In this edition of Dallas Stars News & Rumors, Dallas ends multiple Colorado Avalanche streaks, Joe Pavelski ends a streak of his own, and Thomas Harley discusses his role models.
Stars End Avalanche Streaks
Following a 4-0 loss to the Avalanche on home ice on Sunday [Feb 13], the Stars traveled to Colorado for an immediate rematch. With most of the cards stacked against them, Dallas skated away with a shocking 4-1 win at Ball Arena.
Behind 46 saves from Jake Oettinger, 29 blocked shots, and two power-play goals from Joe Pavelski, the Stars found a way to beat the hottest team in the NHL. In fact, Colorado had not lost in regulation in 22 straight home games and 19 straight overall. They were 9-0-1 in their last 10 games.
“Somebody had to come in here and break the streak, and we were the team to do it,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said. “Give the guys a lot of credit. That’s the fastest team we’ve seen, and we found a way to get the job done.”
The performance was not perfect but it was one from a team that simply found a way to get it done. With a first-round playoff matchup against the Avs becoming more likely, this was a huge response, bumping Dallas to 2-1-0 against Colorado this season.
Pavelski Ends Season-Long Pointless Streak
It is rare to even mention a pointless streak when talking about Joe Pavelski. The 37-year-old forward has registered 52 points in 47 games this season and has only played 18 games without getting on the scoresheet. He broke the streak in excellent fashion, however, scoring two power-play goals and adding two assists in the victory over the Avalanche.
“They’re a heck of a team,” Pavelski said. “You need a big team effort to try to keep them to the outside, and at the end you need a great performance out of your goalie. They pressed and Jake was great.”
For Pavelski, this was just another example of him showing up when his team needed him most. He has been one of the most clutch players on the Dallas lineup since being signed in 2019 and continues to prove his worth and leadership with each passing game.
Thomas Harley Looks Up To Cale Makar
It was a fun and honest interview on Tuesday with Stars young defenseman Thomas Harley. Harley discussed his development but also dove into his free time and some of the players he looks up to around the NHL. One of them was Cale Makar, who he was preparing to face that night.
Related: Dallas Stars Prospect Report: February
“Yeah, for sure,” Harley said when asked if he tries to mimic Makar’s game at all. “I watch YouTube videos of him beating forwards down the wall. Sometimes it’s going to get me into trouble because no one is Cale Makar besides Cale Makar but yeah, I love to try to take things from his game and put them in my game.”
Harley also admitted that he loves to watch highlights of current NHL superstars both for fun and to learn ways to add to his game.
“Yeah, I have a lot of free time,” he joked. “YouTube kind of gives me a lot of recommended videos and I just kind of go into the wormhole and just kill hours.”
It is rare to hear an NHL player talking so honestly about his fascination with other players around the league. For Harley, he is still a young player at only 20 years old. He is simply enjoying his time at the highest level and loves watching videos of some of his favorite players.
“There’s one of [Nikita] Kucherov I watch,” Harley said. “When he won MVP, he was sick. [You have seen it more than once?] Oh yeah, Multiple times, a lot of free time.”
Dallas continues their three-game road trip when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night and finish up with the Arizona Coyotes in Glendale on Sunday. They have won five straight road games as they continue to push to get themselves into the playoff picture in the Western Conference.
