The time for change is now
There is a time in every professional sports team, in every professional sports league where each team within it has one defining moment which focuses the rest of their season. It can either be a spring board and spur the team on or be a diving board which offers a steady decline into nothing much to write about.
Bizarrely – but unsurprisingly for this Stars team, it has to be said – the defining moment thus far in the Dallas Stars’ season has been the 3-2 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames this past Thursday.
Ignore the last 10 minutes of the game where the Stars just went to sleep in their own zone and allowed Calgary to tie it in the last minute of regulation, forget every wasted home opportunity so far, forget too the key mistakes made in the Flames games and every one before it. THAT game belonged to the Dallas Stars.
We get to do it all over again tonight against a much depleted and Luongo-less Vancouver Canucks team who have looked quite formidable in their last three games, beating the Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild by a combined score of 12-3. Very, very impressive.
From a Canucks point of view tonight, they’ll be confident. They’re facing a team whose home record so far this season hasn’t been much to brag about to say the least and one that they have already beaten.
Dallas however hold all of the cards in this game.
Once the creases (no pun) are ironed out and the defense holds it together for a full 60 minutes worth of playing time, we have shown we can stop anybody. Yes folks; ANYBODY. We are the underdog in this game and deservedly so. Vancouver have beaten – and beaten convincingly – two of the early season pace setters in Colorado and the Rangers so you have to ask yourself; where else do they have to go?
I am full to bursting with confidence for this game and can’t wait to find out the score in the morning (living in the UK can – very much and very often – suck). If we do lose it’s no great shame against this Canucks team. If we win though, credit has to be given to the Calgary Flames for forcing this Dallas team to look within themselves in our last game with them and finally put paid to serious home problems.
May the best team win.
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Nice blog. I’m a closet Stars ‘appreciator’, with names like Morrow, Neal and Fistric (he’s going to be a beast) on the roster, how could you not like the way they’ve rebounded from an embarrassing ’08-09 campaign. Although I question the ‘sportsmanship’ of guys like Ribeiro, there’s no denying his impact.
Van ususually gets owned by COL, so its no small feat that they defeated them with their backup goalie. Raymond is really coming on, and the new NHL game is perfect for his style of play.But DAL has the weapons to answer back. Gonna be a thriller!
good post, Chris. i think you are right…should be a defining game tonight. but i am leery of not only their home performances the last few seasons, but also the fact it’s a weekend (friday night) game. eegads. the key to victory tonight vs VAN is Modano and Lehts making a difference in this game. with Neal questionable for tonight, our vets will have to be sharp and open up the ice for the other skaters. if so, i think we’re gold.
Huge win for the Stars tonight, easily could have been a blowout if not for Cory Schneider’s 45 saves for the Canucks.
Hi all; Thanks for the comments.
Owen: There’s no shame in calling yourself a Stars ‘appreciator’ man! I completely agree that Fistric will be a huge asset in time. He has a way to go yet but he – like most of his team mates – will one day be a massive player for us.
Frozen Pill: There can be absolutely no question that we missed Mo and Lehtinen when they were out. It is fantastic to have them back but it also gave us the rare chance to see how this team fared without veteran leadership. No dubt it was very much a mixed bag but the team does seem to be headed in the right direction with, or without Mo and Lehts.
Curtis: Schneider was amazing! To be the losing goalie and STILL be one of the 3 stars tells you about as much as you need to know. Out of respect for a friend I won’t brag about the win but if it wasn’t for Schneider – you’re absolutely right – it would’ve been a blow-out.
Of course since all of this, the game against the Wild has been and gone. There will be a post t follow this… just as soon as I can pick my jaw off the floor. Thanks again gents!