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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Cody Eakin’s Big Night is One for the Record Books

I have no reason to doubt that, but it is a bit of a surprise given that Eakin definitely has a bit of a nose for the net and has played up and down the lineup during his tenure with the Stars. Still, what better time than the present to clear that hurdle.

As both his goals were on special teams, he added a fun footnote that brings up another favorite of the Hawks from the past.

But Elias and the NHL PR staff wasn’t done dropping knowledge quite yet. Eakin’s second goal of the night had another distinction.

Quite a combination of company there. I’m not sure if Ott and Kapanen could be more different forwards if they tried.

It was quite the night from Eakin all around, who added an assist on Shawn Horcoff’s empty-net goal for his third point of the game. I think it’s only appropriate to celebrate with this GIF of the gorgeous passing on the power play goal.

Lovely.

More News and Notes From Around the NHL

  • When the Stars offense is good, it is very, very good, but the more impressive thing about this game was probably how the team dominated the third period, which is a place that’s been a problem this season even when they aren’t playing two games in 25 hours. Here are the Stars-centric recaps from a nice night for everyone on the scoresheet. [DallasNews.com/DallasStars.com]
  • Also, because I enjoy the visual quite a bit, here’s an Eakin pull quote from the Stars official game story: “It was just digging in,” said Eakin, whose power play goal early in the third held up as the game-winner. “It was back and forth. They started strong; we didn’t. We pulled up our socks. We played a strong third, which we needed. That was the difference.” Someone should check for droopy socks the next game.
  • NHL.com pun watch: “Eakin the Knees.” I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Also, the goalie headshots on the right side are rather appropriate for how the game went. [NHL.com]
  • From the Blackhawks perspective, Sunday’s game was the continuation of a disturbing trend of giving up far too many goals. And while the Stars were outshot in the game, they produced a large number of high-end scoring chances, particularly as the game wore on. The overall numbers for the Hawks are still sparkling, but things are trending the wrong direction. [CSN Chicago/Second City Hockey]
  • That Shawn Horcoff-Patrick Sharp fight actually happened, and the hit that sparked it is still glorious. [CBSSports]
  • In a related note, according to DropYourGloves.com, Sharp fought Jason Spezza way back in 2004. I need video of this to know if it’s as funny as I assume it must be.
  • Dan Carcillo wasn’t on the ice for the Hawks Sunday as he’s suspending pending the outcome for a really useless cross-check against the Winnipeg Jets. He’s waived his right to an in-person hearing and will have a phone hearing today. [NBCSports]
  • Speaking of Chicago, this incredibly enjoyable clip from a behind-the-scenes show about the Nashville Predators is a nice theatre of the absurd bit, with Preds coach Peter Laviolette accusing referee Kevin Pollock of winking at the Hawks bench. This, along with the very fun mic’d up segment on a recent Stars Insider, just reaffirms my belief that the Stars need more behind-the-scenes things. [Puck Daddy]
  • Every team is always on the quest for big-minute defensemen, and the New York Rangers signed their own high-end blueliner, Marc Staal, to a six-year extension officially on Sunday. The dream of uniting all the Staal brothers will just have to wait. [New York Daily News]
  • The league is thinking about adding new cameras to help in goal-line situations, these ones actually built into the posts and crossbar themselves. It’s an intruiging concept if they can get the right cameras, though there will still almost certainly be issues with players and pads and sticks in the way. Still, more options to figure out what happened are better than fewer. [Scouting the Refs]

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