10 Mostly Blue Rambles – Dallas Stars vs. St Louis Lose
1. The Stars came out of the gate with all sorts of pep and vinegar and dominated the first half of the first period before they started trailing off after having a single goal score against them. I'm not sure why, all of a sudden, they took their foot off the gas but it is not something new for them either.
2. With 12 total goals, Jake Neighbors is the leading goal scorer for the St Louis Blues. Wyatt Johnson has 17 power play goals. I feel a total of zero bads about this.
3.1 QUESTION:
Which Stars player was the major protagonist in the NHL developing a new officiating system in the past fifteen years?
4. The good first half of the first period was followed up by one of the worst periods I've watched the Stars play this season, in the second, even though they had 3 power plays.
Here are St. Louis' possession shares in the second frame while playing 5-on-5: shots-for 87.4%, scoring chances-for 80%, high danger chances-for 100% (4-0), expected goals-for 95.1%.
5. Quick reminder: St. Louis is one of the worst all-around teams in the NHL but so were the Blue Jackets, Blackhawks, Ducks, Kings, Sharks, etc. of late. Something is wrong when a “good” team can’t seem to put these types of opponents in their place.
6. Yesterday, Rick Bowness was behind the visitors’ bench and tonight it's Jim Montgomery. Pete DeBoer will eventually get another head coaching job in the NHL.
Mitch Marner got roundly booed in Toronto by the worst fan base in the NHL tonight. I wonder if DeBoer will get booed when he returns to Dallas?
3.2 ANSWER:
There should not have been an offside call in the first period when Wyatt Johnson and Steve Duchene had a two-on-one after St Louis chipped the puck into their own defensive zone before the play. Duchene was livid. I bet he was extra saucy because, 12 years ago, he was one of the main reasons the NHL implemented the awful offside replay system to begin with. The only difference is, tonight, he legitimately was not offside but the call went against him.
7. Team USA put J.T. Miller on their Olympic roster. Team Canada heard that and said, “Hold my beer, Murica!” by selecting Jordan Binnington for their Olympic roster. He is categorically, objectively, statistically, and obnoxiously one of the worst goaltenders in the NHL this season. But he played well in one game a full year ago when one goal by the Americans would have been the difference. So, he's probably going to be their starter with nostalgia out-weighing any sense of logic in their decision. You can’t make this stuff up.
The Blues’ leading point scorer is Robert Thomas with 33 points which ranks him 109th in the NHL. Soon to be Olympians, Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller are tied for 111th. I told you that you can’t make this stuff up.
8. The Blues’ possession shares in the third period were largely in line with the second. Did anyone point out to the Stars that the Blues are a bad team, only have a three percent chance of making the playoffs, score the fewest goals in the league, and allow among the most?
Razor on today’s telecast to start the third period - “Shoot more.”
9. A regulation win for the Stars or not, that game was hard to watch. Again, the power play saved th3 Stars' skin. Binnington has a .867 save percentage and only faced 12 shots in the final 50 minutes of the game.
“MOMMA says stupid is as stupid does.” - Forrest G. (...and Razor)
10. Jason Robertson is the third player to reach 30 goals this season (and is 9th in points). The other two to reach the 30-mark are Connor McDavid and Nate MacKinnon.
On a related note, Bill Guerin’s clown shoes grow half an inch every time Robertson snipes top-shelf.
One person told me at one point tonight that if they lose, it could be one of their worst losses of the entire season. They did not lose, but yeah, it probably could have been. That second half was anemic. Maybe Rantanen isn't the only one with the flu.
10 Mostly Blue Rambles – Dallas Stars vs. St Louis Lose
1. The Stars came out of the gate with all sorts of pep and vinegar and dominated the first half of the first period before they started trailing off after having a single goal score against them. I'm not sure why, all of a sudden, they took their foot off the gas but it is not something new for them either.
2. With 12 total goals, Jake Neighbors is the leading goal scorer for the St Louis Blues. Wyatt Johnson has 17 power play goals. I feel a total of zero bads about this.
3.1 QUESTION:
Which Stars player was the major protagonist in the NHL developing a new officiating system in the past fifteen years?
4. The good first half of the first period was followed up by one of the worst periods I've watched the Stars play this season, in the second, even though they had 3 power plays.
Here are St. Louis' possession shares in the second frame while playing 5-on-5: shots-for 87.4%, scoring chances-for 80%, high danger chances-for 100% (4-0), expected goals-for 95.1%.
5. Quick reminder: St. Louis is one of the worst all-around teams in the NHL but so were the Blue Jackets, Blackhawks, Ducks, Kings, Sharks, etc. of late. Something is wrong when a “good” team can’t seem to put these types of opponents in their place.
6. Yesterday, Rick Bowness was behind the visitors’ bench and tonight it's Jim Montgomery. Pete DeBoer will eventually get another head coaching job in the NHL.
Mitch Marner got roundly booed in Toronto by the worst fan base in the NHL tonight. I wonder if DeBoer will get booed when he returns to Dallas?
3.2 ANSWER:
There should not have been an offside call in the first period when Wyatt Johnson and Steve Duchene had a two-on-one after St Louis chipped the puck into their own defensive zone before the play. Duchene was livid. I bet he was extra saucy because, 12 years ago, he was one of the main reasons the NHL implemented the awful offside replay system to begin with. The only difference is, tonight, he legitimately was not offside but the call went against him.
https://milehighsticking.com/revisiting-matt-duchene-s-infamous-non-call-offside-that-forever-changed-replay-reviews-in-the-nhl
7. Team USA put J.T. Miller on their Olympic roster. Team Canada heard that and said, “Hold my beer, Murica!” by selecting Jordan Binnington for their Olympic roster. He is categorically, objectively, statistically, and obnoxiously one of the worst goaltenders in the NHL this season. But he played well in one game a full year ago when one goal by the Americans would have been the difference. So, he's probably going to be their starter with nostalgia out-weighing any sense of logic in their decision. You can’t make this stuff up.
The Blues’ leading point scorer is Robert Thomas with 33 points which ranks him 109th in the NHL. Soon to be Olympians, Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller are tied for 111th. I told you that you can’t make this stuff up.
8. The Blues’ possession shares in the third period were largely in line with the second. Did anyone point out to the Stars that the Blues are a bad team, only have a three percent chance of making the playoffs, score the fewest goals in the league, and allow among the most?
Razor on today’s telecast to start the third period - “Shoot more.”
9. A regulation win for the Stars or not, that game was hard to watch. Again, the power play saved th3 Stars' skin. Binnington has a .867 save percentage and only faced 12 shots in the final 50 minutes of the game.
“MOMMA says stupid is as stupid does.” - Forrest G. (...and Razor)
10. Jason Robertson is the third player to reach 30 goals this season (and is 9th in points). The other two to reach the 30-mark are Connor McDavid and Nate MacKinnon.
On a related note, Bill Guerin’s clown shoes grow half an inch every time Robertson snipes top-shelf.
One person told me at one point tonight that if they lose, it could be one of their worst losses of the entire season. They did not lose, but yeah, it probably could have been. That second half was anemic. Maybe Rantanen isn't the only one with the flu.
Best comment I’ve ever read on anybody’s Substack. Kudos to you KK.
Thx, Nate.