On paper, this should be a clash of titans: the top team in the NHL (Dallas Stars) hosts the East’s second-ranked club (Montreal Canadiens).
Instead, it’s felt a bit like hammer-on-nail, as the Stars hold a 4-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
There are plenty of impressive moments from Dallas, including Jason Spezza’s fake-shot-then-goal, but the sequence that finished with Tyler Seguin’s 4-1 tally captured the one-sided spirit of this one.
It’s not just the fact that it features a goal by one of the Stars’ dangerous scorers. There’s also a big hit by Jamie Benn on Jeff Petry, which did not draw a penalty call.
Check out that span of play in the video above. Here’s the Benn hit in GIF form as well:
Petry suffered an injury that ended his night early.
Jeff Petry ne reviendra pas au jeu ce soir \ Jeff Petry will not return tonight.
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 20, 2015
There was also a questionable check by Patrick Eaves and some other memorable moments so far, even if the game hasn’t been very even.
Here’s the Spezza goal in case you want to gape in awe:
Sometimes this Dallas offense is so dangerous, it almost feels unfair.
Update: Not a whole lot changed in the third, with the Stars ultimately winning 6-2.