Stars fall in Phoenix, 3-2
/Andrew's Dallas Stars Page
The Dallas Stars had their scoring chances but for the sixth straight game they could muster only two goals and the end result was a 3-2 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes in Glendale, Arizona Saturday night.
“We didn’t win the battles in front of the net and we didn’t win the battles of the faceoffs tonight,” Stars coach Marc Crawford said. “We didn’t have our best tonight. That happens sometimes.”The Stars, who are 8-5-6 on the season, were coming off a big 3-2 win in San Jose Thursday night but couldn't follow it up with another win. They've only won consecutive games once this season and are 2-3-2 in their last seven games.
"It is tough to build momentum," said Stars goalie Marty Turco, who stopped 28 of 31 shots. "Things seem to happen a lot easier when you get on a roll. You don't feel like you're grinding it out. Some guys can get on a roll and carry a team. It hasn't been the case."
The Stars were 1-6 on the power play in the game. They missed on two chances in the first and had four more chances in the third after they fell behind 3-1. Matt Niskanen scored on the second of the third period chances, but it wasn't enough to get the Stars even in the game.
"We finally got one in the third but we had some opportunities in the first too," said Stars forward Loui Eriksson. "We have to take advantage of those."
Crawford said poor ice conditions didn't help the power play.
"The same for both teams, but that ice was absolutely god-awful," Crawford said. "It doesn't make for good power plays. But you have to deal with what you've got, and we didn't adjust."
This loss came in the team's first game against former coach Dave Tippett.
"You'd be lying to say it wasn't," Tippett said when asked if the victory was special. "I was there for a long time and it's not just coaching, it's friendships. I want to beat them. I've moved on hockey-wise and they've moved on. There are still a lot of great people over there. I liken it to when brothers play against each other. When the puck drops, you play and which ever side your on you're trying to win."
After the two teams played a scoreless first period Phoenix got on the board just 12 seconds into the second period when Peter Mueller got the rebound of his own shot, put a wrap-around attempt on net and Robert Lang backhanded the rebound past Turco.
The Stars drew even when Mike Modano took a pass from Mike Ribeiro off the rush and beat Coyotes goalie Ilya Bryzgalov with a backhand shot from the bottom of the right circle at the 6:12 mark.
But Phoenix got the lead again with just 25 seconds left in the second when rookie defenseman David Schlemko joined the rush, took a pass from Vernon Fiddler and scored from the left circle.
The Coyotes extended the lead at the 3:35 mark of the third when Keith Yandle set up Radim Vrbata, who was wide open at the right side of the net.
Phoenix, which won for only the second time in their last six games, improved to 11-8-0 on the season.
"Desperation, compete level and everything we talk about was right there," said Tippett. "I thought there were a couple of calls that were questionable, but I liked the way our guys dug in. We battled through it. That's a good hockey team over there. Like I said before, they've got some high end forwards that can make things tough on you. I thought our guys battled right to the end, goaltender included."
The Stars will spend a couple of days in Arizona before heading to Detroit, where they will conclude their road trip with a game against the Red Wings on Wednesday night.
| Game Recap |
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After a scoreless first
period the Coyotes took a 1-0 lead just 12 seconds into the
second period. Peter Mueller put a shot on net, got his own
rebound, swept around the net, put another shot on net and
Robert Lang backhanded the rebound past Marty Turco.
The Stars drew even exactly six minutes later with a goal off the rush. Mike Ribeiro slipped a pass from the right boards to Mike Modano, who backhanded the puck past Coyotes goalie Ilya Bryzgalov at 6:12 of the second. Coyotes captain Shane Doan had a chance to give his team the lead when he was awarded a penalty shot at 9:51 of the period, but he lost control of the puck while making a move and Turco improved to 13-14 in his career on penalty shots. Phoenix did get the lead with just 25 seconds left in the second when rookie defenseman David Schlemko joined the rush, took a pass from Vernon Fiddler and scored off the rush to make it a 2-1 game heading into the second intermission. The Coyotes extended the lead to 3-1 at 3:35 of the third when Keith Yandle made a cross ice pass to Radim Vrbata, who scored from the right side of the net. The Stars had four power play chances in the period after that, and scored on the second one when Matt Niskanen beat a screened Bryzgalov with a shot from the right point. But the Stars missed on their final two power play chances, including a six-on-four advantage with Turco pulled for the final attacker over the final 1:05 of the game. |
| Sutherby sits with groin injury |
|
The Stars were down to eleven
forwards for the game after Brian Sutherby was the latest player
to go out. Sutherby injured a groin in Friday's practice. He
joined Jere Lehtinen (groin) and Fabian Brunnstrom (shoulder) on
the Stars' list of injured players.
Mark Fistric moved to forward for the game and Jeff Woywitka, who had been a scratch recently, was back in the lineup on defense. |
| Turning Points |
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| Quotable |
|
"I thought about it quite a
bit. For some guys in here he was the only coach they ever had
in the NHL. He was great. We had a great time together. ... Once
I got to the rink I didn't think too much about it. Just curious
about how he would send guys after me or when you're out there
playing the playing the puck. Other than that, it's do your job
and hopefully get a win. We didn't." - Stars goalie Marty
Turco on playing against former coach Dave Tippett. "Hopefully, now that they got their money here in Phoenix, they can do something about the ice here. ... It was like playing in Lambeau Field." - Stars coach Marc Crawford on the ice conditions Saturday night "I was so surprised to have an open net like that I almost missed it. But it went in and I’m happy.” - Coyotes forward Radim Vrbata on his goal that gave Phoenix a 3-1 lead early in the third period |
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