Heika's Take: Sport 1 a difficulty as soon as once more as Stars fall to Oilers in double extra time | Dallas Stars – NHL.com

After an prolonged break, Dallas couldn’t get the additional push wanted in a prolonged Sport 1 as Edmonton picked up a street win to open the sequence
The unhealthy information is that within the Pete DeBoer period, the Stars have misplaced Sport 1 in six straight playoff sequence.
The excellent news is that they have come again to win the best-of-seven battle in 4 of the earlier 5 showdowns.
So whereas it was a tricky loss for the workforce after a 3-2 double extra time loss to Edmonton on Thursday evening at American Airways Middle, there may be loads of hope as they put together for Sport 2 on Saturday.
“I feel we have had some Sport 1’s the place we have been feeling it out and laid some eggs, however that wasn’t the case tonight,” mentioned ahead Tyler Seguin, who scored twice. “We performed a adequate sport to win, however so did they. It’s inches on the market. It was an important hockey sport, and we’ve been right here many occasions.”
Tyler Seguin speaks to the media after Sport 1
This sequence has plenty of attention-grabbing parts, and plenty of of them had been on show Thursday. Can the Stars maintain the Oilers’ superstars off the scoresheet? Edmonton obtained targets from Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and the game-winner from Connor McDavid, so verify that one off as a priority going ahead. Can the Stars play disciplined hockey and never let the Oilers’ energy play beat them? Dallas took only one penalty and killed that off, in order that goes within the good column. Would the Stars be a little bit rusty after a little bit of an prolonged break? Sure, it appeared that means. May that assist them because the sequence strikes ahead, and the 2 groups begin participating in a battle of endurance and can?
Yeah, that appears doubtless.
“The primary factor is you’ve obtained to discover a option to survive and transfer on,” mentioned Stars coach Pete DeBoer. “We’ve obtained to park this sport. We’ve been on this scenario earlier than. We’re the most effective street workforce within the league. I’m not involved about that. We have to discover one other degree in residence video games and the wins will care for themselves.”
The Stars have come again from Sport 1 losses to beat Minnesota, Seattle, Vegas and Colorado. They misplaced in Sport 2 final season to Vegas and finally misplaced in six video games to the Golden Knights within the Western Convention Last. This yr feels totally different. Sure, the Oilers have been the most popular workforce within the NHL since November and deserve a ton of credit score, however the Stars are also a greater workforce than they had been final season, they usually appear to be hardened by a few of these experiences.
Sport 1 was a narrative that unfolded in layers. The Stars beat Colorado final Friday and had been sitting round ready for Thursday evening. Edmonton beat Vancouver in Sport 7 of its Second Spherical sequence on Monday.
“If it was my selection, we’d have began two days earlier,” Seguin mentioned. “It was good to get a break, however the break obtained a little bit lengthy.”
Whereas DeBoer added, “I assumed we obtained higher as the sport went on, for positive. I didn’t assume we had been nice early however as the sport went on we obtained a little bit bit higher. We now have one other degree we are able to get to and we’re going to need to in opposition to that workforce.”
Pete DeBoer speaks to the media after Sport 1
The Stars truly had a 7-3 benefit in photographs on aim within the first interval, however Edmonton took over and had a 24-17 benefit within the second and third durations. That allowed the Oilers to take a 2-0 lead 4 minutes into the second interval, and it appeared like perhaps this wouldn’t be the evening for the Stars.
However Seguin got here again with a aim six minutes into the second interval after which tied issues up 16 minutes into the third. The primary tally got here after Jamie Benn obtained a puck to the web and Seguin scrapped to pop within the rebound. The second got here late in regulation on a bang-bang play after a Jason Robertson shot deflected off Evgenii Dadonov and proper to Seguin, for a pleasant swipe into an open web.
“He was nice,” DeBoer mentioned of Seguin. “He was our greatest participant. He’s been like that for some time. I’ve been actually impressed together with his management and the consistency of his play.”
That arrange the extra time, and Dallas was excellent as soon as once more within the additional body. The Stars went 1-5 in playoff extra time final season, together with two losses within the second minute of the extra time. This season, Dallas is 2-2 with each additional session going greater than 11 minutes. The Sport 6 win at Colorado final week went 31 minutes and Thursday’s Sport 1 loss went 20:32.
That looks like some quantity of progress, and it might be useful because the Stars push ahead.
The extra time was loaded with nice performs. Matt Duchene drew a excessive stick from McDavid on the opening faceoff, and Dallas obtained a 4 minute energy play. The Stars had some nice seems to be and Robertson hit the submit at one level, simply inches from ending the sport. Colorado got here again and McDavid obtained an important probability in entrance of Jake Oettinger. Nevertheless, Oettinger laid out and defenseman Chris Tanev obtained his stick in the best way, and the sport trickled on to the second extra time.
There, McDavid discovered himself alone in entrance as Dallas had a collective unhealthy learn, with three gamers getting caught behind the web.
“It doesn’t actually matter if it’s extra time or the primary interval,” Dadonov mentioned. “We simply want to remain and play with our construction and preserve doing no matter now we have been doing and consider in it.”
Evgenii Dadonov speaks to the media after Sport 1
Edmonton is now 2-1 in playoff extra time and 9-4 general within the postseason. Dallas is now 8-6 within the playoffs, together with 3-5 at residence. The Stars say they don’t really feel any totally different at American Airways Middle they usually should be again on their toes by Saturday’s Sport 2.
“This time of yr, you anticipate that,” Seguin mentioned. “Two groups right here within the West are right here for a cause, so it’s going to be little inches on the market and little bounces. It is going to be a enjoyable alternative and now we have to win the following one at residence.”
This story was not topic to the approval of the Nationwide Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Membership.
Mike Heika is a Senior Workers Author for DallasStars.com and has lined the Stars since 1994. Comply with him on Twitter @MikeHeika.

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