Dallas 3, Phoenix 2
November 17th, 2008 by BradI’m not sure how to blog about winning games any more, so I think I’ll just rip them for their performance in Phoenix on Saturday night, shall I? Maybe not…
The Stars laid the perfect blue print for themselves on Saturday:
-Very Few minor penalties. They were short handed only twice.
-Face offs. They won 71 percent
-Turnovers. An arbitrary stat, but they were charged with only 1 turnover
-Goaltending.
-Score the first goal. This is a must for a fragile team like ours.
In years past you’d say: “So what? It’s the Coyotes!” but these days, any win is a good win. The Stars were lucky to catch the Coyotes on an off night. They looked tentative and slower than what they’re capable of, as they’re another of these teams with a lot of young guys who like to go-go-go.
A couple of pucks bounced over Phoenix sticks in that third period; Dangerous pucks. But you need a little luck to get back on a roll, right? The Stars had only 4 shots on goal in the third period, and the Coyotes had only 6. Dallas needs more than 19 shots on goal if they want to win some games. Their “simple” game plan works great when you grab the lead, but chances are that on a lot of nights 3 goals won’t be enough, so I’d like to see some more killer instinct from them.
Doug Janik looked very adequate out there on defense, and that’s a big plus for this team because of our new situation back on the blue line, which we’ll get to later. I wondered why Boucher was scratched. If it were up to me I’d have scratched Daley; but of course now I know there were alternative motives.
Mike Ribeiro was started with Barch and Ott, perhaps to remind him that he needs to work harder, or that he’s not the diva he thinks he is. Whatever the reason, it worked as he played his way onto some different combinations and had assists on all 3 Dallas goals. I’ve accused him of pouting before so it’s nice to see him respond with production. And Loui Eriksson…just keep it up. You’re becoming a man in this league.
Another long wait as the Stars have their fourth break of 3 days or longer of the season already…
Posted in Loui Eriksson, Mike Ribeiro
