For the first time in three weeks, the Dallas Stars won a hockey game. The fact that it was an overtime game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs makes it so much sweeter than it would be if it were Game 82 against the Nashville Predators. After a good, but not good enough, game on Saturday, the Stars hung in tough and found a way to beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in overtime on Monday night.
This game wasn’t perfect, and that can be said for both sides. However, on another night without Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen, this was exactly the game that they needed to play, and they now head to Colorado with the series tied 1-1.
After a rollercoaster of a game like this one, it feels like there are a million things we could talk about when it comes to Game 2. To save all of us time, we’re going to go over three takeaways from the night that was.
Jake Oettinger and the Goaltending Battle in Dallas
Jake Oettinger, like most No. 1 goalies, seems to get either high praise or heavy criticism, and nothing in between. Well, after a performance like Monday’s, fans will be sending him flowers or Uber gift cards for the next couple of days until Game 3 gets underway.
When you look at the stats, it’s self-evident. Oettinger made 34 saves on 37 shots, including four on the power play, and one that was off of a shorthanded 2-on-1 break by Colorado. Within the context of the game, he made numerous saves that kept the Stars either tied or down by only one goal to keep the game within reach. In overtime, the Avalanche had a plethora of good looks, and Oettinger shut the door on each and every one of them.
Even though this is a Stars-centered article, we have to stop and mention Mackenzie Blackwood, the goaltender for the Avalanche. Before Saturday night, the 28-year-old netminder had never started a playoff game, and it seemed like the Stars had a clear advantage in goal. They still do, but make no mistake, this guy is playing out of his mind. Blackwood had 35 saves on the night, and like Oettinger, he made a ton of high-quality saves to keep his team in the mix, especially in overtime.
Special Teams and Penalties
This game wasn’t perfect, and since this series should have a lot of hockey left in it, it’s necessary to sandwich a negative between two positives. 5-on-5 play is incredibly tight right now, and the Avalanche are incredibly dangerous on the power play. Three penalties might not seem like a lot, but it’s too many when you’re playing a team like Colorado.
The first penalty was especially unnecessary. Mason Marchment turned the puck over and ended up tripping Miles Wood as a result. That penalty resulted in the Avalanche’s first goal of the game. It’s hard chasing games in the playoffs, and even more so when you’re taking stupid penalties.
On the other side of the special-teams coin is the power play, which was downright awful for a good portion of the night. Tyler Seguin ended up scoring on one of them, which is a big deal in its own right. But, there were many moments with the man advantage that looked pretty ugly. Specifically, towards the end of the second period when they had back-to-back opportunities. At the end of the second power play, Logan O’Connor ended up giving Colorado a 3-2 lead. As this series, and hopefully the playoffs, go on, this power play has to get cleaned up. Plain and simple.
Colin Blackwell and the Unsung Heroes
In the playoffs, your best players have to be your best players. But sometimes they’re not. That’s not a shot at Dallas’ top dogs, but the Avalanche are trying to eliminate those guys from being a threat. So, when they can’t make the impact they want to, the depth players need to step up.
On the forwards side of things, Oskar Back, Colin Blackwell, and Sam Steel were incredibly noticeable on Monday. There were moments when they seemed to be creating the most space in the offensive zone, and were playing incredibly tough in the defensive zone. Then came the overtime. It was easy to tell, towards the end of the extra period, that the top three lines were exhausted. That’s when you need the fourth line to have that extra step, and that’s exactly what Blackwell had on the game-winning goal.
Related: Blackwell the OT Hero as Stars Beat the Avalanche 4-3 in Game 2
Defensively, Thomas Harley and Esa Lindell were solid, but they are expected to be. Ilya Lyubushkin and Liam Bichsel had an excellent night, and that carried into overtime. The Stars are not a very physical team, but Bichsel’s toughness more than made up for it.
On to Colorado
The Stars were one Avalanche goal away from putting themselves into a decent-sized hole that would have felt almost impossible to get out of. No matter the excellence this team has shown this season, or the talent that is on the roster, the bottom line is that they have not won a game since April 3, and the weight of that would have only gotten heavier if they left the ice on Monday down 0-2 in the series.
Despite the injuries and the bad mojo of the last few weeks, the Stars pulled it together and put forth a performance that the team and the fanbase can rally behind. Now, on to Game 3.
