Dallas — Before Game 2, you could tell that the Dallas Stars were focused on business on Thursday morning. They would never in a million years allow themselves to trail two games at home in a straight postseason series.
At a raucous American Airlines Center on Thursday night, the Stars held off the Colorado Avalanche 5-3 to square their second-round series 1-1 thanks to two goals from Miro Heiskanen on the power play.
“We had to win tonight,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “We couldn’t go down 2-0 like we did in Round 1 and try to crawl out of that hole going into Colorado. So it was an important win.”
The Stars were clearly headed for victory in Game 2 after blowing a 3-0 lead in the first game and building a 4-0 advantage late in the second period. However, the Avalanche struck three goals in the third period, and with 3:44 left, Valeri Nichushkin’s goal made it 4-3. Despite a late power play by the Avalanche, the Stars managed to hold on this time. To seal the win, Esa Lindell scored into an empty net. For the Stars, Roope Hintz recorded one goal and three assists.
“Obviously, we’ve got to handle those situations better,” DeBoer said. “But I think the silver lining is, we’ve built 3-0 and 4-0 leads (in each game), so we’ve played some very good hockey for long stretches against them. I thought tonight was better than Game 1. We did most of the things we wanted to do tonight, building that lead, the right guys scored and got on the board for us, I really liked our game.”
It appears that the series most people anticipated will be coming. Two Stanley Cup-caliber clubs trading blows with each other.
Return of the Mush Smush pic.twitter.com/vpGM5rZri7
— z – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) May 10, 2024
Stars win special-teams battle
In Game 1, Colorado easily prevailed in the special teams battle, using its two power-play goals to turn the tide of the game and ignite the Avs’ comeback.
Game 2 saw a role flip as the Stars scored four goals in the second period, thanks to two power-play goals from Heiskanen and what appeared to be a dagger goal from Tyler Seguin, shorthanded.
“The second period … is where it fell apart,” Bednar said. “Just not sharp. I mean, just go to the penalties alone and it shows you’re not sharp. You had two too many men on the ice penalties. You had to over-the-glass penalties that are not forced. So it’s eight minutes of power play you’re giving a really good power-play team. And the rest of our execution and frustration kind of keeps building from there.”
In the meantime, all three Avalanche power plays were thwarted by the Stars. In between games, DeBoer emphasized to his players the need to maintain composure in the face of Colorado’s potent power play.
Dallas completed its task in Game 2. And with the closeness of the five-on-five play, winning the special teams battle was even more crucial. After 40 minutes, Natural Stat Trick had 11-11 five-on-five scoring opportunities.
“It’s huge,” Heiskanen said. “I think special teams are really important every year in the playoffs. And it’s huge. A couple of big power-play goals tonight and a couple of great kills. We were really good at that tonight.”
Benn delivers big hit on Toews
Early in the second period, Stars captain Jamie Benn sent Avs blueliner Devon Toews a thundering but clean body check behind the Colorado net, crushing him completely.
Devon Toews receives a huge blow from Jamie Benn.
There was no penalty on the play. pic.twitter.com/D4EOdvKv7p
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 10, 2024
It was obviously a shoulder-to-shoulder contact, and Toews hit his head as a result. The referees looked at the footage to be sure. Following the review, no sanctions were imposed. which was, once more, the right choice. Thankfully, Toews made up some of the time missed to get assessed and resumed play.
“I’m just trying to play the game hard,” Benn told The Athletic. “I’m definitely not trying to hurt anyone. I thought I kept my elbow down. I thought I avoided his head. I’m just trying to play hard, playoff hockey.”
The Stars wanted to lay some body on the quick Avalanche in Game 2 and throughout the series, and part of that was accomplished with Benn’s hit. Of course, easier said than done. Inquire with the Winnipeg Jets about it. The Stars anticipate that the physical expenditure will pay off later in the series, though, if they can put enough pressure on Colorado’s best duo of Toews and Cale Makar. It is a tried-and-true strategy, but if you can consistently get to elite players like Makar and Toews, it works wonders.
DeBoer referred to the particular hit as a “dead problem” since, following a review, authorities did not impose any penalties. Not surprise, Bednar had a different opinion.
“Toews is fine,” Bednar said. “I don’t know. The game is tangible. The player is real. I am not sure. I am at a loss for words. Does he catch a fragment of his shoulder, exactly? Indeed, one might certainly contest that. However, the target is high and aimed directly at his head, and he hits it. And I have witnessed other instances where guys were given a warning and called for a headshot with far less than that, but I suppose they did not believe it.
“This time of the year, you get to play through some of that stuff. But for me, I don’t know. It just makes me wonder again, what are the rules that I know and don’t know and will never probably figure out. But it is what it is. You got to play through it. I’m glad he’s OK. It’s a physical game this time of year, but I just can’t understand how that was not a penalty, even if it isn’t a five(-minute).”
Tanev quiets MacKinnon
In Game 2, the series’ pivotal clash was back on the table, albeit with a less aggressive chase from the Stars. Nevertheless, Stars blueliner Chris Tanev performed admirably this evening and saw a lot of Hart Trophy contender Nathan MacKinnon.
Only three shots on goal were allowed for MacKinnon, two of which were late in Colorado’s late rally.
“Well, they’ve got to go to work,” Bednar said of MacKinnon’s line. “They’ve got to go to work. I thought they were frustrated. They were the guys who got frustrated the quickest and the longest. They’re going to get keyed on this time of year. They have the ability to win games for us if they stick with it and are resilient and play the right way like they have all year.
“Tonight, in the second period, they didn’t. They got frustrated. I was looking for anyone that might be able to give them a spark and help them kind of get their game going, but they’re also partly responsible for that. They have to take it upon themselves to make sure their game is right and in order, probably longer than anybody else because they play the most minutes.”
When asked how to stop the Avalanche is best offensive players, DeBoer responded, “Well, obviously, the penalty kill.” When they did have looks, (Jake Oettinger) made a few huge saves at crucial moments. Again, though, I thought we played well, attacked well, broke out, and defended well as a five-man unit. I believe that you will need to have a lot of detail in every one of those parts of your game if you hope to try to contain those individuals in any way.
When I questioned Tanev on Wednesday, he did not downplay the significance of the assignment he is being asked to complete in this round, following his Round 1 matchup with Vegas’ Jack Eichel.
Watching these actors work their magic on stage is amazing. In this series, everyone of them will have their moments. However, after seeing Tanev play in these playoffs, it is clear why Stars general manager Jim Nill felt that way.
Goalie battle
In Game 2, the Stars proved to be the more dominant team in terms of goaltending, as Jake Oettinger demonstrated his superiority in the Dallas net. He made a stunning pad save on a Zach Parise re-direct in the opening frame.
You can not really blame Alexander Georgiev of Colorado for any of the goals, so it is not like he was horrible on this particular night. However, there was one thing to be aware of: the Stars scored two goals by getting lateral on him on east-west passing moves. That created the opportunity for a power-play goal by Heiskanen and a one-timer by Hintz. I wonder whether the Stars believe Georgiev should move laterally in order to investigate that while watching footage.
Fatigue was a non-factor for Stars in Game 2
The series alternates every other day, with Game 3 taking place in Denver on Saturday night. This suggests that the Avalanche club will eventually be better rested, especially considering that Stars coach Peter DeBeor stated before Game 1 that his team appeared worn out after playing seven games in a row against Vegas on Tuesday night.
However, there was no sign of exhaustion on Thursday night as the Stars played a strong playoff game for the majority of the evening, putting forth their best effort, winning puck battles, and forcing errors from the Avalanche with all four of their forward lines.
Even though Colorado lost for the first time since the first game of the playoffs in Winnipeg, the Avalanche was still in excellent form as they returned home with a split.
The Stars were the ones who really wanted this one, and they made sure to get it, if a little bit late and with some anxiety.
`”We gave them too much time and space in the third period,” Heiskanen said, “but we found a way to win the game and that’s the most important thing.”
(Photo: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)
