Dallas Stars

Jake Oettinger earned a shutout in just his second playoff start for the Dallas Stars in a 2-0 win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday to even their playoff ...

The Flames went 0-for-3 on Thursday and scored once on eight power-play opportunities over the opening two games. The Flames had 21 giveaways to the Stars’ eight. “There’s not a lot of room for them or us. The Flames were denied by Oettinger, however, and didn’t get their sticks on the few rebounds the Dallas goaltender allowed. “Not a lot of room out there,” Bowness said. “They’ve got to be more around the goalie.”

It was a team effort all around to beat the Flames in game 2, but Oettinger's goaltending was the main factor. Here is what happened Thursday night in Calgary ...

It was a perfect 1st period for the Stars on the road. 8 minutes into the game, Joe Pavelski would get the first goal of the playoffs for the Dallas Stars on a deflection that Jacob Markstrom wasn’t ready for. The Dallas Stars put the fan’s anxiety at ease on Thursday night as they beat the Calgary Flames 2-0 and tie the series at 1.

Through two games, the Stars haven't caved to the Flames' style and tried to engage in an offensive shootout.

“He likes to compete and I think that gets him in the game a little more.” If the Flames get out and dictate the style of the game, the Stars would have a tough time hanging with them due to a sheer shortage of firepower. They’ve made the Flames submit to them and play the physical, boring style of hockey that the Stars have come to be known for. Joel Kiviranta had a good showing Thursday. He’s not the biggest player, but he’s never scared of delivering big hits. The outside noise had this series as a matchup of two of the top lines in the NHL, but that’s not what this has been. However, for five of the six periods in the series so far, the Stars have made the Flames cater to the Stars’ style. The only goal Calgary has scored on Oettinger was an early power-play goal Tuesday. Oettinger has shut out the Flames for the past 115 minutes and hasn’t allowed a single five-on-five goal. “If they can keep those guys on the outside, then they can give me a good chance to make saves. Playing in tight games down the stretch with a limited margin for error is nothing new for the Stars. They’ve also been in playoff mode for basically the entire regular season. “You’ve to get a start and you’ve got to take it, do what you can with it. I’m just happy that we were able to close it down in the third (period), protect the lead and get that big empty-net goal.” If you’re a Stars fan, you might need some ice cream to top off the night.

CALGARY, Alberta -- Rick Bowness said the Stars wouldn't be able to win the series without taking one on the road. And even though it's still been just two ...

The Stars once again had trouble with the man advantage on entries and retaining full control in the zone. There's a saying in hockey when players are mired in scoring slumps: gripping the stick too tight. Then, as Namestnikov got onto the bench, backup goalie Scott Wedgewood leaned in, gave him a few words and tapped him on the back with his glove. After getting up and making his way to the bench, Jamie Benn leaned over and gave him a tap. They finally broke through on Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom in the first period to take a 1-0 lead. It started with John Klingberg's forecheck, which forced Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin to make a clearing attempt up the boards.

CALGARY, Alberta (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Goaltender Jake Oettinger made 29 saves and got his first postseason shutout in his 2nd career playoff start to lift the ...

The Flames went 0 for 3 on Thursday and scored one power-play goal on eight chances through the first two games. "Not a lot of room out there," Bowness said. The Flames were denied by Oettinger, however, and didn't get their sticks on the few rebounds the goaltender allowed. A couple of 2-on-1s, breakaway, thought we did a good job in their own zone, but got to score, got to bear down and put the puck in the net (starting) with myself." "They're a good defensive team. "The only thing that matters is wins," Oettinger said.

In Game 1, the Flames were able to get just a single goal past Jake Oettinger, but it was good enough to secure the win as Jacob Markstrom posted a shutout.

According to the numbers, teams that win the opening game go on to win 65 percent of the series, meaning the Flames still have a great shot despite Thursday’s result. To this point, however, they seem to have figured something out when it comes to the Flames’ power play, as they aren’t giving up a ton of scoring opportunities when down a man. Bowness himself deserves a ton of credit for the style of game he has implemented early on in this series, as do the Stars players for shutting down the Flames’ top guns to this point. Markstrom was coming off of the best season of his career, one that will likely result in him being named a top-three finalist for the Vezina Trophy, while Oettinger had just 79 career games under his belt, and prior to Game 1 had never started an NHL playoff game. In Game 1, the Flames were able to fire 26 shots Oettinger’s way, though head coach Darryl Sutter admitted that most of those shots were not high-danger opportunities. Coming into this series, it was well known by everyone that the Flames had a clear advantage as far as offensive weapons were concerned.

Jake Oettinger made 29 saves and got his first postseason shutout in his second career playoff start to lift the Dallas Stars over the Calgary Flames 2-0.

The Stars on Thursday tied up their first-round playoff series with Calgary in more ways than one. Sure, Dallas beat the Flames 2-0 at the Scotiabank ...

"It was a hard-fought game just like Game 1, and it's probably going to be the same way at home." "We're putting a rookie in a tough situation, and we don't know how he's going to react. We weren't happy with our game in Game 1, but we had no passengers tonight and that's the only way you're going to beat this team." "I think he's enjoying being given the ball and running with it. "It's nice to get the lead," Pavelski said. "This is one of the best defensive teams in the league, they're not going to give you a lot of chances. Robertson made the perfect pass, Pavelski made the perfect redirection and the Stars had their first goal of the playoffs. Especially late in the game, the Stars pushed hard, created scoring chances and were rewarded with an empty-net goal for Michael Raffl. "We handled their forecheck a little bit better, a little bit cleaner. It was huge coming off a 1-0 loss in Game 1 in which Dallas had just 16 shots on goal. "It was a good team win," Stars captain Jamie Benn said. "That's how we have to play," Stars coach Rick Bowness said.

The Stars-Flames series has been a low scoring affair so far, just how Dallas likes it. Plus, the NHL Central Scouting rankings, Conn Smythe voting, ...

Loving the discussion about my column on the Conn Smythe Formula today, and about the injustices of past— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) #StanleyCupMVP votes. Read it here, and my suggestions on "fixing" the award. That gave the team a nice boost of confidence that carried throughout the game: They’re not going to go away, and you just have to take situations as they come.” Pair that with the 1-0 loss on Tuesday, and there have been only two “real” goals in both games, only one at even strength. “That’s how we have to play,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said.

CALGARY, Alberta — The three-year anniversary passed Thursday without much notice around the American Airlines Center. Saturday will be a different story.

“We’re very excited about going home and playing in front of our crowd,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said. “This is great for our selling next year, in addition to the short-term revenue upside that we get.” “The economic impact is seven figures, significantly, to our team, our arena and even the Dallas business area,” Alberts said. Especially with the Mavs playing too, it’s great to have everybody playing and have the sports fan base all paying attention.” Three years and two days since last hosting a home playoff game, the Stars will finally have postseason hockey back in Dallas when they welcome the Flames to the AAC for Game 3. But they’ve returned to playing strong defense in the opening two games to frustrate and limit the Flames attack.