Defending Big D 6 hours ago
Friday Links: Stars Shutting Down Nashville’s Top Line
The Predators could use some offense, but it’s not going to come easily. Plus, P.K. Subban won’t face suspension for his hit on Jamie Benn, NHL playoff updates, and more. In a close series between the Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars, the difference might boil down to each team’s top scorers. Tyler Seguin and company are performing admirably for the Stars, but the Predators have yet to get much out of Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, and Viktor Arvidsson That’s in large part thanks to the Stars’ checking line consisting of Andrew Cogliano, Radek Faksa, and Blake Comeau. Head...
SportsDay Apr 18, 2019
Should P.K. Subban be suspended for dirty hit on Jamie Benn?
In the Dallas Stars demolition of the Nashville Predators in game four, Predators defenseman P.K. Subban got away with a very questionable hit on Stars captain Jamie Benn. A Twitter user posed a very good question about the hit. Didn't Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov just get suspended for an almost identical play? If he did, shouldn't the NHL at least review what Subban did?I pulled a gif of the hit from the previous Tweet. Benn appears to get hooked, but to be fair he also appears to trip Subban after the fact. It's the playoffs. Seeing those go uncalled is par for the course....
On the Forecheck Apr 17, 2019
Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars Preview: Once More Unto the Breach
Once more. Game 4 is tonight in Dallas. Dallas Stars A modified lineup for Dallas on Monday night featured Jason Spezza in the lineup for Mattias Janmark. The defense pairs were slightly shuffled, too. Jamie Oleksiak appeared on Dallas’s third defensive pair with Ben Lovejoy. The weapons for Dallas were effective on Monday. Alexander Radulov, Jamie Benn, and Tyler Seguin threatened from nearly every angle. Dallas has not taken advantage of their ample power play opportunities in the last two games. If they win the special teams game, Dallas has a chance to tie the series up before...
Defending Big D Apr 17, 2019
Wednesday Links: Benn Leading the Way for Dallas
The captain is stepping up in a big way this postseason for the Stars. Plus, Dallas takes on Nashville in Game 4 tonight, the Lightning and Penguins were swept yesterday, and more. Throughout his tenure as captain of the Dallas Stars, Jamie Benn’s leadership ability has often been criticized by fans and the media alike. But inside the locker room, the Stars consider Benn as their unquestioned leader, someone who can motivate his teammates and help alter the course of a game. For instance, the Stars were getting badly outshot by the Nashville Predators to start the first period on Monday....
SportsDay Apr 16, 2019
Even in a loss, Stars captain Jamie Benn continued his impressive playoff production
Jamie Benn notched another playoff point with an assist on Monday night during the Stars' 3-2 loss in Game 3 vs. Nashville, digging out a puck behind the net and dishing to Tyler Seguin in front for the game-tying goal in the third period.The assist was Benn's second of the postseason (he also scored a goal in Game 2) and now gives him 23 points in 22 career playoff games."He's a playoff player," Seguin said. "He goes Beast Mode -- if you want to call it that, I see that always on Twitter -- in big games during the season, especially when the temperature gets high. You're playing playoff...
SportsDay Apr 16, 2019
Stars come up short in Game 3, now trail in series vs. Predators
Stars captain Jamie Benn was asked before meeting Nashville on Monday night at the American Airlines Center what his team needed to do."Get some goals,'' Benn said.Maybe next time.Mikael Granlund scored on a long wrist shot with 8:19 remaining to give Nashville a 3-2 victory and a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Granlund's goal came two minutes after Tyler Seguin had tied the game for the Stars.Goals are hard to come by in this series. The Predators lead 7-6 in cumulative scoring.The Stars were blanked again on the power play, failing on four tries. They are 0 for 10 on power-play...
SportsDay Apr 13, 2019
Esa Lindell is the unsung hero of Stars game one win
Miro Heiskanen made a big splash in his NHL playoff debut in the Dallas Stars game one victory over the Nashville Predators. Mats Zuccarello and Roope Hintz looked great in their first playoff hockey as Stars, and first playoff hockey period in the case of Hintz. As we look ahead to game two it's important that Esa Lindell gets his due for the yeoman work he put into the victory. We talked about why Hintz, Zuccarello, and Jamie Benn pose a strategic problem for Nashville, and part of that problem for Nashville is figuring out how to most effectively use the Ryan Johansen line to maximize...
SportsDay Apr 12, 2019
Does Stars' Alexander Radulov play better with Tyler Seguin or Jamie Benn?
Matthew DeFranks, Stars beat writer for SportsDayDFW.com and The Dallas Morning News, answers your questions about the team in a live chat recently. Here are some of the highlights:Question: Does Alexander Radulov play better with just Tyler Seguin or Jamie Benn? Most 'experts' say Mats Zuccarello will play better with Tyler Seguin.DeFranks: Radulov has primarily played with Seguin the past two years, and the Stars overall have performed well with Benn providing balance to a second line (big example is last night's game-winning goal). I personally really liked how Zuccarello played with...
SportsDay Apr 11, 2019
'That's why he's our captain': Breaking down Jamie Benn's play that led to Stars' game-winner vs. Predators
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Jamie Benn wouldn't be denied in setting up Mats Zuccarello's eventual game-winning goal in the third period of Wednesday night's 3-2 win over Nashville in Game 1 of the first round.Benn, the Stars captain, kept a puck in the offensive zone, brought it down the wall behind the net, protected it from two Predators and sent the puck back to the point for a shot by Ben Lovejoy. Pekka Rinne kicked out a rebound to Zuccarello in the slot, and he scored his first playoff goal as a Star. Benn earned a secondary assist."Jamie Benn's will and determination, he can't be stopped,"...
SportsDay Apr 11, 2019
Stars notebook: How Dallas overcame inconsistent power play lines, Nashville's crowd noise during Game 1 win
NASHVILLE, Tenn. --The Stars' power play was hot and cold on Wednesday night in their Game 1 win over Nashville. Dallas went 1-for-3 with the man-advantage but received vastly different results from both units. The second unit (Radek Faksa, Justin Dowling, Roope Hintz, Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen) drove play with aggressive entries and speed towards the net. The top unit (Alexander Radulov, Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Mats Zuccarello and John Klingberg) was stagnant at times.Heiskanen scored his first of two goals on the power play, as his point shot deflected off Nashville defenseman...
On the Forecheck Apr 8, 2019
Predators vs. Stars Preview: Stars Forwards
We take a look at the Stars’ forward corps here. There’s some familiar names in the lineup at forward for Dallas. We’ve seen Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin leading the charge for the Stars for a few years. They have some newcomers acquired from trades, as well as some youngsters from the AHL eager to make a name for themselves. In the regular season matchup against Nashville, the Stars were led in scoring by Seguin. Radek Faksa notched 4 assists against Nashville. Head coach Jim Montgomery has deployed the same top line for Dallas for most of the season. The other three lines see a...
Defending Big D Apr 5, 2019
Friday Links: Stars Resting Players Tonight
With the first Wild Card all but wrapped up, Dallas is erring on the side of caution. Plus, pretty much every game last night had playoff implications, the Women’s World Championship began yesterday, and more. The Dallas Stars just need a single point in their last two games in order to secure the first Wild Card spot. So as a precaution, the Stars are resting several players — Jamie Benn, Mats Zuccarello, Roman Polak, and Ben Bishop — tonight as they take on the Chicago Blackhawks. Bishop is to be expected, given his recent injury, though fans might be concerned to hear Zuccarello...
SportsDay Apr 2, 2019
Stars forward Mats Zuccarello returns to lineup Tuesday against Philadelphia
Stars winger Mats Zuccarello made a surprise return for Tuesday night's critical game against Philadelphia, ending an absence of more than five weeks after breaking his arm in his first game with Dallas.Zuccarello participated in warmup and line rushes before the game Tuesday, the first time since he broke his arm blocking a shot Feb. 24 at Chicago. He skated on a line with Jamie Benn and Roope Hintz on the night the Stars could clinch a playoff spot with a point against the Flyers.Zuccarello missed 17 games with a broken right arm suffered the day after the Stars traded a pair of conditional...
Defending Big D Mar 31, 2019
Stars Come From Behind to Force Shootout But Ultimately Fall to Canucks
At least they got one point though? The Dallas Stars visited Jamie Benn’s home town (or close to it) tonight, taking on the Vancouver Canucks in Rogers Arena. The game meant different things to each team. A win tonight for the Stars would have meant clinching a return trip to the postseason, instead they brought the magic number down to one with their shootout loss. A win tonight for the Canucks, already eliminated from playoff contention, meant very little. This is the final of three meetings for the two teams, who split the previous decisions between them. First Period The first...
SportsDay Mar 29, 2019
Stars notebook: Miro Heiskanen joins elite group of teenage rookie defensemen; Jamie Benn saves the day for Stars
EDMONTON, Alberta -- Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen continued his remarkable rookie season Thursday night in a 3-2 shootout win over the Oilers with another goal, this one tying the game in the third period.With less than eight minutes remaining in the third period and the Stars trailing 2-1, Heiskanen received a pass from Jason Dickinson in the high slot. He stickhandled, then waited patiently for an opening before whipping a shot past Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen."Great pass from Dickie," Heiskanen said. "Had good space there, tried to shoot it and it went in. So good goal for...
