Tag Archives: Ray Whitney

Stars drop 4th straight in loss to Red Wings

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Photo by Dave Reginek

Photo by Dave Reginek

For the second time in seven nights, the Stars found themselves in Joe Louis Arena, facing the Detroit Red Wings. This time, things were set up a bit different. It was the Stars’ turn to be coming off a back-to-back, the bane of their existence since last year. But this time, they had their best player on the ice, Jamie Benn. In the end though, the same issues that have been hampering this team snowballed into an embarrassing defeat.

First Period
The game opened with a bang, as Eric Nystrom fought Jordin Tootoo as soon as the puck dropped, likely as retribution for Tootoo’s hit on Philip Larsen a week ago. The Stars struggled to get anything going in even strength situations, and struggled even more on their first two power plays, seeming content to dump and chase with no success. A frantic series of saves by a stretching Kari Lehtonen saw the puck end up with Jamie Benn at the blue line, who fed a streaking Loui Eriksson for the Stars’ first quality chance of the game. Jimmy Howard was equal to the task though.

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Shorthanded Stars fall to Blues, 4-3

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Image by Glenn JamesThis was a game that the Stars had no business winning, as Jaromir Jagr and Derek Roy were out with injuries and Jaime Benn was unavailable because of work visa issues. The Stars played hard, but the same lingering issues reappeared and they fell to the Blues, 4-3.

Wade Redden, yes, Wade Redden scored to put the Blues up early in the first period. Okay, backup goalie Cristopher Nilstorp was completely screened and never saw it go in. Still, not a great way to start.

Luckily for the Stars, Tomas Vincour scored about a half minute later, taking a beautiful pass from Fiddler that found him in the slot. Vincour’s first shot was saved, but he collected the rebound and put it past Halak to even the score.

In the 12th minute, the Blues’ talented right-winger Vladimir Tarasenko went into the penalty box for tripping Ray Whitney, and the Stars went on the power play. It was not a pretty power play, but it resulted in a goal when Michael Ryder put the biscuit in the basket after being denied by the post. Ryder backhanded the puck through Halak’s five-hole to give the Stars an unlikely lead.

In the second period, the game got completely away from the Stars. The Blues started taking control of the game, getting eight chances to Dallas’ two. David Perron used his stick-handling skills to abuse Brendan Morrow and Trevor Daley and fire a wrist shot past Nilstorp to tie the game at 2. Nilstorp was screened, but looked to be a little slow sliding across the crease as Perron slipped through the defense. Morrow and Daley were content to stick-check Perron as he danced around the ice, rather than getting more physical with him.

The Blues took the lead about 5 minutes later when they won a loose puck and Chris Stewart beat Brendan Morrow to the resulting centering shot. Unfortunately for the Stars, Morrow’s stick had broken and he stopped for a new stick moments before Stewart sprinted in and fired the wrister past a stretching Nilstorp.

With 15 seconds left in the nightmare second period, Perron gathered the puck and scored on goal that Nilstorp really should have saved. I’m no goaltending expert, but it looked like Nilstorp had time to skate forward from his position to cut off Perron’s angle. Instead, he laid back as Perron put it over his left shoulder.

The Stars came out with a bit of fight in the final period, when Brendan Morrow delivered a centering pass that Ryan Garbutt buried like he was trying to hide it.

After that goal, the Stars once again got stuck in their defensive end, unable to maintain any quality offensive possession. With 7:41 left in the game, Kari Lehtonen was forced to enter the game when Nilstorp injured his groin. The difference in goaltending styles (at least on this night) was immediately clear, as Kari completely left the crease to make his first save. Nilstorp’s exit was not good news, as now the Stars have two goalies that are carrying injuries – Lehtonen was initially on the bench to rest his own “tweak.”

The Stars made one final frantic rush, pulling their goalie for an extra man. Ray Whitney almost sent the crowd into a frenzy, but he hit the post with a blast from the left of the slot. A late power play with 14 seconds amounted to nothing, and the Stars lost another one goal game – the same differential as their other three losses.

Obviously the game would have been different if Jagr and Roy weren’t out with injuries and if Jamie Benn was available, but those players are in Dallas for their offensive prowess, not defensive support. While the Stars’ defensemen weren’t bad tonight, there were times when a little physicality might have made the game less comfortable for the Blues. Also, now that the Stars have played five games, trends are starting to make themselves evident. One of these worrisome trends is that the Stars seem to be having a hard time dealing with their opponents’ forecheck, causing dangerous turnovers and increased chances for the opposition.

With all the key players unavailable tonight, there were a few positive things the Stars could take from this game. A few players stepped up to provide some offense and the team fought hard until the end. Better times for the Stars could be ahead, as Jaime Benn is set to join the team for their next game Monday. Hopefully Benn’s contribution makes the difference fans are expecting and the lingering issues start getting corrected, because in a short season, there’s not a lot of time for moral victories. As coach Glen Gulutzan said after the game, “You don’t get points for trying in this league.”

Jagr, Stars Defeat Coyotes in a 4-3 Thriller

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Jagr

That was an important win for the Stars on home ice, in front of a sellout crowd, after a long lockout.

Jaromir Jagr introduced himself to the Dallas crowd in supreme fashion, finishing the night with 4 points from 2 goals and 2 assists. Jagr looked completely in form, charging hard beyond Phoenix’s defense on many occasions and opening up lanes for teammates when the defense stuck with him. I don’t doubt that his work in the KHL during the lockout kept him sharp.

Another 40 year old new addition to the team, Ray Whitney, also had a great night. Ray contributed 2 points from 1 goals and 1 assist.

Aside from the new additions, the Eakin-Smith-Garbutt line looked, dare I say, pesky. They held the puck in the offensive end and won many loose pucks.

While the game was extremely free-flowing in the first period, the referees remembered they had whistles and used them in the 2nd period. The Stars were on the penalty kill 5 times in the period, and paid the price twice.

The Stars’ defensive inexperience has fans worried, and their fears are not misplaced. The Stars gave up 40 shots, and Jordie Benn looked very uncertain of himself. He played tentatively and gave up a bad goal when his errant pass left Kari Lehtonen hanging out to dry. Benn didn’t have much time to wallow in sorrow, as Gulutzan put him right back out there on the next shift. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Brenden Dillon played aggressively and effectively. Luckily for the Stars, Kari Lehtonen was up to the task, stopping 37 shots on the night.

The Dallas Star who is most pleased with this result might not have been in the building tonight. Had the Stars lost this game, the fans would have definitely been thinking about what Jamie Benn could have contributed to the team. Now, Jagr and Whitney have the spotlight and the media’s focus, and both sides of the negotiations aren’t feeling as much heat as they would if the Stars lost tonight. Once Benn does join the team, it’ll be very exciting to see him skating with Whitney and the legendary Jagr.

 

For your consideration…

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Stars

 

Here we are, fellow D/FW sports fans. The Cowboys have made their annual early exit, college football is over, and the Rangers’ hot stove is still warm (after having some issues preheating). Someone might compliment Shawn Marion’s shooting form before you find a local college basketball game on TV worth watching. The Mavericks are stuck in limbo, somewhere between re-tooling and rebuilding…either way they’re nothing but repulsive to watch on most nights.  But don’t worry; as the sun seemingly sets on D/FW sports, there is a twinkle of hope. The Stars are coming back.

Wait – don’t go for your browser’s back button quite yet. There are a few things to like about the Stars, and a few storylines that could make this abbreviated season an interesting one to watch.

First, you know they’re 100 percent committed to rebuilding. Rebuilding has some negative connotations, but D/FW sports fans have to be relieved that the strategy of “keeping the powder dry” hasn’t made its way over to the Stars’ portion of the AAC. Tom Hicks is out, new ownership is in. Gone are Steve Ott, Mike Ribeiro, Sheldon Souray, and Adam Burish. In their place is an interesting combination of youth and veteran leadership new to the team.

40 year-olds Jaromir Jagr and Ray Whitney will be key pieces of that veteran leadership. The legendary Jagr will be a great presence on the ice and in the locker room. Whitney is already making his mark, as GM Joe Nieuwendyk noted, “He’s already grabbed hold of this locker room a little.”

In a short 48 game season, it’s likely we’ll see a lot of sloppiness and a lot of penalties. Last year, the Stars were the NHL’s worst in taking advantage of power play opportunities, scoring on only 13.5% of their opportunities. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan will surely make power play scoring a priority in 2013. On that front, Ray Whitney could pair quite nicely with the addition of center Derek Roy. Roy is undersized for an NHL center, but sees his teammates very well, which could pay dividends for the Stars on the power play.

Compounding the power play problem last year was the fact that the Stars spent too much time killing penalties. When the Stars got rid of Ott, Souray, Burish and Ribeiro they helped solve the problem. This group of players were four of the top five offenders on the team. However, when the Stars shed that recklessness, did they lose some toughness as well? While it’s unwise to call any hockey player a pushover, after glancing at the roster, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say this will be a less physical team. It’ll be interesting to see how the roster shakeup affects this dynamic of the team.

Another storyline to watch: how do the Stars utilize their budding star, Jaime Benn? Will he stay on the same line as last year with Eriksson and Ryder? Could he play on a line with Ray Whitney and Jagr, or will be be paired with Derek Roy? Actually, I might be getting ahead of myself – the Stars haven’t signed Benn to a new contract, and there’s a chance that the season begins without a deal having been completed. Benn and his agent seemingly hold a good deal of leverage, considering the Stars will want their young face-of-the-franchise on the ice as quickly as possible in this shortened season.

Off the ice, there are some interesting happenings as well. Mike Modano is back in Dallas, having taken an undefined role in the organization. He holds a lot of cachet in this town, so I’d guess he’ll be used mostly for marketing and promotional purposes. Also returning is Marty Turco, presumably in a similar role – to help get butts in seats. Considering that the Stars aren’t hiding the fact that they’re rebuilding, management might get creative with ticket pricing and specials. Stars owner Tom Gaglardi mentioned on 1310 The Ticket that the Stars are working on a plan for free upper-deck tickets for fans 12 and under.

Well, there you have it; the best case I can put together for watching the Dallas Stars this season. Now is a good time to get in on the ground floor and support a team whose owner knows he’s not the GM. A team whose GM, like another local team’s GM, graduated from Cornell and believes in the value of building a team from within. A team that is not seemingly in denial about its current state and is trying to responsibly build for the future. This is a team you can get behind, and a team you should consider supporting.