Coming off their first regulation loss of the season, the Dallas Stars were back at it on Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the American Airlines Center. Much has been made of the Stars slow starts, at home and on the road, a trend the club desperately needs to change. The Stars were gifted a break in the schedule, rested and with a couple practices under their belts to address critical issues that highlighted a disappointing performance against Toronto last week.
Columbus comes into the contest sporting a 3-3-2 record and dealing with a heavy schedule, playing their third game in five nights. Their place in the standings has them two points up on the Pittsburgh Penguins for the cellar in the Metropolitan Division, in what is another rebuild year for the Jackets. Columbus is not without some skill in their line-up, having a capable goaltender in Elvis Merzelikins, who can steal a game himself.
First Period Observations:
The Stars and Jackets would trade early goals, the first being in the first minute of the game from Thomas Harley and the Stars to break out to a 1-0 lead. However, the lead would be short-lived when Columbus tied the game on a goal from Voronkov just shy of the five minute mark of the period.
The struggling Dallas power-play would have a chance to right the ship, when the Blue Jackets found themselves shorthanded courtesy of a high-sticking minor. The Stars zone entry on the first half of the power-play still looked clunky, as the Stars failed to win puck battles along the wall. Columbus killed the Stars first chance easily, keeping the Stars from recording a shot on goal.
Craig Smith, that man again, had a gorgeous chance at breaking the 1-1 tie in the hockey game, putting a dangerous back-hand on net after a nifty toe-drag move. The chance was thwarted, but not before causing some tense moments for the Columbus defense. On replay, Elvis Merzelikins made a sparkling glove save on the chance.
Following the Stars chance, Columbus loaded up the Stars power-play again, but it was short-lived. Matt Duchene would head to the box, evening the game at four-on-four after taking a holding penalty. It wouldn’t take long for the Jackets to take advantage of their good fortune, working the puck around the Stars zone, resulting in a one-timer chance that beat Jake Oettinger on a deflection by Severson. The goal came on the seventh shot on goal for Columbus, furthering the trend of the visiting team outplaying the Stars in the first period.
Matt Duchene, outside of his penalty, is showing flashes of his offensive game coming to life. He had an impressive stick handling display in the Columbus end, walking the corner and changing direction on the defenders. The work freed him up for a wraparound chance, that Merzelikins was equal to. It also represented some sustained zone-time for the Stars for the first time in a long stretch.
After twenty minutes of play the Blue Jackets would take a lead to the dressing room.
Shots:
Dallas 10 Columbus 7
Score:
Dallas 1 Columbus 2
Second Period Observations
The Stars came out in the first minutes and started to pepper the Columbus net in search for the equalizer. To Merzelikins credit, he was sharp and equal to the task the Stars shooters assigned him. Of note, Tyler Seguin came a cross-bar away from tying the game in-tight, but the puck luck was not on their side.
All of the early pressure would pay off for the Stars and their top line, when Jason Robertson ripped a seeing eye shot into a crowded net-front. Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski were both screening the Columbus net-minder, with Hintz deflecting the puck past and into the net to tie the game at 2-2. The Stars were deserving of that goal, consistently stacking strong shifts, showcasing crisp puck movement and using the neutral zone to build speed at the Jackets blue line. The result of the effort, an early 8-2 shot advantage and a tie game.
The best line for the Stars in the second was the trio of Seguin-Duchene-Mason Marchment, spending a ton of time in the Columbus end through the first half of the period. Their work would be rewarded when a nice interchange at the blue-line created a slick give-and-go between Duchene and Marchment that was put into the net. However, Marchment’s goal was waved off for an offside and the game remained tied.
Jason Robertson committed a cross-checking minor in the later stages of the period, putting the Jackets on the power-play for the second time in the contest. Columbus spent a lot of time in the Stars end and had a three-on-one rush chance after a shorthanded turnover by the Stars at the Jackets blue-line. The chance would fail to generate a shot on goal and the Stars penalty kill remained a bright-side in the special teams category in the game.
The remainder of the period would occur without incident for either side. The Stars were decidedly better in the early going and were consistent over the whole of the period. The Jackets had shifts where they pushed back in the period, but were unable to generate dangerous chances towards Oettinger. The period represented a return to the possession style that the Stars want to play, as they owned the puck in the Columbus zone from the jump.
Shots:
Dallas 19 Columbus 15
Score:
Dallas 2 Columbus 2
Third Period Observations
After an opening three minutes where both teams applied pressure, it was the Stars and Matt Duchene who broke the tie off a face-off win in the Jackets end. Duchene had a rebound jump off the goaltender, right to his stick that he deposited for his first goal as a Dallas Star. The goal gave Duchene two points (goal and assist ) on the night and was a reward for his increasing offensive effectiveness as the season has gone along.
Oettinger made a sparkling save on Boone Jenner in tight to keep the Stars new lead. Jenner went forehand to backhand and was met by the glove of Oettinger on a sprawling save. Oettinger was solid throughout the night, keeping the Stars close or ahead for much of the evening when called upon. The play of the net-minder was a continuation of his strong play that has carried on since the drop of the puck on the season.
Just shy of the ten minute mark in the third, the Stars would go to the power-play for the third time in the evening when Collin Sillinger took a high-sticking minor. The Stars chance looked dangerous, even though they did not convert. The club was moving the puck around, established zone-time for the majority of the chance, and had a few looks at the net that could have easily converted. it was a promising sequence for a unit that has struggled this season to find their form from a year ago.
After failing to score on the power-play, Evgenii Dadonov would give the Stars a two goal cushion when he ripped a wrist shot high over the shoulder of Merzelikins. The goal was pretty and a very nice shot from a player who has been a wonderful add to the roster since the trade deadline last Spring.
The Stars would salt the game away with Wyatt Johnston’s third goal of the season into the empty net. The goal gave the Stars a 5-2 lead, but Columbus would answer back with a late goal by Kuraly to make the game 5-3. The Stars would ultimately get the result they earned, finding their way back into the win column with a strong effort.
Shots:
Dallas 33 Columbus 25
Final Score:
Dallas 5 Columbus 3