Considering who we are missing, I'm happy in the sense that we are playing responsible hockey right now. Nobody likes to lose, especially to Colorado, but I think Wedgewood is in their heads just a bit. Was happy to see Petro back also. Thought he was really solid.
I am less nervous than I was at this time last year, but only slightly. I think this team is built different and hopefully they're just getting warmed up.
And now that we get the 99's for home playoff games, hoping it's a sign!
If the Avalanche and Stars do meet in the second round, I’d be so very curious to see if Colorado plays Wedgewood in that series in particular—they clearly should, but teams seem to have a “hell or high water” mentality re: starting goalies.
I guess I’ll keep the Otter/DeSmith discourse to myself this time 😉
I think I'm personally done with my Stars fandom. I've been a loyal fan of this team for over 30 years and a season ticket holder for the last 10, and it's been disappointment after disappointment. Nill talked about patience today, and mine as a fan is out. I think I had been holding out for a while this season, but watching how this team plays and how they're built, I do not see them ever winning a championship; they'd need to redo their roster like Florida did. I hate to admit this now, it's just they've let me down too many years and I value my time, money, and sanity more at this point.
Thanks for the articles, Robert. You should write a book; I'd buy it :)
Jay, far be it from me to tell you how to spend your time and money. But for my part, I think I’d at least wait to see how the playoffs shake out before jumping ship for good. But hey, at least I know I’ll sell at least one copy of my book someday!
Robert---not sure I would agree that the game didn't mean much in the standings. As it stands, Minnesota is 2 points back with 5 to play, with one head to head match. The Stars have the advantage with the first tie-breaker, with 35 RWins to 29, but the bottom line is, if Dallas slumps to 2-3 and Minnesota goes 4-1, Dallas would finish in 2nd place. We'll find out in the next two weeks, but it really appears the injuries are taking their toll. How do you think the team would react mentally if they blew home ice vs Minnesota?
If that game does end up mattering in the standings, it will be because Dallas also failed to win more winnable games down the stretch. Though I'll add that I primarily meant the game was irrelevant for the purposes of Dallas catching Colorado, not for holding off Minnesota.
The Thursday game should be a big one, depending on how things play out beforehand. But as of now, Dallas could still lose to Minnesota in regulation and keep home ice, so long as they take care of business against the Rangers, Flames, Leafs, and (gulp) Sabres.
If they did blow home ice, I think it would be a hit to morale, certainly. Or, it could cause them to dig in and come out of the gates angry. As we saw last year, Dallas in the playoffs tends to be a bit tougher team than Dallas in the regular season.
The Stars needed Roope Hintz in that kind of game. Both teams were at the very top of their tight checking and defensive games, but the Stars made one costly mistake and it cost them the game. This hockey weekend could not have gone any worse for them, too, with Minnesota winning both of their road back to back games. They better take care of business next week or suddenly their road to the Cup gets a whole lot harder.
To be clear, I don't think losing home ice would be the end of the world, even if it would be a boost of momentum for Minnesota. It's going to be a tough series regardless of where the games are played, but I still like Dallas's overall roster more than Minnesota's--especially with Hintz, as you say.
Considering who we are missing, I'm happy in the sense that we are playing responsible hockey right now. Nobody likes to lose, especially to Colorado, but I think Wedgewood is in their heads just a bit. Was happy to see Petro back also. Thought he was really solid.
I am less nervous than I was at this time last year, but only slightly. I think this team is built different and hopefully they're just getting warmed up.
And now that we get the 99's for home playoff games, hoping it's a sign!
If the Avalanche and Stars do meet in the second round, I’d be so very curious to see if Colorado plays Wedgewood in that series in particular—they clearly should, but teams seem to have a “hell or high water” mentality re: starting goalies.
I guess I’ll keep the Otter/DeSmith discourse to myself this time 😉
I think I'm personally done with my Stars fandom. I've been a loyal fan of this team for over 30 years and a season ticket holder for the last 10, and it's been disappointment after disappointment. Nill talked about patience today, and mine as a fan is out. I think I had been holding out for a while this season, but watching how this team plays and how they're built, I do not see them ever winning a championship; they'd need to redo their roster like Florida did. I hate to admit this now, it's just they've let me down too many years and I value my time, money, and sanity more at this point.
Thanks for the articles, Robert. You should write a book; I'd buy it :)
Jay, far be it from me to tell you how to spend your time and money. But for my part, I think I’d at least wait to see how the playoffs shake out before jumping ship for good. But hey, at least I know I’ll sell at least one copy of my book someday!
Robert---not sure I would agree that the game didn't mean much in the standings. As it stands, Minnesota is 2 points back with 5 to play, with one head to head match. The Stars have the advantage with the first tie-breaker, with 35 RWins to 29, but the bottom line is, if Dallas slumps to 2-3 and Minnesota goes 4-1, Dallas would finish in 2nd place. We'll find out in the next two weeks, but it really appears the injuries are taking their toll. How do you think the team would react mentally if they blew home ice vs Minnesota?
If that game does end up mattering in the standings, it will be because Dallas also failed to win more winnable games down the stretch. Though I'll add that I primarily meant the game was irrelevant for the purposes of Dallas catching Colorado, not for holding off Minnesota.
The Thursday game should be a big one, depending on how things play out beforehand. But as of now, Dallas could still lose to Minnesota in regulation and keep home ice, so long as they take care of business against the Rangers, Flames, Leafs, and (gulp) Sabres.
If they did blow home ice, I think it would be a hit to morale, certainly. Or, it could cause them to dig in and come out of the gates angry. As we saw last year, Dallas in the playoffs tends to be a bit tougher team than Dallas in the regular season.
The Stars needed Roope Hintz in that kind of game. Both teams were at the very top of their tight checking and defensive games, but the Stars made one costly mistake and it cost them the game. This hockey weekend could not have gone any worse for them, too, with Minnesota winning both of their road back to back games. They better take care of business next week or suddenly their road to the Cup gets a whole lot harder.
To be clear, I don't think losing home ice would be the end of the world, even if it would be a boost of momentum for Minnesota. It's going to be a tough series regardless of where the games are played, but I still like Dallas's overall roster more than Minnesota's--especially with Hintz, as you say.
Same.