Game Reaction: Stars Fall to Sabres in Buffalo

It’s no secret the Stars have struggled in Buffalo this millenium.  It’s ironic that the place all Stars fans remember with such fondness, thanks to Brett Hull’s triple-OT win in the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals, now is a source of (at least budding) frustration and loss.  After Wednesday’s 5-3 loss, Dallas is 0-4-1 in Buffalo since winning the Cup there in ’99.

As far as what the loss means in a more immediate way, let’s look at how things shook out last night.  Phoenix beat Vancouver in the shootout, getting two more points to strengthen their hold on the #5 spot in the West.  Los Angeles fell to Chicago in OT, picking up a point, but keeping them two points behind the Coyotes.  Dallas sits in 10th place – five points out of a playoff spot.  The win would have been nice to close some ground on Calgary for that 8th spot, but considering the Stars only picked up two points out of a possible six on this most recent road trip, it’s not bad, either.  And when you consider the teams they played on this trip are all 1st place teams in their divisions in the Eastern Conference, I can’t imagine many were thinking they’d pull more than two points out of this swing.

Now, some other thoughts out of this game:

Tyler Myers: I have to agree with Ralph Strangis and Razor, after finally getting to see this guy play – he seems to have it all.  Size, speed, good hands, and a good hockey sense.  After setting a career high with his 4-point night against the Stars, he has certainly showed why he’s the front-running candidate for this year’s Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.

Turco Strong Again: If you look at the final score and nothing else, it’s easy to assume that Marty Turco struggled.  But, let’s take a look at the stats.  The Stars were outshot in the game, 42-20.  They were outshot 16-9 in the first period, 15-5 in the second period (when the game was tied 3-3 and was essentially a “new game”) and 11-6 in the final frame, when they should have been marshaling their energies and talents for a surge against a Sabres team that was just hungrier.  The only reason they stayed in the hunt was the strong play of Turco in net.  The defense continues to be a weak spot for the Stars, and several Sabres forwards were allowed to walk to the net without much challenge.  That will have to improve if the Stars want to turn things around in the final 16 games of the regular season

Lack of Offense: On this three-game roadtrip, the Stars were outshot 128-76.  They’ve been outshot in every game since the Olympic Break ended.  In that stretch, they’ve gone 1-4-0, and that win was stolen by Marty.  Coach Marc Crawford is going to have to juggle some lineups and find some better chemistry, because it’s pretty clear what has been going on, offensively, isn’t working too well.  I have a feeling there will be an emphasis on just putting the puck on net.  Any shot is a good shot when you’ve only averaged 23 shots in your last two games.

The Stars will now come home for a six-game stretch, and look to find some offensive production and some stronger defensive play.  Los Angeles is first up on Friday, and the Stars are winless against the Kings, going 0-2-2 against them this season.  The two OT games were played in LA and the losses were handed to the Stars here in Dallas.  In those two games, the Stars were outscored 9-2, so finding some offense on Friday would be quite helpful.