In losing five games in a row and scoring just one goal in the last 10 periods, the Stars have hit upon a pretty reliable recipe for failure:
* Failure to keep your feet moving on the forecheck results in insufficient pressure, lost battles, easy breakouts for opponents and a lack of power play opportunities.
* Lack of traffic in front of the net puts the onus on shooters to make perfect shots from side angles or catch a break due to the goaltender making a mistake. It's a good way to get shut out (or nearly shut out).
* Taking too many penalties -- and then failing to kill them -- digs a hole from which it is awfully tough to crawl out. Complaining to the officials constantly makes it less likely that you'll get the benefit of the call on any marginal penalties.
In a nutshell that has been the story of each of the last three games for the Stars, and it really goes back to the third period of the game in Detroit last Saturday. Dallas was too passive in the final stanza of a game that tied after two periods and that passivity and indecision has carried straight through this week.
On the bright side, the Stars finally established some positive things in the third period of last night's game that may have come too late to make any difference in the outcome of that game but which hopefully can be built upon during a busy slate of games this week.
We'll see. The team has a lot of work to do to break out of this stretch of horrific hockey.
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I doubt that the last has been heard of Ryan Clowe's unpenalized chop at Stephane Robidas hand as he skated to the bench last night in the third period. It was a big time, totally superfluous cheap shot by Clowe. Krys Barch attempted to make Clowe answer for it shortly therafter, but you can be sure that Clowe will have a target on his back the rest of this season whenever these teams meet.
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