The Dallas Stars may have been happy to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008, but they weren’t pleased with how things ended in April.
Tonight at home, they’ll have an opportunity to exact a certain amount of revenge on the Anaheim side that eliminated them in six games of the teams’ first-round series.
“We want to get some payback,” said captain Jamie Benn, per the Stars’ website. “It’s just another game, but in the back of our heads we want to win this one for sure.”
Dallas has also dropped two straight, so there’s motivation in that as well. On Tuesday, the Stars held a 3-2 lead on the Blues in the third period, only to lose 4-3 in overtime.
“Enough is enough in here,” said Stars defenseman Trevor Daley. “I think we’ve had three of them at home where we’ve had leads in the third period (and not won). In order to be a good team, an elite team like the team we just played, you’ve got to find ways to get the job done.”
Daley’s memory is correct. The Stars also had a third-period lead on Chicago in their season-opener, only to lose in a shootout. And they brought a two-goal lead into the third period against the winless Flyers on Oct. 18, only to lose in overtime.
The Stars have the third-ranked offense (3.44 goals per game) in the NHL, but they’ve got the 27th-ranked defense (3.56 GAA).