brophy says that the hockey gods have finally decided to favor the Maple Leafs. [TSN]
The Ducks and the Penguins got in on the trading fun yesterday.
ANA trades Carl Hagelin to PIT for David Perron and Adam Clendening.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 16, 2016
Blackhawks forward Bryan Bickell once again finds himself on waivers. [The Score]
Shannon Szabados continues to change the game in the SPHL as the Columbus Cottonmouths’ goaltender. [Sports Illustrated]
Anaheim defensemen Shea Theodore and Sami Vatanen are reportedly drumming up trade interest. [Sportsnet]
And finally, if John Scott will always be the All-Star captain of your heart, don’t worry. You can still support the former Coyote and a good cause.
sad https://t.co/lHQRguHEcO pic.twitter.com/sG3FAraE6S
— Stephanie (@myregularface) January 16, 2016