I have mixed feelings about Sunday's game. I don't get too excited about shootout wins or losses, but the extra point in this one was huge as far as the battle for home ice. Having it go to OT at all didn't benefit the Stars. They needed a regulation win, didn't get that and were kind of lucky to get the point. Actually, they were lucky to have Marty Turco in net. He was outstanding and got them the point. Marc-Andre Bergeron helped too.
I thought Anaheim was the better team for the most part as far as dictating the play, at least through the first two periods, but they didn't have a lot of finish. That's been their issue lately. They are struggling to score goals and that continued Sunday night.
As for the Stars, Dave Tippett said the Stars were running low on fumes, having played three games in four days. I don't know. Perhaps. Even with the time off (and let's not forget the last four days before the trip were working days), three games in four days can still lead to some fatigue. Still, in a game with a lot at stake you'd hope there would be a little more desperation. But I give them credit for hanging around the game and giving themselves a chance to win.
Being on the power play seven times and for about eleven-and-a-half minutes helped the Ducks' cause. The Ducks' execution, on the other hand, especially on the power play, was not very good. They got the early PP goal, but they blew some big chances that could have taken control of the game and extended their lead, but actually pushed momentum the Stars' way in the third period. Niklas Hagman took advantage of a bad turnover by Bergeron and it was a tie game. The Stars' then wasted their PP opportunities in the third period and countered the Ducks' lackluster execution with some of their own. It was a tie game at the end of regulation, and based on how both teams played as a whole it was probably a fair result.
I can see how some might not look it at that way. I don't really have a problem with that view. Nothing happens in a vacuum. This game is looked at in the context of the lousy month the team has had and the shootout loss doesn't look so good. The Sharks throw out a clunker against Phoenix on Tuesday, lose in OT and they get bonus points for rallying to tie and keeping their points streak alive. That's the way people look at you when you are hot. The Stars overcome a couple of deficits to tie the Ducks, but lose in the shootout and it's another game they don't win in a 2-7-2 month. I can see where some people might dwell on some negatives. Turco stands on his head and gets this team a point under different circumstances, and people would probably look at it differently. That's life. You create the perceptions that surround you.
Again, I have mixed feelings about the Ducks game and trip as a whole. The four points were important. The Stars needed them to secure a playoff spot. I know people think it is a given that they will make it every year. It is not. Just look at the standings. They are just seven points ahead of the tenth place team, Edmonton. A pretty good team - Vancouver or Nashville - is probably going to miss the playoffs. If you think that the teams getting in are far are superior to those two teams, you haven't been watching. There ain't much difference.
While the points were important, the trip wasn't exactly anything to write home about. They played well against the Sharks and then imploded in overtime. They took advantage of the Kings imploding, played well and got a big 7-2 win. They were lackluster against the Ducks and found a way to get a point, primarily thanks to some great goaltending by Turco. In the end 1-0-2. Points streak of three or just one win in three. It's your call.
Where does this team stand right now? No idea. Maybe with the playoff spot secured (and that was getting a little tense as they headed out on this trip), they'll relax a bit, put this dismal month behind them and get going as the prepare for the playoffs. Maybe they'll languish here over the last three games and stumble into the postseason. Time will tell.
I was going to talk about the Ducks as a possible playoff opponent, which appears very likely, but that can wait for now. We'll see what happens Tuesday with those Northwest Division games and see if the Stars' picture becomes a little clearer from what those teams do. A first round matchup with Minnesota is still a possibility, albeit a slim one.
They got a point out of it and that gets them in the playoffs. For all you people that gripe about loser points, the Stars got two of them on this trip and that got them into the playoffs. I thought they played well in the third period, except for missing on those three power play chances. I've said it before, but I am not a big fan of the shootout. This is one of those games I was really hoping would have been settled in OT or regulation. Oh well. More later, including some thoughts on the potential matchup if these two teams meet in the playoffs, which is looking likely.
They are still hanging around and only down 2-1 after the first 40 minutes. The Stars aren't helping their cause with all these penalties. I am not going to fault the officiating. Anahiem's got the puck a lot. That said, the Ducks are flirting with danger by squandering away all these power play chances. Anaheim's power play has been a momentum killer from their end of things and the Stars capitalized on that by scoring right after Morrow came out of the box and made a nice backhand pass to set up Modano's goal. Anaheim got the lead back with that Schneider goal, but it's still a game because of Anaheim's inability to make hay with the power play. The Stars are still in decent shape heading into the third period.
It could have been worse than 1-0 considering the strong early push by the Ducks and the Stars' penalty woes. Marty Turco came up with some nice stops on Sutherby and Kunitz before the Schneider power play goal, so being down 1-0 isn't bad when you take three penalties in the period and only get only power play chance. Marty's got to be careful with that stick there around the net. He seemed to clip Brad May there at the end of the period, but didn't get caught. Let's see if the Stars can counter-punch in the second period.
As I said in the previous post, the Stars needed that win. It was big in the standings as far as creating distance from the teams behind them and moving them a little closer to Anaheim, which is the focus now. The win over the Kings was great. It's nice to see a lot of things go right, see them score seven goals and not give a game away in one fashion or another. But one game doesn't get them out of a funk. The Colorado game, which was a complete 3-0 win, didn't do it. That 7-4 win over Chicago way back when, which had some people making Stanley Cup plans, didn't mean much in the long run.
At the same time, I didn't think the recent losses to San Jose and Anaheim were so bad that people needed to be hitting the panic button. They were tough losses that were the results of some breakdowns, especially that San Jose loss. But in each of those games the Stars competed very well against two of the better teams in the NHL. This slide has been tough, but it's not like they have been horrible and it's some freakish slide that no other team in the league has experienced. It's a long season of ups and downs.
So here were are. Four games to go and the Stars have a chance to make a race of it for home ice in round one. It's going to be tough, but possible. They'll need a win tomorrow and a regulation win would help.
By next weekend we'll know where they ended up, where they'll start the playoffs and against whom. I have a feeling it's going to be the Ducks, so that makes Sunday night's game worth watching with one eye on the standings and the other on how the two teams may match up in the playoffs.
They rounded out the win with a solid third period. It was nice to see them score a couple in the third period for once. It was nice to see Niklas Hagman finally get on the board. I am going to say what I always say after one of these wins: it's only one game. They've got another big one tomorrow in Anaheim that has big standings implications. That said, this one over the Kings was just one game, but it was a big one in its own right. They needed a win and they needed the two points to put some distance between themselves and those teams outside of the playoffs and still with a chance of catching them. More later.
Well, it looks like the Stars carried that late push in the first into the second period. That was a dominating second period all the way around. When you score early, get some power plays and take advantage, all that helps too. They buckled down defensively as well. Kings look like they are in disarray here. We'll see what the third period holds.
Well, they got out of the first 20 minutes tied. I thought they were OK. They had some decent zone time and scored on the power play, but they gave up some prime chances and the Kings scored on one of them. Brenden Morrow took a couple of penalties that could have cost them. They also dodged a bullet on that one Los Angeles power play chance. That no goal call was close, but I didn't see anything on the replay that was going to overturn the call on the ice. I thought the Stars seemed to pick it up towards the end of the period. We'll see if they can carry it over into the second period.
There were some good reviews for Stars prospect Ray Sawada in his pro debut Friday night in Iowa. Sawada scored a goal and was a physical force in Iowa's 4-1 win over Quad City. Not bad for a guy who was still at Cornell on Thursday morning. Sawada, who is a right wing with good size (6-2, 205), has been flying under the radar as far as Dallas prospects go because he's been in college the past four years and plays in a defense oriented system at Cornell. But he was a second round pick who came was highly regarded when drafted.
Welcome Ray Sawada. Holy s&@#! Sawada finished his checks, and finished his checks, and finished his checks. Scott White and Andy Moog were both visibly pleased with Sawada’s performance. He was as advertised, physical two-way winger. If Sawada plays with the physicality he showed tonight on a nightly basis in the AHL, boy is Dallas in for a treat.
Raymond Sawada was sitting in the library at Cornell University in New York on Thursday morning when he got a call from Scott White, the Iowa Stars’ director of hockey operations.
“They said, ‘You better get home and get packing,’” Sawada said.
In a whirlwind 36 hours, the right wing signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars, was assigned to Iowa and experienced weather-related travel delays and flight cancellations before arriving in Des Moines Friday afternoon.
He made his pro debut hours later, scoring a game-tying goal and serving up several hard hits for Iowa in a physical 4-1 American Hockey League win Friday against the Quad City Flames at Wells Fargo Arena.
“I was nervous off the bat,” Sawada said. “I could tell I didn’t have the same poise with the puck and I was getting used to a new stick. Getting that first goal allowed me to sit down and take a breath and be like, ‘OK, you can now play your game. It was fun.’
“It was a busy day. I’m ready to go to bed.”
Sawada was one of two college players making their pro debuts with Iowa on Friday in front of an announced crowd of 4,205. Providence defenseman Trevor Ludwig signed an amateur tryout contract Wednesday and played alongside defenseman Dan Jancevski.
Michigan Tech right wing Tyler Shelast and Bemidji State goalie Matt Climie also joined the Stars in the last 10 days, and also experienced their first games at Wells Fargo Arena.
“Ray came in there and really gave us a physical presence,” Stars coach Dave Allison said.
The Sharks clinched the Pacific Division with a 3-1 win over the Ducks in Anaheim in Friday night. The Stars are six points behind Anaheim and have two games in hand. A win over L.A. Saturday and they would put themselves in position to pull to within two of the Ducks with a regulation win in Anaheim Sunday evening. Home ice isn't out of the question, but they need some wins here this weekend.
Nashville beat Columbus and Vancouver got beat 4-0 by Minnesota. That moved Nashville into eighth and pushed Vancouver out of the playoff picture for now. Minnesota is in first in the Northwest by three points, but Calgary has games in hand. Colorado, a 5-4 winner in a shootout over Edmonton, joined the Flames and Stars at 90 points, but the Avs have played two more games than both Dallas and Calgary. Edmonton is just two points out of the final spot right now. Standings are below.
One other note, Stars goaltending prospect Richard Bachman's Colorado College team lost 3-1 to Michigan State in the NCAA West Regional Friday night. I was flipping over every now and then during the Sharks-Ducks game. I've got it on the DVR and will probably watch it later.
Stars goaltending prospect Richard Bachman will be in action tonight as his Colorado College team takes on Michigan State in the NCAA West Regional. The game is on ESPNU. If you have DirecTV and don't get ESPNU, you are in luck. It's being offered on a free preview basis this weekend. The Colorado College game is at 9 pm (CT).
According to the Ithaca (N.Y.) Journal, the Stars have signed forward Ray Sawada to an entry-level deal. He just wrapped up his collegiate career at Cornell, has signed an ATO with Iowa and is on his way to the AHL. Sawada was a second round in 2004. He has some good potential. (Update: The Stars made this signing official)
The Hockey News has its playoff preview edition out today and the publication is putting odds on who will win the Stanley Cup. The Stars are listed at 20-1. The Ducks are the favorites at 4-1. Here are the odds for the teams that are 40-1 or better.
That was a tough loss for the Stars. To me it was the same old stuff. The effort was there. They played well in the game for the most part. Like the Anaheim game they came out and put together a superb first period. But, unfortunately, like other games they couldn't get anything done in the third period and gave up a lead. And then in this one they had a penalty meltdown in OT and Joe Thornton and the Sharks made them pay. It's a fine line between winning and losing and the Stars are ending up on the wrong side off that line because they doing too many wrong things at the wrong time. The Marty Turco penalty was a killer. It was just a bad penalty and Trevor Daley's hooking penalty compounded the problem.
It's interesting how the focus on the Dallas end is what the Stars did that cost them the game and on the San Jose end the talk about what they did to win the game, and there was a lot of talk about denying Mike Modano a shorthanded goal in OT. Here's an excerpt from today's game story in the San Jose Mercury News:
Joe Thornton turned out to be the Dallas Stars' worst overtime nightmare at both ends of the ice Thursday night.
First he combined with goalie Evgeni Nabokov to miraculously rob center Mike Modano of a short-handed goal that would have won the game for Dallas. Then he ended up firing the shot that gave the Sharks a 3-2 come-from-behind victory that assures them of home ice in the first round of the playoffs.
And with a win tonight in Anaheim, San Jose would guarantee itself home ice in the second round as well.
"What a play, what a play," Thornton said of the Sharks' ability to foil Modano in overtime.
The sequence began with the Sharks holding a four-on-three advantage after Dallas goalie Marty Turco was tagged with a four-minute high-sticking penalty for striking Joe Pavelski as he pursued the puck behind the net.
Sharks defenseman Brian Campbell fell on the play, and Modano had nothing but open ice in front of him. Thornton credited linemate Jeremy Roenick with a back check that forced Modano to change his path, but Modano still got off two shots.
The last seemed destined to end the game, but Nabokov somehow got enough of his stick on the puck that it sat on the goal line - "Nabby, I guess he's been in the weight room lately," joked Mike Grier - where Thornton was able to clear it up the ice just as Dallas was about to take a third swipe at the puck.
"It was kind of desperation," Nabokov said of his role in keeping the puck out of the net. "I gave him a free net and kind of got lucky."
Sharks Coach Ron Wilson found a fourth player who contributed to the Sharks' good fortune on the play.
"If Modano had hung around instead of starting to celebrate, he would have scored," Wilson said of his longtime friend.
They got a point, but this has to be demoralizing. They played well, but once again they found a way to lose a game late. They've now been outscored 9-0 in third periods over the last five games and 15-1 in the last nine games. The overtime was a mess because of the penalty problems. The point is important though. More later.
Well, the second period was a little scrambly, but they still have the lead. A few too many San Jose breakaway opportunities for my tastes, but the Stars dodged the bullet on all of them. San Jose had the momentum there after they scored on the power play. That five-on-three chance was a big one and the Stars cashed in to shift momentum their way again. Special teams a big key through two periods.
That was a very strong first period for the Stars. Two big penalty kills gave them some momentum and although they don't credit for a power play goal, they scored just a few seconds after it expired. That has quite a blast by Mike Modano, a great stop by Evgeni Nabokov and Brenden Morrow cashed in on the rebound. Big kill coming up here to start the second.
The Stars get back to playing some games tonight. They have three over the next four days, which may help them get going here. The sporadic schedule probably hasn't helped their cause. With Minnesota winning last night the Stars are now in the sixth spot. The Stars - and we've haven't been able to say this for a long time - have games in hand on some of these teams.
I am not sure the seeding is that big of a deal right now. They just need to get their game in order, start playing well and get ready for the playoffs. If they have their act together for the playoffs, I don't think anyone will be thrilled about playing them in the first round even if that other team has home ice advantage.
As for tonight, it looks like Jonathan Cheechoo is doubtful for the Sharks. I expect San Jose to have a sharp focus on winning one at home against the Stars, who are 3-0-0 in San Jose this season. There was talk about that on one of their broadcasts recently. Beating Anaheim was a priority and getting one at home against Dallas was on the radar too.
Here are a few updates from today's practice. For all of you into the line combinations, they were juggled around again. Modano and Richards were not on the same line today. Modano was with Ott and Barnes. Richards lined up with Hagman and Eriksson. Lundqvist was on a line with Petersen and Crombeen. Morrow, Ribeiro and Lehtinen were the one line that stayed together from Monday's practice. Miettinen, Barch and Winchester were the fifth line.
Philippe Boucher had a good practice. Tippett said he'd be re-evaluated in the morning and that Boucher "was getting pretty close."
Sergei Zubov went through a full practice as well. "He is still day-to-day and is still dealing with some issues," Tippett said.
The Calgary Flames now hold down the top spot in the Northwest and the No. 3 seed after beating Vancouver 3-2 Tuesday night. Nashville shutout Columbus 3-0, so the Predators are only two points out of that last spot. The Oilers, who were idle, are only three points out. The standings are below.
San Jose lost 5-4 in OT on the road in Phoenix. Not a very good effort from the Sharks leading into Thursday's game against the Stars. Not a big surprise. They were coming off a big win over Anaheim and had a few days off. They came out a little flat, were down 3-0 early in the third after a Shane Doan shorthanded goal, but rallied to tie thanks to some Phoenix penalty problems and the game getting a bit sloppy overall, especially the two goaltenders. Evgeni Nabokov ended up getting pulled after getting caught out of the net and watching Steven Reinprecht score to make it a 4-2 game at one point.
No Jonanthan Cheechoo for the Sharks. He is still hurting after that hit Chris Kunitz laid on him in the Anaheim game last week. No Craig Rivet either. Word from the Versus crew was that he got the night off to rest.
I watched some the games out East too. The race over there is pretty good, especially with Alexander Ovechkin and the Caps making a strong push. They beat Carolina in a shootout and are now two points out of eighth in the East. Pittsburgh, Philly and Boston all had big wins.
Jeff Halpern scored another goal and also had two assists for Tampa Bay, which beat Florida and seriously damaged the Panthers' chances of making the playoffs. No Mike Smith though. He hurt his knee in practice on Monday and sat out the game.
It was team picture day for the Stars on Tuesday, so they didn't practice. Lots of people walking around in suits. Brett Hull looked quite dapper in his Tuesday team photo best.
Sergei Zubov and Philippe Boucher both skated. I watched for a little bit and both looked good. Zubov was moving well and Boucher seemed to be shooting the puck well, very well. We'll see how it goes tomorrow in practice, but both appear to be getting close to a return. Just when seems to be still up in the air.
Here's a look at the Western Conference after Monday's games. Colorado beat Calgary 2-0, which kept the Stars in fifth place and pulled the Avs to within three points of the Stars. The Oilers beat the Wild 5-3, so Edmonton continues to make a push and the Northwest continues to be incredibly tight here with just a few games left.
Vancouver is at Calgary on Tuesday. Also, San Jose is at Phoenix. That one really doesn't affect the Stars' position, but it's a game worth noting since the Sharks are the Stars' next opponent.
There was no bag skate today, but the Stars did practice for an hour-and-a-half Monday. They went for about 40 minutes, the Zamboni came out and they went some more. There was some scrimmaging and the most significant note of interest is that the lines were juggled quite a bit, and Mike Modano and Brad Richards were back together with Modano on the wing.
Dave Tippett said he was just looking at things today, so we'll see if this all sticks tomorrow. And he pointed out the team's recent woes have little to do with line juggling and combinations.
Sergei Zubov did not practice today. He went to see the doctor. He is said to be fine and is expected to be on the ice tomorrow. Philippe Boucher went through another full practice, but he still seems to have a ways to go before he can play in a game.
Dave Tippett put the Stars through a very hard practice Sunday afternoon in Frisco. There was a lot of skating and a lot of competition drills. It was a grueling workout and it's fair to say the players were spent afterwards.
"We deserved it," Mike Ribeiro said after practice. "The way we've played, it's not acceptable."
Said Tippett: "Do whatever it takes to get yourself out of it. We tried days off and now we are going to try working."
The only guys not out there were Sergei Zubov and Jere Lehtinen. Zubov will skate with the team tomorrow and Lehtinen was because of some tightness in his groin.
The Stars will be call up right wing B.J. Crombeen from Iowa.
And let me say to all of you what Steve Ott had to say after practice: "Happy Easter."
That's how I would describe that loss. A kick in the gut. I thought they played OK for the most part, but I was still expecting a better overall game then that they showed even before squandering the lead at the end. Their inability to extend the lead had me concerned. I thought they were flirting with disaster and disaster struck.
I am not sure what you say. It is the same stuff over and over. They just aren't making big plays and mistakes are ending up in the back of their net. There's a fine line and right now they are on the wrong side of it on a nightly basis. I thought the Anaheim game was a step in the right direction and I think this last one was a step back.
I thought they started well, but by the midway point of the game I felt it had sort of turned into a quagmire. That was just before the juggling started, Stu Barnes got moved to the top line and he potted that goal. I thought that would be a turning point, but they never really built on it. The Kings just hung around the game and Michal "I haven't scored in 42 games" Handzus comes up with a big goal to tie. I think there was that feeling of "Here we go again." Less than a minute later the Kings strike again. That's the way it is going for this team right now.
Confidence can be a fragile thing and right now this team's confidence has probably taken a big hit. That's why a win in this game was so important. Why closing the game out was so important. That's why having it all fall apart at the end was like a kick in the gut.
I am still not ready to hit the panic button, because I am not sure what to panic about. It's not like they are in danger of missing the playoffs or anything like that. If it gets to that point, then I'll hit the panic button. Am I concerned about this slide? Sure. There are some disturbing things I see and wonder about as the regular season winds down and the playoffs approach. But, as I said before, there is still time to right the ship.
The schedule the Stars put out earlier in the week had Sunday as a day off. Not anymore. The team will practice tomorrow afternoon.
Here's an update on Ducks goalie J-S Giguere from this morning's Los Angeles Times. Back spasms kept him out of the game last night.
Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere hit the ice for the warmup before Friday's critical game against the San Jose Sharks. Nothing unusual about that.
And then he was gone. That's about as unusual as it gets.
Giguere never did play as he was felled by back spasms and the Ducks' slim chance at defending their Pacific Division title faded in a 2-1 loss to the Sharks at HP Pavilion.
The Sharks (45-21-9) edged closer to their first division title since 2004 as their 14th victory in 15 games padded their lead to seven points over the second-place Ducks (42-26-8) with seven games to play.
But the Ducks' main worry is Giguere, who has battled injuries throughout his career but has been healthy since undergoing sports hernia surgery last August.
According to a team spokesman, Giguere's tried to work through the back pain during the warmup.
Giguere did not speak to reporters afterward.
"He skated this morning and was fine," Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle said.
The severity of Giguere's back issue could affect the Ducks in their last six games as they try to lock up a playoff spot and home-ice advantage in the first round. It's unlikely Giguere will be available for tonight's game in Phoenix.
"I would think that we would be in a situation to possibly have to recall a goaltender for [tonight], obviously," Carlyle said.
Sharks beat the Ducks 2-1. Close score, but it was a pretty impressive and I thought dominating performance by the Sharks. They outshot Anaheim 43-13, including 17-0 in the third period. Still, it took a goal on a five-on-three by Jeremy Roenick early in the third to break a 1-1 tie. The Sharks are now on a 15-game points streak (14-0-1).
The most interesting thing out of this game is that Jonas Hiller started in net for the Ducks. He played very well and made some great saves, but there was a lot of speculation as to what happened to J-S Giguere, who took warm ups. I watched the Sharks broadcast, so they didn't have an idea. Maybe something will come out in the post-game reports, or maybe not.
Anyway, that leaves the Stars ten points behind San Jose. They still only trail the Ducks by three and that's the team they are chasing now.
If you aren't doing anything tonight and have Center Ice, the Ducks and Sharks meet in San Jose at 9:30 CT. Ducks have won five of the six meetings, but four of the six meetings have gone to overtime/shootout. For the most part, they have been close, tough games. Should be a good one and I believe the Sharks broadcast is in HD.
Starting one-half hour earlier on the NHL Network is a big game in the Northwest between the Canucks and the Wild. Minnesota has a one point lead over the Canucks, who can take sole possession of first place with a regulation win and pull even with a overtime or shootout win. GM Place should be rocking.
Winchester and Petersen appeared to be the odd men out.
After skating on his own yesterday, Sergei Zubov was out there with the team in full gear today. He skated the entire practice and looked OK. I wouldn't read too much into it just yet. Stars coach Dave Tippett said it will take a few more days to see exactly where Zubov stands.
"Realistically, I think it will be a couple days before we get a good read on it," Tippett said after practice. "When you haven't skated for two months, whether you are injured or not, it's uncomfortable when you come back and skate. He'll be uncomfortable for a couple of days. I think we'll get a better gauge on where he is the middle of next week."
Still, it was pretty neat to see him out there. Philippe Boucher was out there as well for a second straight day. Tippett said Boucher was still "tentative in some situations, but he is coming along."
Overall, they seem to be finally moving forward on that front and there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel. Time will tell as to exactly when they get back.
Here are a few tidbits from this morning's practice. Sergei Zubov skated before practice. According to coach Dave Tippett, Zubov was "pleasantly surprised" with how well it went. Still no timetable on a possible return. They'll see how it goes over the next few days. The last thing they want to do is rush him back.
Philippe Boucher skated with the team this morning as well. No contact or anything like that and Boucher said after practice he wasn't sure about a possible return yet. He is taking it day-to-day right now.
No surprise here, but they spent part of practice working on the power play.
The Stars have signed a couple of prospects. Here is the press release:
The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has signed forward Tyler Shelast out of Michigan Tech University to a two-year entry-level contract through the 2009-10 season goaltender Matt Climie out of Bemidji State University to a one-year deal for the 2008-09 campaign. Both players have been assigned to the Iowa Stars, Dallas’ primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Shelast, 23, just finished his senior year at Michigan Tech University (WCHA). In 39 games with the Huskies this season, registered 16 goals and 10 assists for 26 points to go along with eight power play tallies and a +2 rating. Among team leaders, ranked first in goals, power play goals and shots (114) and was second in points. The 6-1, 202-pound winger posted three, two-goal outings this season and notched three points (2-1-3) on Dec. 28 vs. Michigan State.
The Kelowna, British Columbia native, served as assistant captain for Michigan Tech this past season and has been named to the WCHA All-Academic Team following both his junior and sophomore years. He also played his freshman and sophomore seasons with current Iowa Star Chris Conner at MTU.
Prior to attending Michigan Tech, Shelast played two seasons from 2002 – 2004 with the Powell River Kings of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). Following the 2003-04 season with Powell he was named the club’s most valuable player after tallying 71 points (26-45-71) in 65 games.
Climie, 25, just finished his senior year at Bemidji State University (CHA), posting a 14-8-3 record with a 2.16 goals-against-average, a .913 save percentage and five shutouts. He finished his four-year career with the Beavers first on the school’s all-time shutouts list (12), second in goals-against-average (2.45) and second in save percentage (.908).
The 6-3, 200-pound goaltender tied BSU’s single-season record with five shutouts this past season and is the school’s Division I-era record for goaltending victories with 45. The Leduc, Alberta, native earned First-Team All-CHA honors following his junior year and was selected to the Second-Team All-CHA squad following his senior season. Climie also graduated from Bemidji State with a degree in elementary education in three and a half years.
Iowa still has 12 games remaining in their AHL season.
I thought the Stars played a pretty good game at times Wednesday night. I thought they were particularly strong in the first period. Overall, they fared well in a tight checking, playoff style game against a Ducks team that excels in that kind of environment. But it's a 60 minute game that encompasses a lot of areas and when you add in the power play, which just seemed to suck the life out of things, and that Todd Bertuzzi goal at the end, it just felt like a lousy loss. This is one of those games I attribute to them simply not executing. They didn't execute on the power play, especially. I thought there were other times at even strength where they failed to execute at times too. They needed that save from Marty there at the end.
I am not going to gripe about the officiating. It was erratic, but both teams got hosed. That 4:00 power play the Stars got was off a bad call on the Ducks. But the Stars didn't take advantage. The interference call on Brenden Morrow at the end was questionable, but the Ducks capitalized. In the end, the players still have to make plays or not make plays and that's how it was decided. The Ducks got it done on this night.
This was a tough loss for the Stars in a key game. There's still time to right the ship and perhaps get home ice at least in the first round. I have some concerns about this 1-6-0 slide, but I am not going to hit the panic button and start planning a vacation for early May. It's a little early for all the doom and gloom. Nobody loses a playoff series in March. We'll see how they do Saturday against the Kings and maybe they can get going on next week's road trip. They've often been able to jump things on road trips and maybe they'll be able to do it again.
They beat the Kings in Los Angeles 2-1 with Brian Boucher in net. Not a great effort by the Sharks, but it was two points. And those two points really raise the stakes in Wednesday night's Stars-Ducks game. Dallas is six points behind San Jose and Anaheim is five points back. The Sharks, who host Minnesota Wednesday night, have a game in hand on both teams.
Nothing earth shattering out of practice today. Pretty good one hour workout. Line combinations looked the same as the ones used in Saturday's game against the Canucks. Stephane Robidas was wearing a protective cage because of the injury to his cheek the other night. Nothing new on Sergei Zubov, or at least not while I was there. He was supposed to see the doctor today, but the doctor was supposed to get back into town this morning and his flight was delayed by the weather.
Stars defenseman Sergei Zubov has been nominated for the Masterton Trophy. Here's the release from the Stars:
The Dallas chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association (PHWA) announced that defenseman Sergei Zubov is its nominee for the 2007-08 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
The Masterton Trophy is presented annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. The winner will be selected at the end of the regular season by a poll of the PHWA’s 30 chapters. Last year’s recipient was forward Phil Kessel of the Boston Bruins.
Zubov, 37, has appeared in 46 games with the Stars this season, posting four goals and 31 assists for 35 points with a +6 rating. Despite missing the past 25 games due to injury, he is still the only defensemen to record 30-plus assists in each of the past 12 seasons. He notched his 600th career NHL assist on Nov. 21 vs. Anaheim, becoming the 15th NHL defensemen in league history to reach the milestone.
The 15-year NHL veteran ranks third in scoring all-time among defensemen born outside of North America behind Nicklas Lidstrom and Borje Salming. Since the 1993-94 season, he ranks second (behind Lidstrom) in points among all NHL blueliners.
Following the 2005-06 season, Zubov was nominated for the Norris Trophy for the first time in his career and was also named to the NHL Second All-Star Team. In 1993-94 while with the New York Rangers, he became the first defensemen in NHL history to lead a team in scoring that finished first overall in the NHL. The two-time Stanley Cup winner (’94 with Rangers, ’99 with Stars) has also participated in three NHL All-Star Games (1998, 1999, 2000) and one Olympics (1992).
NHL writers first presented the trophy in 1968 to commemorate the late Bill Masterton, who played for the Minnesota North Stars and died on January 15, 1968, as the result of head injuries suffered during a game. Masterton’s number 19 has never been worn by another Stars player and was officially retired on January 17, 1987.
Philippe Boucher was Dallas’ nominee for the 2006-07 season.
Chances are there won't be much going on with the Stars today. They had yesterday off and they have today off as well. I know there is an inclination to run them through some tough practices considering the recent play, but there are times when you need to just get away from things. There's physical fatigue and there's mental fatigue too. Taking a few days to charge the batteries on both fronts isn't a bad course of action. It's been a long season and there is a long ways to go.
Can the Stars still catch the Sharks? It will be tough, but it is not out of the question. The Sharks' recent run and the Stars' recent slide has taken things out of the Stars' hands. San Jose controls its own destiny here. But nine of their final ten come within the division and they are 10-8-5 vs. the Pacific. Six of the games come against the Stars, Ducks and Kings and they are 6-7-4 against those three teams, so they'll still have to earn that division title. Of course, there's that little thing like the Stars needing to get on track too.
It's a big night in the Northwest Division. Colorado is at Minnesota and Vancouver plays as well, hosting Phoenix. Those teams are still within striking distance of the Stars. Either the Wild or Avs will be within three points tonight.
The Sharks winning streak is over at eleven games. They played extremely well, but lost in a shootout to Edmonton 2-1. Dwayne Roloson was absolutely brilliant in the game and stole the game for the Oilers. He looked like he did back in the 2006 playoffs when the Oilers went to the Stanley Cup Final. I can't remember how many big, big saves he had in that game. He had 48 total. Anyway, Sharks do get a point, so they lead the Stars by four and the Ducks by three and have two games in hand on both.
The Sharks play Edmonton here starting in a few minutes. It is one of two games San Jose plays before the Stars hit the ice again. The Sharks will be at Los Angeles on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see where the Sharks are after those two games. They have an opportunity to put the Stars and Ducks in a big hole here with these games in hand or they might leave the door open a little and keep it very interesting. We'll see where it stands after tonight's game.
Here is the way the Canadian media treated Dave Tippett's decision to start Johan Holmqvist last night. Every game is like a playoff game right now for the Canucks, so every decision that affects the outcome of the game is getting analyzed as such. As I said in a previous post, it's one of those things you look at the result and rip, but you can look at the decision and see some logic. You can also look at the decision - as the Canadian media did - and rattle off a laundry list of reasons making the case for it being a poor move.
Anyway, here are some of the comments starting with Hockey Night in Canada's Don Cherry, who never pulls any punches.
Don Cherry, Hockey Night in Canada:
"Look, here's the deal. They say he's uncomfortable. How could Tippett the coach be so stupid. The kid hasn't played in a month and you play him at home. You've got all the pressure and the crowd on him. You take him on the road and play him in L.A. or something like that where nobody is going on. No wonder he is nervous. How could he be so stupid to play him at home and he hasn't played in a month."
If the Canucks weren't excited about facing the Stars, their mood brightened considerably at the morning skate. That's when they found out Dallas coach Dave Tippett was throwing Vancouver a curveball -- a big, juicy, floating, hit-me-over-the-green-monster curveball.
He said Johan Holmqvist would start in goal for the Stars. Presumably, Tippett has a sense of sporting fairness, or a sense of humour, or at least didn't want Marty Turco's confidence to inflate any more than it has from a 15-3-1 career record and 1.75 goals-against average against the Canucks.
Turco thrives on Hockey Night in Canada and especially enjoys going head-to-head against another elite goalie like Vancouver's Roberto Luongo.
But Turco was watching from the bench as the Canucks scored three times in nine minutes early in the first period -- believed to be Vancouver's first 3-0 lead since football season ended.
In a memorable night that possibly created some lasting legends, Trevor Linden, Willie Mitchell and Dave Tippett all did things people in Vancouver will be talking about for days, weeks, and possibly years (especially if the rest of the season goes well for the Canucks).
Linden was a leader. Mitchell was a warrior. Tippett played the fool. ... His decision to start Johan Holmqvist was as bizarre as it was fatal.
Marty Turco has owned the Canucks in his career. He has a 15-3-1 career record, with a 1.75 GAA and a .931 save percentage. That doesn't even include his dominating playoff performance last spring when he had three shutouts and a 1.30 GAA.
"Johan's been here a while and we are trying to get him integrated into our team," Tippett reasoned.
Well, we have a bona fide slump going on here with the Stars. They are following up that record setting month of February with a clunker of a March. Anyone remember back when the word was that March was going to be good because they would finally get some rest and all that. It could be this erratic schedule that has knocked them out of sync. What ever is going on, that was a brutal start.
Let's start with the decision to play Johan Holmqvist. He needed to play a game and with the schedule the way it is right now for the Stars it is a tough call. You don't want either guy to sit too long and, again, they need to get Holmqvist into a game. You can look at the result and call it a mistake, but I am not going to complain.
Dave Tippett put him out there against an offensively challenged team and with the Stars coming off a disappointing loss to Detroit. I would have expected a better effort from the Stars. The Stars started the game poorly, Holmqvist was shaky and it added up to a 3-0 deficit. You could make the argument that Holmqvist needed to play earlier, but considering the fact that the Stars have lost five of seven since he and Brad Richards have joined the team his chances faring any better would have been slim. This team hasn't been playing well.
They now sit in third place in the division, one point behind Anaheim, which beat St. Louis Saturday night. They are three behind San Jose, which has three games in hand and hosts Edmonton Sunday.
I am not going to do some big picture analysis on what losing five of six games means here, or what it means. It's way to early to tell. Maybe it's just that the erratic schedule has knocked them out of sync. Maybe it is something more. I don't know. What I do know is that all teams go through slumps and the Stars are in one right now. What this slump means, if it means anything of significance, only time will tell.
A couple of items here on a Saturday morning. Don't forget that tonight's game is an early start (6 p.m.). The reason is it is part of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada Coverage. Canucks have lost a couple in a row and are clinging to that last spot in the West. Expect them to being pushing hard tonight.
Sharks won again last night. Blew the Blues away with four goals in the first period and then put the clamps down the rest of the way to win 4-1. That's eleven in a row for San Jose, which leads the Stars by three points and still has two games in hand.
Ducks play tonight and we should know the fate of Chris Pronger in relation to the Rylan Kesler incident before tonight's Anaheim-St. Louis game. Is he going to get 30 games like Chris Simon?
Well, I think all those people who are hoping that is the case are going to be disappointed. And those will who will immediately cry and whine that Pronger is getting special treatment (he may in some cases) and the league is being inconsistent, will be off base in this case. People just look at the issues of stomp and skate, and then say the two add up to the same penalty as the one levied on Simon. That's oversimplifying things. Those two incidents are grapes and grapefruits. You can't look at them and say they are the same when you look you look at not just the stomp, but the few moments proceeding it as well. I still can't look at that tape of Pronger and Kessler and say what Pronger was thinking. I know what he did was reckless. I can look at the tape of Simon and there was malice involved there.
It's the same with a lot of these other suspensions. People look at how bad someone got hurt or how bad a play looked at the moment of impact, draw comparisons with other incidents and then compare punishments. You can't always do that.
Should Pronger get suspsended? Sure. After seeing the better, closer shot of it I'd say he might miss the rest of the regular season and a playoff game or two. I think ten would fit the crime.
At issue is whether Pronger intentionally stepped on the left leg of Canucks center Ryan Kesler. Pronger initially appeared to have avoided any discipline by the league Thursday after it reviewed videotape of the play, which occurred during the second period of the Ducks' 4-1 win.
A more conclusive angle, which was not provided until late Thursday night, led to the league's course reversal.
"We viewed the incident the night that it happened but we did not have the isolation view until [Thursday] night around 10 p.m.," said Mike Murphy, NHL vice president of hockey operations. "Once we saw it clearly and up close, our antennas went up."
League spokesman Frank Brown said that a hearing has yet to be scheduled between its dean of discipline Colin Campbell and Pronger.
If there is a hearing, Ducks General Manager Brian Burke is also expected to take part.
An announcement on Pronger's status is expected to come before tonight's home game against the St. Louis Blues.
"If supplemental discipline is deemed warranted, it virtually always is assessed before the offending players' team plays its next game," Brown said.
It's why there have been enough changes (some significant, others more subtle) to suggest this season is finally the season the Stars get it right. That doesn't necessarily mean winning a Stanley Cup, but rather Dallas finally looks capable of making a dent come playoff time instead of being postseason fodder as in recent years.
The changes couldn't come at a better time. The Stars are in a crucial period of needing to find the passageway between regular-season and playoff success in order to shore up fan support that has grown weary of postseason busts. Since losing in the 2000 Stanley Cup finals, the Stars have won just two playoff rounds. In three straight seasons, they have bowed out in the first round despite piling up 107, 112 and 97 points, respectively, in those campaigns.
And so, as the regular season winds to its conclusion, there is both anticipation and a little anxiety as the playoffs approach. Veteran stars like Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen aren't getting any younger. And as fine a coach as Dave Tippett is, if the Stars can't escape the first round this spring, the team will likely go in another direction.
Still, there is a different feel about this team this time around.
I wasn't really surprised by this, but there was some line juggling at today's practice. I don't know if it will stick for tomorrow's game against the Canucks, but here is how it broke down:
I never got a chance to chime in with a final thought on the Steve Ott suspension because I got caught up in a whole bunch of other stuff. The league never really offered an explanation for giving him three games, other than it was a hit to the head. Based on Ott's defense of the hit the league apparently had two big issues: he left his feet and delivered a blow to the head. Ott said he did neither. In the end, I think three games was over the top. Was it a questionable hit? Yeah, I still think so. But I see a lot of hits I think are questionable every night. A penalty, maybe a game but nothing more.
In the end, I just think it came down to poor timing for Otter. There seems to be a rash of suspensions right now and Ott got caught up in it. It's kind of like when the police set up one of those annoying operations to nab speeders. Colin Campbell and the NHL have set up a suspension sting. And now Otter's got rap sheet.
Ten players got suspended in the first three months and then the rash of suspensions this week were the first since January 23. Did the players go clean from just before the break until now or what?
A News & Observer analysis of NHL discipline since the 2005-06 season found that almost one-third of the suspensions handed down were assessed for offenses committed against Canadian teams, which represent only six of the league's 30 franchises -- but are the six most visible.
"We don't try to look at a pattern here," Campbell said. "Maybe we should. It's not who's in first and who's in last. We try to look at it as an independent, individual situation: Is a player wronging another player? We don't care what team it is. All we care about is, did he cross the line and is he a repeat offender?"
Here's an entertaining reaction to last night's loss in Detroit compliments of Jennifer Floyd Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
Don't be too upset about the Dallas Stars' gutless-pig meltdown Thursday.
They aren't.
In fact, players seemed pretty OK with gagging away a huge victory against a really good Detroit Red Wings team. And nobody appeared too terribly worried about how panicky and overmatched they looked doing it.
The Stars were busy talking about the good things they did in the first 40 minutes and how they just need to finish and ignoring the fact we have seen and heard this 1,000 times before.
Until they prove otherwise, this is the Stars.
They are the ones who too often fold their tent first when the game gets hard.
That game in Detroit Thursday night was, in a word, disappointing. The Stars played well early, but is a 60 minute game and the Red Wings hit another gear there and the Stars couldn't match it.
Detroit's top players were better than the Stars' top players. Pavel Datsyuk was outstanding. Henrik Zetterberg was excellent. Nick Lidstrom is Nick Lidstrom. The Stars' top line of Brenden Morrow, Mike Modano and Brad Richards wasn't much of a factor.
I thought the Datsyuk goal late in the second was huge and basically changed the momentum of the game. It gave the Red Wings some life and that carried over into the third period. When Turco let in that goal 36 seconds into the third period, I felt this one was starting to slip away. Confirmation came 25 seconds later. It's still a one goal game, but the air appeared to have been let out of the Stars' balloon. They got three shots on goal the rest of the way. Sure, they could have gotten a break or a bounce and tied the game and maybe ended up with a point or maybe even two, but when you look at this game as a whole it was not a recipe for success.
They let a big two points slip away. They basically lost ground to San Jose, which still has its one point lead and three games in hand. The Stars wasted a game in hand they had on the Ducks, who are lurking just one point behind in the standings.
One other note. It looks like it will be at least another week before Sergei Zubov starts skating. That's a little bit longer time frame than the Stars had been hoping. It's a little bit of a setback, but there is still light at the end of the tunnel on that front.
The Canucks, who are hanging on to eighth place and got shutout in Phoenix Thursday night, are in town Saturday night. They'll be desperate, so expect another playoff type game and another good test.
The Ducks won Wednesday night, beating the Canucks 4-1 in Anaheim. That is eight straight home wins for the Ducks and pushes them to 13-3-1 in their last 17 games overall. They are now point behind the Stars, who have a game in hand. That game will be played Thursday against Detroit.
San Jose's next game is Friday vs. St. Louis. Anaheim's next game is Saturday vs. St. Louis.
Here's a look at the standings with the points percentage and the points pace for the Stars, Sharks and Ducks.
The Stars have just announced some contract signings. Here they are:
The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has signed left wing Chris Conner and goaltender Tobias Stephan to one-year, two-way contracts for the 2008-09 season. The club has also signed right wing Sergei Korostin to a three-year entry-level contract. Conner and Stephan are currently with the Iowa Stars, Dallas’ primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL), while Korostin is skating for the Texas Tornado in the North American Hockey League (NAHL).
Conner, 24, has appeared in 22 games with Dallas this season, registering three goals and two assists for five points with six penalty minutes. In total, he has skated in 33 career NHL games, posting four goals and fo
