Photo Credit : Julio Cortez / Associated Press
The Dallas Stars defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 8-1 at American Airlines Center, today. It was the first time in franchise history the Stars ever scored more than six goals on the Bolts in a single game.
Dallas made the direction the game was going to take expressly clear right off the bat. Less than a minute into the game, Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen took a shot from the faceoff circle to Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevsky’s left but the goalie couldn’t control it. The puck trickled to left wing Mason Marchment, who was set up immediately to Vasilevsky’s left. Marchment popped the puck up and into the air, and Stars center Tyler Seguin took a baseball-esque swipe at it in midair that sailed over Vasilevsky’s shoulder and into the net.
The Stars doubled their lead five and a half minutes later when Dallas center Joe Pavelski grabbed the puck along the boards and passed it forward to Stars left wing Jason Robertson. Robertson skated toward the net, pulled nearly even with the goal line, and, in shades of the goal he scored against Calgary last week, threaded the puck through a nearly invisible hole between the right skate and right elbow of Vasilevsky, into the net.
Two minutes after the Robertson goal, Stars captain Jamie Benn claimed a spot on the scoreboard, giving the Stars a two-goal lead. Stars center Wyatt Johnston passed the puck from the Dallas zone to Benn as he was racing all alone into the Tampa zone. Benn shot the puck flat along the ice and it slid neatly underneath the right pad of Vasilevsky.
With 8:40 remaining in the period, Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen took a double minor penalty for high-sticking Tampa’s Michael Essimont. A minute into the four-minute man advantage, the Lightning recorded their first goal of the night, courtesy of Vitor Hedman, who was playing in his 999th career game. Hedman held the puck in the Dallas zone at the blue line before passing it to right winger Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov sent it back to Hedman at the top of the slot, and Hedman flung it toward Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger, bouncing it off the post and into the goal.
Joe Pavelski took an uncharacteristic penalty with just over three minutes remaining in the period, called for boarding Tyler Motte, but the Stars held Tampa at bay.
The Stars continued to dominate on the scoreboard in the second period, putting more numbers on the board, but also putting more penalties on the board.
Three and a half minutes into the period, Dallas extended the lead yet again. Marchment took a shot from the top of the faceoff circle to Vasey’s left. Stars center Matt Duchene held the puck at the Dallas blue line, keeping the puck on side, before passing it across the ice to defenseman Jani Hakanpää. Hakanpää dropped the puck behind him to left wing Mason Marchment who held onto the puck, as he did when he took his penalty shot against Calgary goalie Jacob Markstrom, glided to the top of the faceoff circle and launched the puck into the top right corner of the net over Vasilevsky.
Halfway through the period, the Stars went on their first power play since the second period of the game against Winnipeg on Tuesday when Dallas’ Roope Hintz was tripped by Hedman. With 10 seconds left in the power play, Hintz won the faceoff toe Vasilevsky’s right and dropped it to defenseman Thomas Harley at the blue line. Harley sent the puck toward the net and Pavelski, who had posted up right in front of Vasilevsky, deflected it down and trough the legs of the goalie, putting the Stars up 5-1. With the goal, Pavelski extended his point streak to nine, just one game shy of his career-long 10 games he notched in the 2010-2011 season.
Less than a minute later, Hedman was sent back to the box again, this time for interference against Robertson. With 47 seconds left in the power play, Benn took a shot from the left corner of the blue line, ricocheting it with a glorious ping off the far post behind Vasilevsky. The puck bounced out from behind the Tampa Bay goalie to a waiting Robertson who shot the puck up and into the net, bringing the Stars lead to 6-1.
After Robertson’s second goal, Tampa’s head coach Jon Cooper indicated the team wanted to initiate a goalie change and put backup Jonas Johansson in, but Vasilevsky refused to leave the net, shaking his head at the bench, indicating he wanted to finish out the final five minutes left of the frame.
With 2:21 remaining in the period, Hakanpää was called for holding Tampa’s Brandon Hagel, sending the Bolts to their fourth power play of the game, but the Stars would hold off the Bolts yet again.
Johansson started the third period in net for the Bolts, in an attempt to hold off the Stars offensive onslaught, but it would be for naught.
With 13:28 remaining in the game, Benn was called for hooking Motte, putting the Stars on the penalty kill for the fifth time, but again, the penalty kill shut down the Lightning.
At exactly halfway through the final frame, the Stars went on their final penalty kill of the game after center Sam Steel was called for tripping Bolts defenseman Nick Perbix. It would be the Lightning’s final change at a power play goal, but the Stars would deny them it once again.
Goal number seven for the Stars came with six and a half minutes left in the game. Harley took a pass from Pavelski along the Tampa Bay boards, skated it into the faceoff circle to Johannson’s right and flung it toward the net, squeaking the puck between the left wrist and pad of Johansson.
The final goal of the game belonged to Steel and came just one minute later. Stars center Radek Faksa skated the puck into the Tampa zone to Johannson’s left, with Steel entering alongside him in the middle of the zone. Faksa popped the puck ahead to Steel around Lightning captain Stephen Stamkos. Steel redirected the puck ever so slightly with his right skate and as he twisted around, flung the puck toward the goal and into the net.
The Stars will face the Lightning again on Monday at 6 p.m. at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay.
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