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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Stars Survive Sharks' Third Period Attack for 4-2 Win

Despite a late-game flurry of goals from the Sharks, the Stars held on to win. Plus, just how tough would a first-round matchup with the Wild be? And a look at Jason Spezza and Dallas' playoff hopes.

After an awful turnover led to a short-handed goal, which was quickly followed by a Tomas Hertl goal, things looked a little dicey for the Stars. Fortunately, the team held on and emerged from the Shark Tank with a 4-2 victory in hand.

And because Antti Niemi stopped 34 of 36 shots against his former team, Mike Heika looked again at the Stars' goalie tandem and noted that Lindy Ruff said he doesn't need to make a decision on a starter for the playoffs until the season ends.

He [Niemi] moves to 23-12-7 while Lehtonen is now 22-10-2_ the first time in franchise history the Stars have had two 20-game winners. Dallas continues to be in the bottom third in the league in save percentage and goals against average, but they have the second best record in the NHL.

"Some people say they don't like the numbers, but I do," Ruff said. "I like the fact that each of them has 20 wins. To me, the two-man duo has done a good job for us."

You can relive the drama all over again with Stars Rewind.

And, of course, no Stars win is complete without hearing what Razor has to say about it.


For more on the Stars' 45th victory of the season, head to the link. [SportsDayDFW]

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In case you'd forgotten how good the PK has been this month...

Hockey Wilderness' Joe Bouley argues that a Stars vs. Wild first-round matchup would be "difficult, but not impossible" for Minnesota to handle. Thoughts, anyone? [Hockey Wilderness]

The recent run of injuries endured by Stars players has given the organization's younger players a chance to shine. And Lindy Ruff, for one, welcomes the difficult lineup decisions that's brought about. [SportsDayDFW]

From Travis Moen to Jason Demers, breaking down the fate of the Stars' UFAs. [The Hockey Writers]

Bleacher Report named each playoff team's X-factor, and for the Stars, that's Jason Spezza. [Bleacher Report]

There was a lot of hockey to watch yesterday. For starters, the Blues blanked the Capitals for their fourth straight shutout.

The Wild enjoyed a shutout of their own, beating the Avalanche 4-0 to give Minnesota a five-point lead for the second wild card spot in the West. [Star-Tribune]

The Sabres officially knocked the Jets out of playoff contention yesterday, and Jack Eichel reached an impressive rookie milestone.

With the postseason looming, let's take a look at the best—and worst—trade deadline moves. The Stars' addition of Kris Russell doesn't make either list, but Jamie McGinn, for one, has certainly boosted the Ducks' playoff stock. [CBS Sports]

Sidney Crosby and Joe Thornton are making their respective cases to keep the Hart Trophy from going to Patrick Kane. [Sportsnet]

Ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr continues to do impressive things.

Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson isn't going anywhere, even if Auston Matthews is on the line. [The Score]

It's gonna turn around for the Maple Leafs at some point, right? [The Hockey News]

I don't know what this means for the future of the Oilers, but it can't be anything good.

Breaking up is hard to do, and no one knows that better than former NHLer Brent Ashton, who was traded eight times in 14 seasons. [The Hockey News]

NCAA referee Oliver "Butch" Mousseau died Friday a week after suffering critical head injuries from a fall to the ice during warmups of a Western Collegiate Hockey Association game. [CBS Sports]

And finally, the hype videos have arrived.

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