This was a game the Dallas Stars desperately needed. 1-2-1 in the previous four games, including a 6-1 loss to the Red WIngs just four days prior, the Stars were in jeopardy of losing any momentum they have gathered in December. Detroit has long been the Stars’ achilles heel and has always seemed to play the exact type of game that can hurt Dallas the most.
Early in the game, Dallas faced a 2-0 deficit yet again. A deflected shot had gotten past a sliding Marty Turco and a great two on one pass had put the Red Wings up two goals on a Stars team that seemed like it was about to fall into the abyss. Yet Niklas Grossman’s first regular season goal of his career cut the lead in half late in the period and the team proved to itself that this night they could fight back.
Despite going down 3-1 late in the first period, the Stars roared back with a momentous second period effort that saw the team record 23 shots on goal. Stephane Robidas scored with a screened wrist shot and Mark Parrish tied the game at three with a quick shot off a beauty of pass from Krys Barch. The Stars could have easily put the game out of reach in the second period if it weren’t for Chris Osgood. The Detroit netminder made several highlight reel saves to keep his team in it, including a mind blowing glove save of a Brad Richards one-timer on the power play.
The Stars seemed to take the lead in the game when Loius Erikson shot nearly beat a sprawling Osgood and Steve Ott tried to punch the puck across the goalline. The referee immediately waved it off and after a Toronto review of the play the ruling was upheld. Another angle of the play shown in the Versus studios seemed to show the puck across the line, but Toronto deemed there was insufficient evidence to overturn the call.
Pavel Datsyuk put his team ahead in the third period after making a couple of Stars defensemen look silly and planting the puck above Turco’s left shoulder. Dallas battled back the rest of the period and had the Red Wings on their heels yet couldn’t get another shot past Osgood. It wasn’t until a late Detroit penalty that the Stars finally tied the game when Mike Rebeiro made a nifty pass to Steve Ott in the slot, who quickly shot the game tying goal.
The Stars killed off a late period Detroit power play and were able to send the game into overtime. Trevor Daley then became the hero shooting in his own rebound for the game winning goal 1:51 into overtime.
The Stars finished with 49 shots on goal in a game that showed the heart and tenacity that this team is capable of bringing every night. While still dealing with some defensive breakdowns in front of the net, the Stars made every effort to not allow an early deficit get them down and came back to win the game. This is the type of game that builds confidence moving forward and should be something to build upon as the Stars gear up to fight for a playoff spot.
Three stars of the game:
Chris Osgood: Made several miraculous saves and controlled his rebounds on a night when he was under fire constantly. The reason his team came away with a point.
Krys Barch: Finished with two assists and a +1 rating in just under five minutes of playing time. The fourth line was a menace all game long and was the backbone for the Stars’ comeback.
Niklas Grossman: +2 rating and first NHL regular season goal.