Stars Win Game 6, Advance to the Second Round

Dallas defeats Nashville 2-1 in overtime moving on to the second round in front of their home crowd.

The Dallas Stars beat the Nashville Predators 2-1 in overtime of Game 6.  Twitter tells the story of how a John Klingberg wrist shot sends the Stars into the second round.

 

 

 

 

Brian Roe writes about the Dallas Stars at The Roe Report. He spent five years working for the Stars and has previously been a contributor at Hockey’s Future, The Hockey Writers, NHL Intel, and more. Follow Brian on Twitter @brianproe.

Six Notes Ahead of Game 6

No suggestions today; just keep doing what you’re doing, Stars.

A portion of the below originally appeared on a story I wrote for SB Nation.  Click here to read the full article which compares the game day atmospheres in Dallas and Nashville. 

 

The Stars have done pretty much everything right over the last two games so I have no suggestions for them other than to continue doing more of the same.  So, instead, here are six notes/facts ahead of Game 6 tonight.

 

  • Dallas has won five of seven games with Mats Zuccarello in its lineup averaging 3.71 goals per game. Zuccarello has four goals and six points in those seven games. For comparison, the Stars averaged 2.56 goals per game in the regular season, playing 80 of 82 games without Zuccarello.

 

  • Ben Bishop’s save percentage in the regular season was .934; Bishop’s save percentage through five playoff games is .935.

 

  • Pekka Rinne’s save percentage in the regular season was .918; Rinne’s save percentage through five playoff games is .883.

 

  • Nashville defenseman Mattias Ekholm committed only 21 minor penalties in 80 regular season games this year (0.26 minors per game); Ekholm has committed six minor penalties through five playoff games (1.2 minors per game).

 

  • Nashville forward Rocco Grimaldi scored five goals in 53 regular season games; Grimaldi has three goals in four playoff games.

 

  • The Stars scored five goals in consecutive games only once this season: in Game 4 and Game 5 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

 

 

Brian Roe writes about the Dallas Stars at The Roe Report. He spent five years working for the Stars and has previously been a contributor at Hockey’s Future, The Hockey Writers, NHL Intel, and more. Follow Brian on Twitter @brianproe.

Five Suggestions for Game 5

Five suggestions ahead of Saturday afternoon’s game.

Apparently this will be a new tradition as long as the Stars continue winning in the playoffs.  Here are five suggestions ahead of Game 5.

 

1) Shoot High

… the scouting report on Nashville goaltender, Pekka Rinne, says you should shoot the puck high.  The Stars did a great job of this in Game 4 and chased Rinne in the first period.  Good things can happen when you elevate the puck on Rinne.

 

2) Neutralize the Rowdy Nashville Crowd 

… Bridgestone Arena can be the loudest building the league when the home team is buzzing.  It will be important for the Stars to limit the noise and excitement by dictating pace of play and not chasing the game.

 

3) Avoid the Temptation to Tinker

… I understand the coaching staff is hesitant to use Jason Spezza on the road because of the inability to get last change.  However, Spezza played well in Games 3 and 4 and really makes a difference in the faceoff circle and in the possession game.  Let’s not tinker with the lineup that had so much success in Game 4.

 

4) Stay Disciplined 

… the Predators have several players – namely Austin Watson and P.K. Subban – looking to bait opposing players into taking a penalty.  The Stars have done a decent job of staying disciplined in this series and that needs to continue in Game 5.

 

5) Get to 3 

… Yes, we’ve suggested this before but the results speak for themselves.  The Stars are close to unbeatable when they score three or more goals.  The Stars need to keep the pressure on and look to reach or exceed that magical three goal mark.

 

 

Brian Roe is the founder and head writer of The Roe Report.  He spent five years working for the Dallas Stars  and has been a contributor at Hockey’s Future, The Hockey Writers, NHL Intel, and more.  Follow Brian on Twitter @brianproe.

 

Stars Dominate the Predators in Game 4

Stars score four goals in the opening period and beat the Predators 5-1.

Twitter tells the story of Game 4.

 

 

 

 

Brian Roe is the founder and head writer of The Roe Report.  He spent five years working for the Dallas Stars  and has been a contributor at Hockey’s Future, The Hockey Writers, NHL Intel, and more.  Follow Brian on Twitter @brianproe.

Four Suggestions for Game 4

Four suggestions for the Stars ahead of Game 4.

This worked well for Game 3 even though the Stars lost so here are four suggestions ahead of Game 4.

 

1) Bring Back Pitlick 

… unless there was an injury situation, he should have never been scratched in the first place. Sub him in place of Val Nichushkin for Game 4.

 

2) Leave Spezza Alone

… Spezza was great in Game 3. Jim Montgomery called it one of his best games of the season. He is perfect for the role of faceoff and power play specialist. Leave him in the lineup for Game 4.

 

3) Move Dickinson Back Into the Top-6

… Justin Dowling has no business playing on the top two lines. Shift Dickinson back into the top-6 for Game 4.

 

4) Get to 3 

… The Stars have scored three goals in a game only once this series in a game 1 victory. Need to get to three goals again tonight to increase their odds of evening this series.

 

 

Brian Roe is the founder and head writer of The Roe Report.  He spent five years working for the Dallas Stars  and has been a contributor at Hockey’s Future, The Hockey Writers, NHL Intel, and more.  Follow Brian on Twitter @brianproe.

Predators Win Game 3, Lead Series 2-1

Stars give back home ice with a 3-2 loss in Game 3.

Twitter tells the tales of Game 3 between the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators.

 

 

 

 

Brian Roe is the founder and head writer of The Roe Report.  He spent five years working for the Dallas Stars  and has been a contributor at Hockey’s Future, The Hockey Writers, NHL Intel, and more.  Follow Brian on Twitter @brianproe.

Three Suggestions for the Stars

Three changes to the Dallas lineup I would like to see in Game 3.

Three changes that I am hoping to see in Game 3 of this series.

 

1) Jason in for Justin

… I think Dallas should scratch Justin Dowling in Game 3 and bring Jason Spezza into the lineup.  Spezza is essentially a faceoff and power play specialist at this point in his career, which aligns with the two biggest weaknesses for Dallas so far in this series.  With Games 3 and 4 in Dallas, the coaching staff will have last change and can have a little more control of when Spezza is on the ice.

 

2) Give Janmark the Night Off

… Yes, Mattias Janmark is obviously tough and made a surprising return in Game 2 after injuring his left foot/leg in the second period.  He could not put weight on the foot though and I would be surprised if the injury is not at least semi-serious.  Give Janmark the night off and put another forward into the lineup.  I think Brett Ritchie would be a good fit for this series as he can bring physical play and help even out the Austin Watson types that fill the Nashville roster.

 

3) Unleash the Big Rig

… Taylor Fedun has been a great story for Dallas this season but the Predators are not a good match-up for him.  Fedun struggled mightily in Game 2 and is not much of a factor on special teams, which dominated Saturday’s game.  Jamie Oleksiak is a solid penalty killer and would balance out the left shots with the right shots on the blueline.  Dallas should scratch Fedun in favor of Oleksiak in Game 3.

 

 

Brian Roe is the founder and head writer of The Roe Report.  He spent five years working for the Dallas Stars  and has been a contributor at Hockey’s Future, The Hockey Writers, NHL Intel, and more.  Follow Brian on Twitter @brianproe.

Nashville Takes Game 2 in Overtime

The Predators beat the Dallas Stars 2-1 in Game 2 of the opening round series.

Twitter tells the story of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 match-up between the Dallas Stars and the Nashville Predators.

 

 

 

Brian Roe is the founder and head writer of The Roe Report.  He spent five years working for the Dallas Stars  and has been a contributor at Hockey’s Future, The Hockey Writers, NHL Intel, and more.  Follow Brian on Twitter @brianproe.

Stars Steal Home Ice, Win Opening Game of the Series

Dallas overcomes a slow start beating Nashville 3-2 to open the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Dallas Stars beat the Nashville Predators 3-2 on Wednesday night in Music City taking a 1-0 lead in the series.  Twitter tells the story of game one below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brian Roe is the founder and head writer of The Roe Report.  He spent five years working for the Dallas Stars  and has been a contributor at Hockey’s Future, The Hockey Writers, NHL Intel, and more.  Follow Brian on Twitter @brianproe.

The Roe Report – Can You Really Root For Two Teams in the Same Sport?

Figuring out what to do when your two favorite teams meet in the playoffs.

I was ten years old in the summer of 1993 when my family moved from Fort Worth, Texas, to Nashville, Tennessee.  That same summer a hockey team from the state of hockey was also relocating as the Minnesota North Stars moved south becoming the Dallas Stars Hockey Club.  I was a huge Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys fan but knew very little about hockey at that point.

The Stars changed that for me.

Though I could rarely watch hockey games in Tennessee at the time, I was hooked on hockey immediately.  I began playing street hockey out in the parking lot of our old townhome community.  I would obsessively check box scores each morning in the sports section of the newspaper.  And I would always choose the Stars in the classic NHL 94 video game.  Hockey quickly became part of my identity.

A few years into my hockey fandom something completely unexpected happened: the city of Nashville was awarded an NHL expansion team.  The Stars were my team but I was excited that the NHL was coming to town and I wanted to participate in the expansion process.  I dove right in.  My dad and I even voted on the team nickname in 1997 (we voted for the eventual nickname, the Predators, over some terrible choices like the Ice Tigers and the Fury).  I loved the entire process of a community getting its own team.

Much like when the Stars arrived in Dallas, my family moved again the summer before the Predators would play their inaugural game in 1998.  This time we left Nashville and headed back to Texas.

The late 90s were a great time for a high school kid who now followed two hockey teams.  The Predators began their journey as an NHL hockey club and the Stars became one of the best teams in the league winning the Stanley Cup in 1999.  It was easy to root for both teams because they were in different divisions and rarely played each other.

Fast-forward 20 years later and the Stars and Predators now sit in the same division, are months away from playing an outdoor Winter Classic game against one another, and are hours away from meeting in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time.

What’s a hockey fan who cheers for both the Stars and Predators to do?  Can you really root for two teams in the same sport?

For me, the answer is yes.  I grew up with both of these clubs and saw each of them from inception.  I have celebrated with both teams, felt the sting of losses with both teams, attended playoff games in both cities, bought NHL TV packages to both teams, and even worked for the Stars right out of college.  My fandom for each team is genuine and real.  I equate it to a parent watching a game that features one of their children on each of the teams.  Who does the parent root for?

I look forward to Game 1 tonight and to seeing two great franchises compete for the Stanley Cup.  I am going to enjoy the game tonight and enjoy this series because I am a Stars fan and I am a Predators fan.

And I don’t expect a playoff series to change that.

 

 

Brian Roe is the founder and head writer of The Roe Report.  He spent five years working for the Dallas Stars  and has been a contributor at Hockey’s Future, The Hockey Writers, NHL Intel, and more.  Follow Brian on Twitter @brianproe.