Puck luck, or lack thereof
The Dallas Stars continue to struggle putting the puck in the net this week as they've lost 3 of 4, potting a total of 3 goals in the process. The only win in that stretch was a 1-0 shutout of the Phoenix Coyotes last Thursday.
It's not as though they're not getting their chances. They're out-shooting and getting the majority of the scoring chances on most nights, but they just aren't getting the bounces.
Not to take anything from the opposition, but the Stars have made goalies look good lately. Last night it was Rick DiPietro and the NY Islanders as the 25-year-old puck stopper shutout the Stars with 35 saves on the way to the 3-0 Isles win. The Stars attempted about 30 shots toward the net that weren't official shots on goal being either blocked or missing the net.
The game was frustrating to watch as the Stars would play entire shifts in the offensive zone pumping shot after shot toward the net only to see the Islanders break out and score at the other end. The Stars also didn't cash in on several power plays against the 27th ranked penalty killing unit.
Whatever the issues, they need to figure out something quickly. A weekend jaunt to two of the most explosive teams in the Eastern Conference awaits. Tomorrow night the Stars will skate into Atlanta to face the Thrashers who possess three of the top 4 point producers so far this season. Marian Hossa leads the league with 30 points, followed by Ilya Kovalchuk and Vyacheslav Koslov tied for 3rd with 26 points.
Saturday night it's the defending Cup champs Carolina who have Rod Brind'Amour and Ray Whitney in the top 10 in points.
If the goal drought continues, Marty Turco will need to be stellar in net for the Stars to have a shot against those teams.
News & Notes:
First and foremost, congratulations to the Hockey Hall of Fame class of '06 - all-time wins leader among goalies Patrick Roy, legendary Miracle on Ice coach Herb Brooks, forward Dick Duff who was finally enshrined after 34 years of waiting, and Calgary Flames co-owner Harley Hotchkiss. Roy was a no-brainer and it's about time the Brooks got his due - it's just too bad that it's 3 years after his death.
The weekly John Buccigross column at ESPN.com. This one is pretty Eric Lindros heavy with an excerpt from Bucci's upcoming biography of Kieth Jones and a Q&A with the "Big E".
On Wednesday the NHL announced a partnership with YouTube to begin providing highlights and other clips. They become the first league to do something like this and I think it's a great move. Not only will it help this blog out by allowing me a quick and easy link to highlights, but it will expose the excitement of the NHL and the skill of its players to a whole new audience. Hopefully they'll use this avenue to produce some feature stories too. It's always been my belief that hockey players are some of the real "good guys" in professional sports. They do so much for charities, both in their hometowns and in the towns in which they play. Features would help people to identify with the players and it's always easier to root for someone you identify with.
Be sure to tune into the Dallas Stars - Colorado Avalanche game on Monday on Versus. The network will be trying out "rail cam" for the first time, and if all goes well the technology will be used in the All-Star game in January. Should provide some interesting angles for replays. It'll probably have much the same visual effect of some of the sky-cam shots the NFL uses. Pretty cool, as long as it's not over-used.
Why today doesn't suck in puck history
November 16, 2001 - Steve Yzerman scored twice, including the 650th goal of his NHL career and Brett Hull had two assists for his 1,200th career point in the Red Wings 8-3 win over the visiting Minnesota Wild.
