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Traverse City: Detroit Red Wings Survive Dallas Stars Third Period Comeback, 5-4

Hockey is back. Stars score three in the third, but they can’t shoot their way out of an excess of odd-man rushes in the first two periods.

The Dallas Stars opened Traverse City with a loss that featured a comeback drive that fell just short as the Red Wings survived for the win.

First Period

Both teams came out a little sloppy, but the Stars were slowly able to generate the majority of zone time. A high stick by Joe Veleno put Dallas on the power play, and the Stars were able to generate multiple chances, especially on the second unit with Mavrik Borque on the half wall.

Kirill Tyutyayev opened the scoring for Detroit off the rush at 9:56, followed by an odd man rush tally by Chase Pearson at 12:24.  Adam Scheel didn’t have much of a chance at either goal, with the Dallas defense scrambling back toward the net.

The period ended 2-0 Detroit, with the Stars having the lone power play. Dallas finished with a 11-6 shot advantage, but Victor Brattstrom was strong in net for the Red Wings.

Second Period

Things didn’t go much better in the second period. Chase Raymond found himself with an open look in the slot as the Stars again scrambled back to the net. Dallas maintained their zone play dominance, until they finally broke through with a bouncing puck from the blue line. Wyatt Johnston got credit for the goal.

The Stars maintained the push, but Scheel gave up another goal to Tyutyayev, as the tiny winger cut through the slot at 17:02. 47 seconds later, Joe Veleno picked a corner off of a turnover to make it 5-1, ending the period for Scheel and bringing in Remi Poirier.

Dallas got another power play at the end of the period, the highlight being Riley Damiani banging one off of the pipe. Dallas had the better of the play throughout the period, but the scoreboard certainly didn’t show it.

Third Period

Jacob Peterson got the Stars going early in the third off of a nice setup by Damiani to make it 5-2 at 4:27. As the period progressed, Detroit finally started getting some zone time, putting the Stars on their heels. The team survived a mid-period penalty kill after Damiani was whistled for contact with the goaltender.

Things didn’t look good, with the teams trading chances until two quick tallies by Riley Tufte at 13:08 and 14:09. Tufte picked up a delay of game with 17:23, which limited the Dallas chances down the stretch, and the game ended 5-4 with a few minor scuffles after the final whistle.

Overall, the Stars looked decent, especially after a nervous start. Victor Brattstrom was probably the number one star of the game in the net for Detroit, and his play allowed the Red Wings to take advantage of a shaky start by Adam Scheel. Scheel did return to net in the third, and made a few solid saves to keep Dallas in contact, but in the end, the team dug themselves too deep a hole and they couldn’t quite dig their way out.

Dallas Stars Lineup

Jacob Peterson (40) - Ty Dellandrea (10) - Riley Damiani (13)
Fredrik Karlstrom (41) - Mavrik Bourque (45) - Logan Stankhoven (57)
Jordan Kawaguchi (42) - Wyatt Johnston (53) - Yauheni Aksiantsiuk (48)
Riley Tufte (27) - Oscar Back (37) - Antonio Stranges (71)

Thomas Harley (55) - Dawson Barteaux (65)
Artem Grushnikov (59) - Max Martin (51)
Ryan Shea (46) - Jacob Holmes (60)

Adam Scheel (31)
Remi Poirier (50)

Scratches

Tye Felhaber (43)
Conner Roulette (52)
Francesco Arcuri (54)
Luke Profaca (58)

Standouts

As a man among boys, Tufte is pretty high on my list of guys to watch, especially since he has that “B” word hanging pretty close to his first round pick status. Two goals from him, however, was not on my bingo card. If this is the new Tufte, he’s going to make a difference in Texas this year and could be a surprising option with Dallas, a team that is notoriously weak at left wing.

Jacob Peterson took a period to figure out that he couldn’t skate through a double team, but starting with the second period, he fit right in with the Stars top line along with Dellandrea and Damiani.

Sleepers

I don’t know that you could call a second round pick from this year a sleeper, but I thought that Logan Stankhoven looked ready for this level of competition. I need to see a bit more of Artem Grushnikov, who was the only highlight on defense - but I’d like to see him with someone other than Max Martin.

Disappointments

OK. Put away the knives. Expectations were high for Thomas Harley coming in, and he mostly looked ordinary. He’s the best defender on the ice - by a long way - but where was the NHL ready skating and puck movement?

Ty Dellandrea’s centered the Stars top line, and he didn’t really stand out. Of course, that just may be his style. As a group, they were good, but probably should be better. Also, the Kawaguchi, Johnston, Aksiantsiuk line had one or two good chances, especially a one timer by Aksiantsiuk, but they were invisible for most of the game.

The team hung Adam Scheel out to dry in the first period, but by the time he gave up his fifth goal, he needed the reset. The Stars left most of their AHL level defense back in Texas, so whoever is in net is going to face some high quality chances, but if all of them go in, this team is in trouble.

Things to look for on Friday

The Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening game of the tournament. The Blue Jackets came back from a two goal deficit to win the game one minute into overtime. Yegor Chinakhov was the KHL rookie of the year least year and it was his goal in the third that put the game into overtime. If you’re looking for someone to focus on Friday night, he’s probably the one.

For the Stars, I’m looking for the top line to break out in the offensive zone. I’d expect that the rest of the lines may get juggled a bit, with Tufte moving up and maybe the insertion of Tye Felhaber onto the fourth line.

Thomas Harley is due for a bounce back game, and it would be nice to see a bit more from Ryan Shea. They’re the two starters from last year’s Texas Stars roster at the tournament and the team needs their leadership, preferably by example.

Game time is 6pm on Friday, and if the setup is the same as on Thursday, you can link to the live stream from the Dallas Stars NHL site.

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