RECAP: Stars Lose First Game of Season to Caps, 3-2
The Dallas Stars took on the Washington Capitals in the nation's capital. Casey DeSmith got the start with Jake Oettinger probably celebrating his new 8×8.2m contract he just signed today.
First Period
The opening draw was taken by Jamie Benn with Mavrik Bourque and Logan Stankoven flanking him on the draw.
Seven minutes into the game and we've had exactly one shot on goal.
The pace would finally pick up midway through the period with a firehose of shots on goal (2) courtesy of the Stars prior to a penalty that involved guess who – yes, Mason Marchment was involved in a play that was illegal. This time Marchment drew the call as he got high-sticked in the face.
The first unit only got thirty seconds of PP time, and while they kept it to the perimeter they at least got a solid one-timer shot from Miro Heiskanen at the point before the units were rotated. The second unit went backwards after winning the draw and coughed up a shorthanded chance that led to Casey DeSmith getting a penalty for tripping and negating the man-advantage for the Stars. While the tripping penalty on DeSmith was incredibly soft and remarked as a "touch foul" by Razor on the broadcast, the reality is the blame still lies with the power play for retreating and putting them in a position where a defensive zone penalty is even possible.
All the negatives of the failed power play aside, it would at least lead to a pretty slick moment by Colin Blackwell. While at the end stage of the penalty to Casey DeSmith, Colin Blackwell would get a chip pass from Oskar Bäck and go in alone with speed on the Caps goalie, Charlie Lindgren. Blackwell threw a subtle fake shot and got Lindgren to buckle before using a backhand finishing move in tight to score the Stars' first shorthanded goal of the season.
Oskar Bäck picked up his NHL point with his assist on Blackwell's SHG. Nice cherry on top to being trusted to even be on the penalty kill in your first few games in the NHL.
While on the penalty kill after a Jamie Benn penalty, Andrew Mangiapane cross checked Stars newcomer Brendan Smith from behind with seconds left on the kill. This led to Smith sliding awkwardly into the boards and getting up holding his arm, seemingly injured. Smith would head straight to the locker room, and Mangiapane would be banished to the penalty box for four two minutes. Still crazy to me that dangerous penalties that lead directly to an injury can't be upgraded to a double minor much like high-sticking.
With two minutes left in the first period and two minutes left in the penalty (always satisfying when that happens), the Stars went to work on the power play, but came up short and the period ended.
Score: Stars 1 – Capitals 0
Shots on goal: Stars 7 – Capitals 6
Second Period
The pace of the second period immediately started hot with Jamie Benn getting a 2-on-1 that he sent off the glass before a misplay between Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley deep in their zone led to Tom Wilson scoring a goal after a pretty tic-tac-toe passing play just a minute into the period.
With the Caps pushing hard to sustain the momentum they built from the first goal, they kept pushing until a long distance point shot from Dylan Strome found the back of the net while a screened Casey DeSmith searched for the puck.
Good news is Brendan Smith returned after getting cross checked and drew another penalty – bad news is he got cross checked from behind again in nearly the same spot. With this the Stars may have found an infinite penalty exploit hidden in Brendan Smith's poor back.
The direction of the Stars power play continued and resulted in a lack of quality chances. Instead of putting on the pressure, the PP units have been pressured into turnovers by the outmanned PK units. A common attribute of most of the Stars power plays in this young season is there are times when it's actually hard to tell who has the advantage during play.
A few minutes after what I have to legally call a Stars power play, Wyatt Johnston sent a point shot that hit Roope Hintz in front of the net, but fortuitously dropped right to Jason Robertson who quickly slammed the puck into the net and picked up his second goal of the season.
Hate to see poor Roope in pain, but love to see your #1 center getting to the dirty areas to get on the scoresheet.
The period seemed like it was heading into the intermission tied, but Washington's Taylor Raddysh had other plans when he sent in another long distance shot from the top of the circle that found its way behind DeSmith to regain the Caps lead. Can't blame DeSmith much here considering the traffic in front, but we can question Jason Robertson for a poor attempt at a puck flip that led directly to this goal. Unfortunately the Caps replay doesn't show that little detail, but just trust me bro – I'm your friend from the internet.
The period would end with the Caps up 3-2 after potting three goals in the middle period.
Score: Stars 2 – Capitals 3
Shots on goal: Stars 14 – Capitals 18
Third Period
The first five minutes of the third period included a flurry of net front chances for both teams, but neither team was able to capitalize on their chances.
Coach Pete DeBoer adjusted the lines for the third period and put Logan Stankoven back up on the top line with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz, and moved down Wyatt Johnston to the third pair with Jamie Benn and Mavrik Bourque. This seemed to work well for both lines in terms of pressure and chemistry albeit without direct results.
If you've been paying attention, you would know that Mason Marchment already drew a penalty earlier in the game and due to the fourth law of thermodynamics he was physically required to take a penalty, and thus he tripped the Caps' John Carlson with about seven minutes left in the period. Marchment didn't go quietly to the box as he made sure to lay out a Caps player causing them to lose possession of the puck and end the delayed penalty call.
The Stars would kill Mason Marchment's penalty and go 5/5 on the PK not to mention the shorthanded goal. Wonder which assistant coach is getting a Christmas bonus this year.
With just four minutes left in the period, the Stars would draw a crucial power play to give them a chance to tie the game. Despite some actual pressure put on by the power play, they weren't able to break through until the dying seconds of the power play and with the goalie pulled, Roope Hintz sent a rush shot off the post that stayed out.
That would be the best chance for the Stars to tie the game as the Capitals' D held strong and prevented the Stars from getting a quality opportunity the rest of the game leading to the Stars suffering their first loss of the season.
FinalScore: Stars 2 – Capitals 3
Shots on goal: Stars 24 – Capitals 26
Three Stars of the Game: Taylor Raddysh Tom Wilson Jason Robertson
Quick Stats:
Dallas StarsGameScore:
Expected goals:
Looking ahead Dallas Stars play the Edmonton Oilers this Saturday at 3 PM central. This matinee game will be the first time the teams will play each other since their Western Conference Finals match up.
