Final

Dallas 3 - St. Louis 2

The Stars (3-1-0) had to sweat out the last 15 minutes of the game against the Blues (1-2-0) to beat them 3-2. Dallas got off to a quick start, scoring shorthanded in the first period and then two goals in the second before St. Louis started to mount their comeback.

Kari Lehtonen had to be on top of his game again as the Blues fired 38 shots at him. If he keeps playing like this, he'll deserve a giant bonus for himself at the end of the season. He allowed to goals by him, but he made huge stops at critical moments during the game. He made a huge stop with 3 minutes left in the game off a wicked shot from Alex Pietrangelo and was a brick wall in the last two minutes when Loui Eriksson took a tripping penalty, putting Dallas at a 6-on-4 disadvatage when St. Louis pulled their goalie.

Dallas started this game with much more energy than their previous one against the Coyotes. They played great for two periods before going into defensive mode in the third. Puck possession was lost too often and Lehtonen had to do way too much to keep this game ahead. They seemed to let up after getting that 3-0 lead and it nearly came back to haunt them.

St. Louis Blues @ Dallas Stars

7:30 PM - October 13, 2011

American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

For a team that has struggled mightily on the power play, the Dallas Stars (2-1-0, 4 points) might have found the perfect remedy in the St. Louis Blues (1-1-0, 2 points). Dallas has gone 1 of 14 so far this season on the PP and coach Glen Gulutzan has expressed frustrations about how bad it looked.

Enter the St. Louis Blues. Last season, St. Louis was a middle of the pack penalty kill team but were very poor on the road, ranking 25th in the NHL with a 77.1 kill percentage. This season, the Blues have allowed a power play goal in each game so far and have a 57.1 PK (4 of 7) percentage.

Dallas is coming off a tough fought 2-1 shootout win over the Phoenix Coyotes. Dallas looked like they were assured of a loss but managed to score with less than 30 seconds left in the game and then stole the win in the shootout. Kari Lehtonen was fantastic once again as he stopped 40 of 41 shots and Sheldon Souray notched his third straight game with a point.

Lehtonen will have a busy night again as St. Louis is averaging 34 shots a game and has a stingy defense that has not allowed very many shots in return. Blues goalie Jaroslav Halak has faced only 33 shots TOTAL in two games this season. 

Kari has dominated the Blues in recent seasons. He won all four games last year, with a .949 save percentage, and has won five straight against the Blues dating back to the 2008-2009 season.

Defenders Nick Grossman (groin) and Adam Pardy (ribs) should be able to make their season debuts tonight as they return from injuries. Who knows just how much of a difference they will make, but without them Dallas has been outshot 110-79. They need to help alleviate pressure from Lehtonen.

Recently traded for Eric Nystrom could also make his debut in a Stars sweater tonight. He'll work with the fourth line most likely, taking over Krys Barch's spot in the lineup.  

Final SO

Dallas 2 - Phoenix 1

Sometimes, it's better to be luck than to be good. With the Stars down a goal and time winding down, Loui Eriksson managed to deflect a puck into the net with 27 seconds left. The goal put the game into overtime and a subsequent shootout, which Dallas managed to win. Dallas is now 2-1-0 on the season with both wins coming at home. Phoenix drops to 0-1-1.

The Stars were outplayed for nearly the entire game. Whether it was due to the sparse crowd or just lack of energy, Dallas was constantly on the back foot and just looked horrible on offense for all three periods. They continued to take stupid penalties, including two too many men on the ice penalties. That makes three of those in the last two games and just shows the lack of discipline.

Each team was on the power-play seven times. The Stars' penalty-kill was excellent again as the unit went 6 of 7 on the PK. The power play, however, was just absolutely atrocious. Seven times the Stars were on the PP and seven times the Stars looked like they had no idea what they were doing. There was sparse possession of the puck and no sustained pressure on the offensive end. Dallas could just never get set up.

Kari Lehtonen was heroic again in this game as he continued to get bombarded by shots, this time saving 40 out of 41. If he can somehow manage to play like this through the entire season, there will be award talks going his way. The game could've easily been 4-1 in the Coyote's favor if not for Lehtonen.

Phoenix Coyotes @ Dallas Stars

5:00 PM - October 10, 2011

American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

Redemption will be on the minds of both the Phoneix Coyotes (0-1-0) and the Dallas Stars (1-1-0) in tonight's game. Phoenix is coming off a 6-3 beating courtesy of the San Jose Sharks while the Stars are returning home after a 5-2 whipping at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Stars were absolutely dominated in Saturday's game, getting outshot 25-9 after two very lackluster periods before getting a little more pressure in the third, finishing with 21 shots compared to Chicago's 31.

Kari Lehtonen sat out that game after having a superb season opener where he stopped 37 of 38 shots. His opposite number across the ice will be former Stars goaltender Mike Smith, who is in his first year as the top goalie for the Coyotes. The Coyotes, as you'll remember, traded away top goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov in the offseason to the Philadelphia Flyers. The Stars should have an easier time now against Phoenix, as Bryzgalov went 3-1-0 last year against Dallas with an excellent 2.44 goals-against average in five games played.

It's very early in the season, but a big sticking point in this game could be the special teams. With their new line-up penalty killers, the Stars were a stellar 10 of 11 on the PK after their first two games against Chicago. Phoenix had a great day on their power-play against the Sharks in their first game of the season, going 3 of 7 with Shane Doan scoring two of their goals. 

Game Notes:

• Dallas will once again be without a pair of defensemen, Nick Grossman (groin) and Adam Pardy (ribs). Both guys are expected to return for Thursday's game against St. Louis.

• Adam Burish made his season debut in Saturday's game against Chicago. He had 13:02 minutes of ice time and assisted on Vernon Fiddler's goal and dished out three hits. He earned himself a 10 minute penalty and game misconduct with 11 seconds left in the game when he was involved in a skirmish.

• With Burish's return, a few guys saw a large reduction in ice time. Fiddler and Tomas Vincour both had four less minutes and Jake Dowell found himself on the bench for an extra two minutes.

• Steve Ott continues to dish out hits, getting six more in the away game against the 'Hawks. After two games, he's number one in the league.

• Dallas continues to be a very physical team. They dished out 37 hits in game one and then threw out 32 more in game two against Chicago. Phoenix had 33 hits in their first game this season against San Jose. Expect a lot of hitting tonight.

• Jamie Benn continues to do pretty well in the face-off circle. He somehow only took four of them during the Stars last game, but he won each time. 

• Michael Ryder is getting shots on goal, three more on Saturday, but he still hasn't been able to put in into the net. It's just a matter of time though as he keeps getting solid shots.

Final

Dallas 2 - Chicago 1

The start of the Glen Gulutzan era for the Dallas Stars got off to a rousing start with a 2-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Kari Lehtonen had one of his best performances as a Star, turning away 37 of Chicago's 38 shot, including 22 in the 2nd period. Chicago only scored with 13.5 seconds left in the game off a wicked shot from Nick Leddy.

The Stars first goal was scored by Alex Goligoski one minute into the 2nd period. Mike Ribeiro had the puck in the face-off circle to Corey Crawford's right and drew the defense towards him. He passed the puck over to a wide-open Goligoski who fired it by Crawford.

Chicago Blackhawks @ Dallas Stars

7:30 PM - October 7, 2011

American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas

Tonight, the Dallas Stars turn over a new leaf. After last year's devastating season ending, and playoff denying, loss to the Minnesota Wild, the Stars went through a decision to start fresh. New coach, new system, a hoard of new players, a new mindset and well, while we still don't have an owner, that should be getting done soon (hopefully).

Up first for the Brad Richardless Dallas Stars are the Chicago Blackhawks, now two years removed from a Stanley Cup. As most Stars fans will remember, we graciously allowed Chicago to make the playoffs last year when we lost that game to the Wild.

After tinkering with the lineup for most of the preseason, coach Glen Gulutzan will be rolling out a first line of Morrow-Ribeiro-Ryder. Morrow and Ribeiro have been on the same line forever now and Ribs and Ryder were linemates back in their Montreal Canadian days.

The second line will be the one that most Stars fans will have their eyes on. That line is the one centered by Jamie Benn and his crew, All-Star Loui Eriksson and youngster Tomas Vincour. Vincour gets this spot as Adam Burish is out for the game and Steve Ott moves down to the third line.

Third line will be the regular season debuts of Vernon Fiddler and Radek Dvorak. They'll be linemates with Steve Ott for at least one game with Adam Burish out. The fourth line will be the usual Toby Peterson and Tom Wandell, this season anchored by Jake Dowell.

With Nick Grossman and Adam Pardy sidelined by injuries (seriously, aleady?), the defensive pairings will be Goligoski-Robidas, Souray-Daley, and Fistric-Larsen. I can already sense the trouble that's going to happen tonight. Kari Lehtonen returns as the starting goalie and willl immediately be thrust into the fire. I wouldn't be surprised if he faced a 40+ shot night. 

The Blackhawks are pretty much the same team as last year with a few veteran additions, most notably Andrew Brunette and league annoyance Daniel Carcillo. Much like Jamie Benn, Patrick Kane is moving from his usual winger position to center the 'Hawks second line. 18-year-old Brandon Saad takes his spot in the top line with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp. In goal for the 'Hawks will be Corey Crawford, who went 1-2-0 against the Stars last year.

Dallas will have a stuggle tonight, but a home game and a renewed hope for squad might be able to fish out a win. Besides, we let Chicago into the playoffs last year, they owe us one right?

As the Dallas Stars, and their fans, count down the years until Jack Campbell is finally able to make his way onto the team, Kari Lehtonen will get his second full season between the pipes for the squad in the 2011-2012 season.

Looking at his numbers, it can be pretty easy to say that his first full season with the Stars was a difficult one. With injuries ravaging the team and his defense failing to support him, Lehtonen ended last year as one of the most shot-at goalies in the NHL, ranking fourth in the league. His goals-against average and save percentage ranked in the 25-30 range of all the starting goaltenders and shut-outs were few and far between (he had three).

Lehtonen was not nearly as bad as his numbers would suggest though. As stated before, the Stars defenders last year were a mistake-filled group of players that often left opponents wide open in front of the net. There were many games where Lehtonen was the main reason why Dallas was even able to keep the game close. With a little luck in with puck bounces, Dallas would have made their way into the playoffs last season.

Lehtonen was on the receiving end of 11 overtime/shootout losses last season, the most in the league. I prefer to be a glass half-full guy so I look at that as 11 games where Kari played well enough to keep the Stars tied at the end of regulation. Win a couple of those games and the Stars would have been in the playoffs last season. 

If there's one thing that can be used to describe the defensemen on this team, it's turnover. Matt Niskanen was traded midway through the season last year for Alex Goligoski. Karlis Skrastins was released so he could go to the KHL, where he tragically passed away in the plane crash. The embattled Jeff Woywitka, who had a very difficult season, was also released. Mark Fistric, despite playing well, was frustratingly in and out of the lineup due to injuries and coaching decisions under Marc Crawford. The farm system is chock full of young guys ready to make the jump to the NHL and help out at the highest level.

Through signings, injury returns and a brand new system under a new coach, the Stars enter the season with a better feeling about their defense.

Alex Goligoski has had a training camp and a preseason to develop a better chemistry with the other guys on the team, which will be essential now that he will run point on the power-play. He had a solid impact on the team last year after getting traded from Pittsburgh. In 23 games with the team, he had 15 points (5 goals, 10 assists) and you can expect him to be in the among the top-10 in scoring defensemen this year with all the ice time that he will be getting. 

With the departure of Brad Richards, Goligoski becomes the main man on the power play and he should have it pretty nice working with the likes of Jamie Benn, Loui Eriksson and Mike Ribeiro. It might be blasphemy to say this, but I think Goligoski will do just as well, if not better, than Richards at manning the point.

He's not the best on the defensive side of the ice, but he'll have help as he will once again work with the tireless Stephane Robidas as our top pair of defensemen. Robidas does pretty much everything on the ice. He will make hits all over the ice (he's almost always in the top 5 among all NHL players in this category), score a few goals here and there and add a good amount of assists throughout the season. He works the power-play and penalty kill so the hardest working man on the team will again find himself busy this year.

You can count on Robidas sacrificing his body to help out the team so hopefully he can stay healthy throughout the season. He's already battling a bit of an injury as he recovers from offseason hip surgery so his ice time might be a little less than it usually is at the start of the season.

Mike Modano finally called it a career today, announcing that he will retire from the NHL. A press conference on the matter will be held on Friday at 1:00 PM CT. Modano posted a message earlier today on his facebook page:

"After a long summer of thinking about my future, I've come to the decision that it's time to retire as a player from the NHL. There's way too many people to thank here at this time and too much to say, so I have a press conference scheduled for early Friday afternoon. Check back Friday late afternoon for more. What a great ride it's been!"

An original draft pick by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1988 draft, Modano spent 20 of his 21 NHL years with the organization (we won't mention that one year with a team that will not be named), sticking with the Stars when they moved down to Texas. His career has been nothing short of legendary as he retires the greatest American-born player to ever lace up the skates.  He holds the records for most goals (561), points (1374) and playoff points (145) by an American player. He was a eight-time All-star and was a key member of the 2002 Olympic team that won a silver medal, leading the team and tournament in assists with six.

If there's any area on the Stars team that looks solid, it's going to be the wingers. It's easily the most group on the team, even if Jamie Benn spends much of his time playing center this season. 

At the top of the list, aside from Benn, is our all-star Loui Eriksson. One of the most underrated players in the league, outside of Dallas at least, Loui finally got some recognition last year by making his first all-star team. Since joining the top level squad in 2006, Loui has steadily gotten better and provided more production. He's shown that he's capable of getting near the 40 goals mark (he had 36 during the 2006-2007 season) as well the 50 assists (he had 46 last year).

With Richards gone, Eriksson loses his linemate from the past three seasons so he'll need to start developing a rapport with new, or maybe old, number one center Mike Ribeiro. He now becomes leading scorer and focal point of the offense now that Richards is gone. With increased power play and ice time this season, Loui should finally break the 80 point barrier and make another all-star team.