The Dallas Stars 2024 Playoffs Thread

[Rex Kramer 1338]

9 hours ago, dcar00 said:

Colorado is the better team. They were in the season too.  faster and better.  they shook off the rust, punished us on PP, and then just walked away with it because we have guys who can't fucking shoot.  we were missing the net by feet all game on wide open shots.

 

But we’re deeper!  We have 60 point guys like Roope and Seguin and Pavs!

[C-Man 27225]

3 minutes ago, Rex Kramer said:

But we’re deeper!  We have 60 point guys like Roope and Seguin and Pavs!

Yep. That's basically it. Colorado has MacKinnon and Makar, who are inarguably one of the top two or three players in the world at their respective positions. Our best guys are fringe top-20. We've got a lot A-/B+ players but no superstars. I thought Miro was that guy but he grades out to about a C-level player thus far in the playoffs.

Again, though, this could come down to Otter-vs-Georgiev. That's the one area where we could have a big advantage.

[GoldAppleCorps 619]

Colorado is a one-line team. It just so happens that it's an All-Star line that can more than carry the load. Stars have to bog the game down by any means necessary when that line is on ice.

The phrase "pass the puck into the net" keeps coming up. We're not playing a series changing goaltender (although he kept the heart beating during opening OT). Dallas should spend some time watching Modano breakaway tapes. When you're the first man in, load up when you're 15 feet away from the net and unleash your best blast. We're giving up too much on triple-dekes and sneaky drops to no one. Put pucks on net at every opportunity.

Playing 5 D men (and even that's being kind) and no Marchment is rough. Colorado is a team that's built to score, and on some level, getting 3 in the first made it tough to stay mentally checked in. Win the next one, and be ready to steal the 2nd away game using more depth on the back-to-back.

[Skipper 6135]

How last night played out was exactly what I was nervous about when I saw the BS schedule.   Team had zero energy the 2nd and first half of the 3rd.  Neither did the arena.  It felt like we were playing a Tues night in February against the Blues at times.    It's almost like everyone was still hungover for a GD 9PM start on a Tues after a huge game 7 win 48 hours earlier.   That was also evidenced by the ticket market which was a joke.  The 5 seats next to us never sold.  For those local, get to the game Thurs.  You won't be paying anything near what folks paid for game 7.

All that being said, I think this team will settle in and this series goes long.  There was no way we could expect them to keep the same intensity for 60 mins after last series.  Duchene called it the most stressful hockey of his career and I think we saw the letdown last night.  I think pretty much everyone plays better Thurs.  Our top line isn't going to beat their top line this series, they aren't as good, but I think they will play better than tonight.  Hintz needs to take his (lack of) performance personally.  Or he's hurt, in which case, we are probably cooked if we can't get 'something' out of him this series.   Seguin and Stankoven just seem snakebit. Both have had great looks all playoffs and just can't get the puck in the net.  Feel like the dam is going to break for both of those guys soon.

Edited May 8 by Skipper

[C-Man 27225]

10 hours ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

Just noticed, how are we playing before Van v Edm?

[Rex Kramer 1338]

51 minutes ago, C-Man said:

Yep. That's basically it. Colorado has MacKinnon and Makar, who are inarguably one of the top two or three players in the world at their respective positions. Our best guys are fringe top-20. We've got a lot A-/B+ players but no superstars. I thought Miro was that guy but he grades out to about a C-level player thus far in the playoffs.

Again, though, this could come down to Otter-vs-Georgiev. That's the one area where we could have a big advantage.

We didn’t last night. He was fantastic in the late 3rd and OT when we actually decided to play hockey again 

[Skipper 6135]

27 minutes ago, Rex Kramer said:

We didn’t last night. He was fantastic in the late 3rd and OT when we actually decided to play hockey again 

I haven't seen a replay so you all can tell me if I'm off.  But I thought 2/3 of Georgiev's goals looked pretty soft live (i.e., both other than the 5 on 3).  Then yes, he made some huge stops in the 3rd and OT although I feel like we had a carry over of the same 'finishing' issue from last series.  Hintz missed on a great opportunity.  Then on the Pavelski feed to Seguin - I thought for sure that it was the winner. It was right in front of me and I was celebrating when I saw the pass.  I couldn't tell if Segs just didn't get his stick turned to elevate or puck was bounching a bit or what but that seemed like as much of a missed finish as it was a great save.   

For Otter, I'm not sure any of the goals were "soft".  Our PK was garbage.  But we needed him to make that one big save in OT and he didn't make it.  I haven't seen a replay of the winner yet  but it seemed similar to the breakaway in game 5 Vegas had with 1-2 mins left he stopped.

 

[Chewbacca 7777]

I haven't seen a replay so you all can tell me if I'm off.  But I thought 2/3 of Georgiev's goals looked pretty soft live (i.e., both other than the 5 on 3).  Then yes, he made some huge stops in the 3rd and OT although I feel like we had a carry over of the same 'finishing' issue from last series.  Hintz missed on a great opportunity.  Then on the Pavelski feed to Seguin - I thought for sure that it was the winner. It was right in front of me and I was celebrating when I saw the pass.  I couldn't tell if Segs just didn't get his stick turned to elevate or puck was bounching a bit or what but that seemed like as much of a missed finish as it was a great save.   
For Otter, I'm not sure any of the goals were "soft".  Our PK was garbage.  But we needed him to make that one big save in OT and he didn't make it.  I haven't seen a replay of the winner yet  but it seemed similar to the breakaway in game 5 Vegas had with 1-2 mins left he stopped.
 

The second one he let in was soft (5 hole off the faceoff). The other 2 weren't.

[dcar00 14202]

48 minutes ago, Skipper said:

I haven't seen a replay so you all can tell me if I'm off.  But I thought 2/3 of Georgiev's goals looked pretty soft live (i.e., both other than the 5 on 3).  Then yes, he made some huge stops in the 3rd and OT although I feel like we had a carry over of the same 'finishing' issue from last series.  Hintz missed on a great opportunity.  Then on the Pavelski feed to Seguin - I thought for sure that it was the winner. It was right in front of me and I was celebrating when I saw the pass.  I couldn't tell if Segs just didn't get his stick turned to elevate or puck was bounching a bit or what but that seemed like as much of a missed finish as it was a great save.   

For Otter, I'm not sure any of the goals were "soft".  Our PK was garbage.  But we needed him to make that one big save in OT and he didn't make it.  I haven't seen a replay of the winner yet  but it seemed similar to the breakaway in game 5 Vegas had with 1-2 mins left he stopped.

 

The game winner against Otter wasn't soft but his positioning left much to be desired.  He over played the short side too much and couldn't get back.

[Vertuzzi 1369]

2 hours ago, GoldAppleCorps said:

Colorado is a one-line team. 

Really? This your first time watching the Avs this season? Their second line is Nichuskin (elevated to first line due to the Drouin injury), Lehkonen, and Mittelstadt. Third line has Colton and Wood, and Parise fills in on all four lines when needed. Even Trenin and Cogliano have been fantastic on the forecheck. All of these forwards played huge rolls in the series against the Jets and played well last night. They certainly have way more than one line. 

[Firemans4Horn 18049]

If Roope is banged up and Pavelski’s legs are gone I’d give Mavrik Borque a shot over one of them next game. We need legs and not rely on shells of great players. 

[Longhorn_Fan68 33870]

1 hour ago, Vertuzzi said:

Really? This your first time watching the Avs this season? Their second line is Nichuskin (elevated to first line due to the Drouin injury), Lehkonen, and Mittelstadt. Third line has Colton and Wood, and Parise fills in on all four lines when needed. Even Trenin and Cogliano have been fantastic on the forecheck. All of these forwards played huge rolls in the series against the Jets and played well last night. They certainly have way more than one line. 

I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you there. COL is most definitely a top-heavy team. Some of the guys you named might crack our 4th line. I mean, the numbers don't lie (this is taken from avg stat - so basically performance per game - at the end of the season in yahoo fantasy). I'd be happy to post pure rankings, but they will say the same thing. Avg stats rankings is a better indicator of what you can expect from a player in any given game.

If anything this says we need help on the 4th line, but overall our forwards rank considerably better across the board than theirs - at least the versions that iced last night. There is a steep drop off after the second line. 

FWIW if you add in O'Connor and Drouin and drop Parise and Duhaime their average goes down to 287. If we drop Smith and add Marchment our average drops to 258. We're a better overall forward group, period.

I think we got tired as shit last night. We just ran out of gas. Bring up Bichsel, sit Nils, and bring back Marchment (if he's healthy). We do that and I bet we destroy them next game. 
 

Edited May 8 by Longhorn_Fan68
Yes I created a spreadsheet to make a point

[Rex Kramer 1338]

2 hours ago, Skipper said:

I haven't seen a replay so you all can tell me if I'm off.  But I thought 2/3 of Georgiev's goals looked pretty soft live (i.e., both other than the 5 on 3).  Then yes, he made some huge stops in the 3rd and OT although I feel like we had a carry over of the same 'finishing' issue from last series.  Hintz missed on a great opportunity.  Then on the Pavelski feed to Seguin - I thought for sure that it was the winner. It was right in front of me and I was celebrating when I saw the pass.  I couldn't tell if Segs just didn't get his stick turned to elevate or puck was bounching a bit or what but that seemed like as much of a missed finish as it was a great save.   

For Otter, I'm not sure any of the goals were "soft".  Our PK was garbage.  But we needed him to make that one big save in OT and he didn't make it.  I haven't seen a replay of the winner yet  but it seemed similar to the breakaway in game 5 Vegas had with 1-2 mins left he stopped.

 

I think it was a combo of us holding onto the puck for too long, and just missing (Roope), and some really good saves he made at the end of the 3rd and OT. The D in front of him shored up too. Think about Benn’s would-be second goal. But yes, several soft SOG from us. Bottom line is he locked down after the first. 

I don’t think Otter was bad, and think the last goal was a gorgeous play, but a top flight goaltender gets over to stop it. He held onto that puck for a long time. That is the difference in that game - when we held onto it too long and just gave their netminder and D time to adjust and with them, they’re for the most part quicker and skilled than us, and on that last one, Otter didn’t or couldn’t adjust. 

[Vertuzzi 1369]

5 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you there. COL is most definitely a top-heavy team. Some of the guys you named might crack our 4th line. I mean, the numbers don't lie (this is taken from avg stat - so basically performance per game - at the end of the season in yahoo fantasy). I'd be happy to post pure rankings, but they will say the same thing. Avg stats rankings is a better indicator of what you can expect from a player in any given game.

If anything this says we need help on the 4th line, but overall our forwards rank considerably better across the board than theirs - at least the versions that iced last night. There is a steep drop off after the second line. 

FWIW if you add in O'Connor and Drouin and drop Parise and Duhaime their average goes down to 287. If we drop Smith and add Marchment our average drops to 258. We're a better overall forward group, period.

I think we got tired as shit last night. We just ran out of gas. Bring up Bichsel, sit Nils, and bring back Marchment (if he's healthy). We do that and I bet we destroy them next game. 
 

My comment wasn’t about comparing the two forward groups from Dallas and Colorado. My comment directly addressed the comment stating “Colorado is a one-line team”. That’s just not true. They have much better forward depth than they did last season. Again, my comment has nothing to do with the Stars’ forwards. Also, saying guys like Nichuskin, Mittelstadt, and Lehkonen “might crack our fourth line” is incredibly laughable. 

[Pato del Muerto 52498]

2 hours ago, dcar00 said:

The game winner against Otter wasn't soft but his positioning left much to be desired.  He over played the short side too much and couldn't get back.

I think he was counting on miro preventing wood from cutting across the crease, so he came out to challenge head on.  But miro was tired and didn’t get the body or the stick. 
 

anyone else feel like the mackinnon line is always on the ice?  I know makar plays a ton but it feels like their first line is out there a ton also. 

[Skipper 6135]

17 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

I think we got tired as shit last night. We just ran out of gas. Bring up Bichsel, sit Nils, and bring back Marchment (if he's healthy). We do that and I bet we destroy them next game. 

Bischel is still 19 I think and from everything I've read probably 2 years away. I can't see any possible way you bring him into the NHL playoffs.   They just have to trust Nils and hope to limit the damage or do the same with Hakanpaa once he's healthy.  There is no way around it.   I do think Marchment could provide a nice spark if he's ready to play.  He was playing pretty well until he was injured.

[Longhorn_Fan68 33870]

11 minutes ago, Vertuzzi said:

My comment wasn’t about comparing the two forward groups from Dallas and Colorado. My comment directly addressed the comment stating “Colorado is a one-line team”. That’s just not true. They have much better forward depth than they did last season. Again, my comment has nothing to do with the Stars’ forwards. Also, saying guys like Nichuskin, Mittelstadt, and Lehkonen “might crack our fourth line” is incredibly laughable. 

I said some, not all, of the guys you named. Nuke is not included. Obviously that was hyperbole, but point remains. Colorado is very top heavy. Maybe not a 1-line team only, but after the top 6 there is a lot to be desired

[Skipper 6135]

7 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

 

anyone else feel like the mackinnon line is always on the ice?  I know makar plays a ton but it feels like their first line is out there a ton also. 

Yes.  And I looked up TOI this AM to confirm it.  Their top line skated 25+ last night.

[Longhorn_Fan68 33870]

Just now, Skipper said:

Yes.  And I looked up TOI this AM to confirm it.  Their top line skated 25+ last night.

but they're not a 1 line team 🤣

[Skipper 6135]

Just now, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

but they're not a 1 line team 🤣

Yeah, I mean, I don't think Colorado is shying away from the fact they are top heavy.  They have probably the best current player in the NHL .  Of course they want him on the ice as often as they can.  

[dcar00 14202]

20 minutes ago, Skipper said:

Yeah, I mean, I don't think Colorado is shying away from the fact they are top heavy.  They have probably the best current player in the NHL .  Of course they want him on the ice as often as they can.  

maybe the numbers say different but their guys at the top are younger too and they can probably go longer.

it was a one goal game but man they are still faster and seems like better all around.  we need puck luck or bad goalie and Otter to stand on his head.

[Skipper 6135]

4 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

maybe the numbers say different but their guys at the top are younger too and they can probably go longer.

it was a one goal game but man they are still faster and seems like better all around.  we need puck luck or bad goalie and Otter to stand on his head.

I said to my buddy right before the game started that I don't think 3 goals wins a single game this series.  Unfortunately that proved correct last night.   They are going to score a bunch and I don't think anything Otter can do about it except stop enough to keep it in the 3 range instead of the 6 or 7 range.   But that goes both ways. I feel like we had almost as many good opportunities last night as we did in Vegas game 3 (where we completely dominated play) despite the fact we completely slept walked through the 2nd period and more than half of the 3rd with virtually zero chances during that stretch.   We can absolutely score 5-7 against these guys if we play our game just like we did a few weeks ago in Denver.  

[GoldAppleCorps 619]

To be fair, Makar is a defender (at least positionally - I think he's a winger who chose to specialize on defense) so he's going to be on ice a lot more. He just fires slappers from the blueline with such alacrity that he looks like a forward.

Whomever survives this series is going to see too much of Conor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (no, I'm not giving Vancouver a chance). If you have them on your team, you roll that line as often as possible. If MacKinnon is on your club, he's on the ice whenever he can be.

If I'm Dallas, I'm reviewing tape to see if there's any way to slow down the Avs PP. Positionally, they just made scoring too easy. Being afraid to take penalties will neuter the Stars game.

[Rex Kramer 1338]

1 hour ago, Pato del Muerto said:

I think he was counting on miro preventing wood from cutting across the crease, so he came out to challenge head on.  But miro was tired and didn’t get the body or the stick. 
 

anyone else feel like the mackinnon line is always on the ice?  I know makar plays a ton but it feels like their first line is out there a ton also. 

Well Makar is a Defensemen and one of the if not THE best scoring D in the game. 

Edited May 8 by Rex Kramer

[Skipper 6135]

1 minute ago, GoldAppleCorps said:

To be fair, Makar is a defender (at least positionally - I think he's a winger who chose to specialize on defense) so he's going to be on ice a lot more. He just fires slappers from the blueline with such alacrity that he looks like a forward.

Whomever survives this series is going to see too much of Conor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (no, I'm not giving Vancouver a chance). If you have them on your team, you roll that line as often as possible. If MacKinnon is on your club, he's on the ice whenever he can be.

If I'm Dallas, I'm reviewing tape to see if there's any way to slow down the Avs PP. Positionally, they just made scoring too easy. Being afraid to take penalties will neuter the Stars game.

Special teams was an absolute mess for Dallas last night in all respects outside of the 5 on 3.  

[Pato del Muerto 52498]

1 minute ago, Rex Kramer said:

Well Makar is a Defensemen. 

No shit

[Rex Kramer 1338]

1 minute ago, Pato del Muerto said:

No shit

It wasn’t apparent you knew that from the comment below. 

 

1 hour ago, Pato del Muerto said:

anyone else feel like the mackinnon line is always on the ice?  I know makar plays a ton but it feels like their first line is out there a ton also. 

It’s still not apparent. 

[Longhorn_Fan68 33870]

1 minute ago, GoldAppleCorps said:

To be fair, Makar is a defender (at least positionally - I think he's a winger who chose to specialize on defense) so he's going to be on ice a lot more. He just fires slappers from the blueline with such alacrity that he looks like a forward.

Whomever survives this series is going to see too much of Conor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (no, I'm not giving Vancouver a chance). If you have them on your team, you roll that line as often as possible. If MacKinnon is on your club, he's on the ice whenever he can be.

If I'm Dallas, I'm reviewing tape to see if there's any way to slow down the Avs PP. Positionally, they just made scoring too easy. Being afraid to take penalties will neuter the Stars game.

we faced the same thing in the first round and cleaned up the penalties. That was the difference in this game. Funny VGK actually outscored us 13 to 12 5v5 and us having a slight advantage in PP goal with 4 to 3. It certainly looked like all our scoring was going to come 5v5 and theirs on the PP. That was not the case

[Pato del Muerto 52498]

Well, you seem to know that makar isn’t part of “the mackinnon line” or “their first line.”  I assumed a level of knowledge for those posting in this thread. 
 

I know that makar, a defenseman, plays a lot. It feels like mackinnon, if not his entire line of 3 forwards that usually play as a group, also play a lot. 
 

better?

[Rex Kramer 1338]

1 minute ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Well, you seem to know that makar isn’t part of “the mackinnon line” or “their first line.”  I assumed a level of knowledge for those posting in this thread. 
 

I know that makar, a defenseman, plays a lot. It feels like mackinnon, if not his entire line of 3 forwards that usually play as a group, also play a lot. 
 

better?

[Rex Kramer 1338]

The embellishment call was so fucking bad. A PP opp would’ve given us a 50/50 chance to end the thing in regulation. Ugh. 

[Longhorn_Fan68 33870]

5 minutes ago, Rex Kramer said:

The embellishment call was so fucking bad. A PP opp would’ve given us a 50/50 chance to end the thing in regulation. Ugh. 

yup. how can you embellish when the guy clearly tripped you and you're sliding across the ice? did he not get up quick enough for the ref's liking? this lopsided reffing shit has to stop too

[Sweetnsourpoke 170]

3 hours ago, Vertuzzi said:

Really? This your first time watching the Avs this season? Their second line is Nichuskin (elevated to first line due to the Drouin injury), Lehkonen, and Mittelstadt. Third line has Colton and Wood, and Parise fills in on all four lines when needed. Even Trenin and Cogliano have been fantastic on the forecheck. All of these forwards played huge rolls in the series against the Jets and played well last night. They certainly have way more than one line. 

I was about to say.......did anyone here watch that Jets/Avs series? Winnipeg got absolutely rolled......and it was highly impressive. I don't see Dallas advancing but what do I know. This should be a great series. 

Edited May 8 by Sweetnsourpoke

[Longhorn_Fan68 33870]

10 minutes ago, Sweetnsourpoke said:

I was about to say.......did anyone here watch that Jets/Avs series? Winnipeg got absolutely rolled......and it was highly impressive. I don't see Dallas advancing but what do I know. This should be a great series. 

bookmarked.

[GoldAppleCorps 619]

57 minutes ago, Rex Kramer said:

The embellishment call was so fucking bad. A PP opp would’ve given us a 50/50 chance to end the thing in regulation. Ugh. 

I appreciate the hockey tradition of "letting them play" when it comes to the playoffs. Refs don't want to insert themselves in the game, so a hit that's likely boarding gets overlooked if the player gets up. A straightforward cross check or slash can pass.

When the pace of the game gets changed (like the Vegas guy that broke his stick across Heiskanen's back) or the puck carrier is knocked down, then a call has to be made (I'd be curious to know if Robertson's high stick contact would have been called if he hadn't hit the ice. Clearly a blatant high-stick, but it created a 5 on 3).

In this case, the ref had to make a call. It was a deserved call, and one so blatant that it should have legitimately put the Stars on the PP with 4 minutes left. However, he didn't have the stomach for it, so he evened up the on-ice power with an embellishment call that no one believes.

[Firemans4Horn 18049]

1 hour ago, Skipper said:

Special teams was an absolute mess for Dallas last night in all respects outside of the 5 on 3.  

first penalty kill was literally fucked from the face off because Earp broke his stick. 

[Chewbacca 7777]

2 hours ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

I said some, not all, of the guys you named. Nuke is not included. Obviously that was hyperbole, but point remains. Colorado is very top heavy. Maybe not a 1-line team only, but after the top 6 there is a lot to be desired

You tend to be top heavy when you have 2 of the top 10 scorers in the league on your first line. Doesn't diminish the rest of the team, though.  

[futureman 22462]

17 hours ago, ztejas said:

I know that that jacket needs to be on a 13 year old. 

I don’t think you’re an idiot so don’t fucking act like one.  Go read about Mark Messier first before calling him “some guy” and commenting on his clothes. 

[dcar00 14202]

5 hours ago, GoldAppleCorps said:

I appreciate the hockey tradition of "letting them play" when it comes to the playoffs. Refs don't want to insert themselves in the game, so a hit that's likely boarding gets overlooked if the player gets up. A straightforward cross check or slash can pass.

When the pace of the game gets changed (like the Vegas guy that broke his stick across Heiskanen's back) or the puck carrier is knocked down, then a call has to be made (I'd be curious to know if Robertson's high stick contact would have been called if he hadn't hit the ice. Clearly a blatant high-stick, but it created a 5 on 3).

In this case, the ref had to make a call. It was a deserved call, and one so blatant that it should have legitimately put the Stars on the PP with 4 minutes left. However, he didn't have the stomach for it, so he evened up the on-ice power with an embellishment call that no one believes.

this.  the "offsetting" embellishment call is ripe for ref fuckery.  its a dive or it is tripping.  have some fucking balls.

[Beau Vine 54226]

2 hours ago, dcar00 said:

this.  the "offsetting" embellishment call is ripe for ref fuckery.  its a dive or it is tripping.  have some fucking balls.

It's the hockey version of "charging, count the basket" that NCAA basketball refs used to love so much.

[Longboard Horn 40322]

[GoldAppleCorps 619]

Getting indications that Marchment is available tonight.

[Longhorn_Fan68 33870]

3 hours ago, GoldAppleCorps said:

Getting indications that Marchment is available tonight.

yup, Faksa out.

[Zepol87 9186]

Sup ladies anyone hanging out pregame? Getting ready to leave the office and walk over for some drinks

[Longhorn_Fan68 33870]

Go Stars!!!!!

[Hagbard Celine 10864]

fuck these goddamn television fuckers

it's 830 central time

there's more than 8 minutes left in the preceding playoff game

this is turner - they aren't going to flip the game to another network

if this game goes to overtime we're way past midnight

fucking again

how the fuck can the mavs and stars play on the same day at the same time and have that time be a start 90 minutes after when it should be

for the 2nd game in a row

godfuckingdamnit

[Radical Larry 28607]

[Constant 6732]

This is bullshit

Edited May 10 by Constant

[dcar00 14202]

start the fucking east coast games at 6pm.  east coast pussies.

[Lat22 4014]

And now the first game is tied. 
 

Just saw that it will be starting on Tru TV. 

Edited May 10 by Lat22