Photo Credit : Jeff Curry / USA TODAY Sports
Despite leading the league in comeback victories and winning five of their last six games via comeback, the Dallas Stars lost 2-1 to the St. Louis Blues at Bridgestone Arena in St. Louis tonight. The Stars outshot the Blues 40 to 30 in the game, and the team continued to dominate on the penalty kill, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Blues, who are on a three-game win streak.
The Stars went on the first power play of the night when St. Louis’ Brandon Saad was called for high-sticking Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen, but the Blues killed off the power play.
Dallas got another chance on the power play with just under five minutes left in the period when Blues center Robert Thomas was caught holding Dallas’ Roope Hintz, but the Blues held the Stars off yet again.
St. Louis claimed the first goal of the game with just two minutes remaining in the period. Dallas defenseman Jani Hakanpää and St. Louis’ Brandon Saad battled for the puck behind the Dallas net. Blues left wing Jake Neighbours took control of the puck after the battle and passed it to defenseman Scott Perunovich at the blue line who sent it to back to Neighbours at the top of the faceoff circle to Wedgewood’s left. Neighbours took a shot on net that passed just ahead of Wedgewood’s glove as he skated across the crease and soared into the net, closing the first period at 1-0.
Six minutes into the second period, the Stars headed to their first penalty kill of the night when Tyler Seguin was called for hooking against St. Louis’ Alexey Toropchenko.
The Stars, who have the second fewest power play goals allowed this season, shut down the Blues power play.
But the Blues extended their lead with nine minutes left in the second period with a series of strategic and sharp passes around the Dallas zone. Blues defenseman Marco Scandella passed to Perunovich at the blue line, who sent the puck to Neighbours at the faceoff circle across the ice. Neighbours dropped the puck further into the zone to Scandella who passed it to Perunovich at the blue line again. Perunovich sent the puck to right winger Kasperi Kapanen in the faceoff circle and Kapanen sent it back to Scandella who had skated into the middle of the Stars zone. Scandella gathered the puck and whipped a slapshot over the left shoulder of Wedgewood, giving the Blues a 2-0 lead.
With just under six minutes left in the period, the Stars headed back to the penalty kill when center Craig Smith was assessed a double minor penalty for high-sticking Scandella.
Just two minutes later, with four minutes left in the period and two minutes left in the Smith double minor, Stars center Wyatt Johnston headed to the penalty box for a delay of game, forcing the Stars into a five-on-three penalty kill for almost two and a half minutes. With an absolutely insane flurry of saves by Scott Wedgewood, and a powerful defensive presence in the crease by Hakanpää, Esa Lindell and Sam Steel, the Stars killed off every penalty minute incurred.
With 1:29 left in the period, Dallas center Roope Hintz stole the puck at the St. Louis blue line and lofted a pass ahead to Jason Robertson who was speeding into the Blues zone. As Robertson reached the middle of the zone directly in front of Joel Hofer in the Blues net, he slapped the puck over the right shoulder of the netminder, cutting the St. Louis lead in half.
Closing out an otherwise uneventful third period, Wedgewood remained on the Stars bench with 1:52 on the clock after the Stars called a timeout in an effort to devise an offensive strategy that would keep Dallas in the game, but the effort was for naught.
The Stars return home Friday to kick off a five-game homestand, facing off against the Chicago Blackhawks for the first time this season.
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