All About The Jersey - Game Stream #39: New Jersey Devils vs. Dallas StarsA world class blog for Jersey's team: the New Jersey Devilshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47083/lou-fave.png2016-01-03T00:24:30-05:00http://www.allaboutthejersey.com/rss/stream/104637692016-01-03T00:24:30-05:002016-01-03T00:24:30-05:00Devils Deservedly Toppled Dallas, 3-2 in OT
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<img alt="Your overtime hero. No, not the people behind the glass. John Moore." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eoeAQuLKA7Vfji4_cldYhezwgMc=/0x465:3000x2465/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48484671/GettyImages-503206676.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Your overtime hero. No, not the people behind the glass. John Moore. | Elsa/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The New Jersey Devils took on the best team in the Western Conference, the Dallas Stars, and played a very good game against them. And they won 3-2 in overtime. This game recap has plenty of good things to say about this win by how New Jersey did it.</p> <p>What is a big win? Is it a victory over a hated rival? Is it a winning result in an important situation? Is it getting two points to put or continue the team to rise to unexpected heights? It can be all of those things. It can also be getting a 'W' against a top tier team. The <a href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New Jersey Devils</a> did just that this evening. They took on the <a href="https://www.defendingbigd.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Dallas Stars</a>, a team that averaged close to 3.5 goals per game, limited them to two, played a very even game with them, and they came out ahead in overtime 3-2. When <span>John Moore</span> unleashed a slap shot off a loose puck to beat <span>Antti Niemi</span> for the game winner, the Rock went ecstatic. The crowd knew the result was big and it remains big after the initial feeling of witnessing it.</p>
<p>It is true the Devils did blow a two-goal lead to Dallas in the process of this game. That the game went into overtime was due to Dallas striking twice within a five-minute time period in the third period. <span>Patrick Sharp</span> put one in on <span>Cory Schneider's</span> right flank thanks to an excellent play by <span>John Klingberg</span> to make it 2-1. <span>Colton Sceviour</span> provided the equalizer on a long wrist shot through bodies in Schneider's way. The funny thing is that didn't really bother me much. I figured Dallas was going to get back into the game and they did. If anything, I was still impressed at it all.</p>
<p>Sure, part of it was that I knew that the Stars are A) a high scoring team and B) the top team in the West (and by record, in the NHL) for a reason. The other part of it was the one thing I focus so much on in these recaps: the performance. It wasn't just that the Devils got a two-goal lead on Dallas, they played very well with the lead. Dallas had their shifts of offense, but so did New Jersey. The Devils never really gave up on the forecheck. They attempted to diffuse many plays in the neutral zone and they did. For fifty minutes, the Stars had few open chances at Schneider and whatever the did have, the Devils cleaned it up well. They forced turnovers and quickly converted them to shots on Niemi. As annoyed as I usually am with the dump and chase, it worked very well tonight and the Devils didn't give it up. They handled their business well with a lead and came close to scoring a third goal in regulation - even before Dallas got on the board. <i>That</i> is good hockey.<a href="http://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2015/12/30/10692382/cory-schneider-rules-new-jersey-devils-shut-out-ottawa-senators-3-0" target="_blank">Compared to Wednesday night where the Devils went up 2-0 in the first period and Ottawa just steamrolled them in the other two,</a> it was a glorious sight.</p>
<p>The numbers back this up. Tonight's attempts in all situations were 47-41 in favor of Dallas in regulation and 37-34 in favor of Dallas at even strength. <a href="http://www.naturalstattrick.com/game.php?season=20152016&game=20573" target="_blank">The game flow at Natural Stat Trick</a> shows that neither team had a real stretch of dominance from an attempts standpoint. Shots were tipped a bit more in Dallas' favor, but the Devils hung with them there too. Keep in mind that a significant part of the game was played with the Devils up a goal. So being only down a few attempts in regulation to the most prolific offensive team in hockey is really, really good. It shows that the Devils really didn't hang back or sell out on defense when leading. In fact, <a href="http://hockeystats.ca/game/2015020573" target="_blank">per HockeyStats.ca</a>, the Devils out-chanced the Stars in all situations and that continued even while the Devils were up in the game. As disappointing as losing a two goal lead in the third period may be, it wasn't because Dallas just mauled them and the goals were a seemingly inevitability with the fear of a third one to come before overtime. No, they got good plays going just as the Devils did and both teams traded good shifts all night long.</p>
<p>Of course, overtime was all New Jersey. Seven attempts and four shots will do that. <span>Jamie Benn</span> hooked <span>Travis Zajac</span> behind the play as John Moore took it up ice early in overtime. The Devils nearly finished it during the delayed penalty call with four skaters. On the ensuing power play, they went ahead and just finished it. The winning play wasn't as pretty as the shot. <span>Kyle Palmieri</span> nearly put the puck in a precarious position with a backhander across the points to keep it alive. Moore sent it across to Travis Zajac, which was tipped but Zajac still got it. Zajac passed it back to Moore, who sent it across to Palmieri, who lost the puck and just knocked it past <span>Johnny Oduya</span>. <span>Jason Demers</span> retrieved it and tried to clear it but <span>Adam Henrique</span> blocked it. The puck squirted across the slot to no man's land - except for Moore. One slapshot later, we're all happy. In a way, it sums up how the night went. Loose pucks just got away from Dallas to their detriment at times and this one cost them. By no means does that detract from the effort, gameplan, and execution by the Devils.</p>
<p>Simply, this was a big win. If the Devils play like this more often, then I think more people will be convinced that the playoffs are a real responsibility. Even me.</p>
<p><b>The Game Stats: </b>The <a href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20152016/GS020573.HTM" target="_blank">NHL.com Game Summary</a> | The <a href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20152016/ES020573.HTM" target="_blank">NHL.com Event Summary</a> | The <a href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20152016/PL020573.HTM" target="_blank">NHL.com Play by Play Log</a> | The <a href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20152016/SS020573.HTM" target="_blank">NHL.com Shot Summary</a> | The <a href="http://www.naturalstattrick.com/game.php?season=20152016&game=20573" target="_blank">Natural Stat Trick Advanced Stats</a> | The <a href="http://hockeystats.ca/game/2015020573" target="_blank">HockeyStats.ca Advanced Stats</a></p>
<p><b>The Opposition Opinion: </b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.defendingbigd.com/2016/1/2/10702780/dallas-stars-come-back-fall-in-overtime-to-new-jersey-devils-3-2-jamie-benn-penalty-sharp-goal">Erin Bolen has this recap at Defending Big D.</a> She's salty about the call on Benn. I probably would be if I were in her shoes. Then again, I probably would be more mad at Benn for putting his stick anywhere near Zajac's person, especially since Zajac didn't even have the puck. But that's me.</p>
<p><b>The Game Highlights:</b> From <a href="http://www.nhl.com" target="_blank">NHL.com</a>, here are tonight's highlights, featuring a sweet goal by <span>Bobby Farnham</span>:</p>
<p align="center"><iframe src="http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/embed?playlist=2015020573-X-h" frameborder="0" width="640" height="395"></iframe></p>
<p><b>The Devils' Other Two Goals: </b>I would be remiss in not discussing the two goals that they scored to go up in this game to begin with. The first period went well for the Devils considering who the opponent is, what that opponent has done to a lot of teams, and in general how the Devils played. All that was missing was the goal. They got one just after a minute into the second period.</p>
<p>Kyle Palmieri went for a wraparound. He sure likes his wraparounds. I almost want to look at his goals just to see how many were wraparounds. Maybe we should call them Palmarounds? Anyway, this one worked since as he released the puck, it appeared Oduya re-directed it past Antti Niemi. OK, not a clean goal, but the work by Palmieri to get away from Demers behind the net was good. And you'll take any kind of goal you can get.</p>
<p>The second one game five minutes later. The fourth line did what they usually do: dump and chase. Dallas got it first, but <span>Jordin Tootoo</span> deflected the clearing attempt, <span>Stephen Gionta</span> knocked it forward, and Tootoo looked for a short pass. He found and made one to Bobby Farnham at the left faceoff dot. Nobody was on Farnham. Nobody. It looked like there was a short forcefield around #23. Farnham turned and fired a fantastic shot that beat Niemi. Seriously, he looked like <span>Mike Cammalleri</span> shooting that puck. It was hard, it was on target, and it was very well placed - right at the top of the net over Niemi's right shoulder. Gionta was cutting in front so it's possible Niemi didn't even see it. The shot was so good that it didn't matter much. This one got the Rock going and it made some fans, like myself, really think this game was possible for New Jersey. I know I wrote up Dallas really strong because, well, they are really strong as a team. But that shot, that goal, that was huge. It didn't last throughout regulation, but that turned out fine.</p>
<p>Niemi, to his credit, played a good game after those goals. Credit the Devils for continuing to attack even after Farnham's goal and to do so from several different locations. If there was one Niemi would probably like to have back, then it would be the overtime winner. Not just because it ended the game but because Niemi saw that shot and it just beat him straight up. Not a good goal to allow and it was a killer.</p>
<p><b>No Mike, No Problem(?): </b>Mike Cammalleri was a late scratch tonight. <a target="_blank" href="http://fireandice.northjersey.com/fire-ice-1.174987/without-injured-cammalleri-devils-dig-down-and-beat-stars-moore-scores-ot-winner-1.1484224">According to this post-game post by Tom Gulitti at Fire & Ice,</a> John Hynes says he's day to day with his right arm/wrist upper body issue that kept him out of Friday's practice. <span>Jiri Tlusty</span> was moved up to play with Zajac and Palmieri. Adam Henrique centered <span>Lee Stempniak</span> and <span>Tyler Kennedy</span>, who was going to be scratched for Cammalleri tonight. Surprising to me, these moves worked out. Tlusty played one of his better games as a Devil. While they did not really "win" the matchup against Dallas' ace line of <span>Tyler Seguin</span>, Jamie Benn, and Patrick Sharp; they did do well enough to force Dallas to change that line as Sharp was replaced by <span>Cody Eakin</span> in the third. Kennedy also put in a good effort, though I didn't like his cross-checking penalty shortly after New Jersey's first power play. The line in general did fairly well. While I wouldn't want Cammalleri to be gone for long - he was missed, especially on the power play - the Devils made do for the night.</p>
<p>What really helped in that cause was the play of the bottom six. The fourth line contributed a goal, four shots, and didn't get beaten on too much. Stephen Gionta "drew" a call in the third period, too. Though, he didn't really do anything; a stick (Farnham's?) was broken and <span>Alex Goligoski</span> tried to move it out of his way. Only he directed it into the play, which is an interference call. Still, that's good work for the fourths. The third line of <span>Sergey Kalinin</span>, <span>Stefan Matteau</span>, and <span>Mike Sislo</span> had a great night. They attacked quite a bit. While they only combined for four shots, they put up more attempts and could have had more with some better decisions. The important thing is that both of the Devils' line beat Dallas' lines - especially their fourth line.</p>
<p><b>Defensive Effort: </b>While conceding 31 shots is not usually consistent with a "good defensive night," I did appreciate how the Devils' defensemen reacted. Dallas only had a handful of times where a Star got a free lane to the net. The Devils defense put in a lot of work to make life difficult for the Stars' offense. So while they were firing shots, they weren't necessarily getting ones that would beat Schneider for over fifty minutes. I liked how <span>David Schlemko</span> played at both ends of the rink. <span>Andy Greene</span> and John Moore had to handle one of the toughest units in the league many times and didn't get burned too bad. <span>Adam Larsson</span> had a strong game, though he'll wish he did a better job fronting Sharp prior to the goal. I would say the goal was more of a result of Klingberg doing something great than a Devil doing something wrong, but that's me. Even Damon Severson and <span>Jon Merrill</span> were positive players in their own end. The defense was aware of making stickchecks in the neutral zone and making good, calm passes for breakouts and to ward off Dallas' forecheck. They weren't always perfect, but no one ever is. And they collectively did well to support the attack. If the Devils are going to concede over thirty shots, then I'd like them to do so like this than, say, how they played on Wednesday in Ottawa.</p>
<p><b>Shutout Snapped: </b>Cory Schneider was on his way to shutout until the final ten minutes of the game. He was still good as usual. What beat him was a player behind him and a shot through bodies. It happens. Still, Schneider wasn't called upon to make too many desperate or amazing saves. Many of them were off solid positioning and good reactions to shots he could see. It was a solid game from him and I'm sure Jamie Benn (six shots) and Cody Eakin (seven shots, five in the third when he was moved up to play with Benn and Seguin) wished he wasn't so solid. Ditto Seguin, who had the one sort-of-not-really breakaway in the first period that Schneider stopped.</p>
<p><b>The Opposite of a Silver Lining: </b>The power plays by New Jersey left a lot to be desired. I know, they won the game on a power play. Allow me to clarify. The 5-on-4 power plays by New Jersey left a lot to be desired. All three of them combined for three shots on net. While the first power play was pretty good, marred by missed shots; the other two really didn't get much going. The third power play was especially annoying as it was a good chance for New Jersey to make it 3-0 and really put the screws to the Stars. Alas, it was not done - as with many of the power play situations the team has had in recent weeks. I know not every power play can be filled with shots and goals, but it surely can't be a case where nothing happens for three of them and then on the fourth one in overtime, the only shot taken is a goal. That's not so good.</p>
<p>That said, the loss of Cammalleri freed Palmieri from the second unit. That second unit, if I recall correctly, was Severson, Kalinin, Tootoo, Sislo, and Stempniak. That's not a NHL power play worthy second unit, but it's who the Devils had left. Not that the first unit did much in regulation.</p>
<p>At least the other side of special teams was quite good. Dallas and their frighteningly effective power play was kept to nothing. Schneider only had to make three saves and he did. The Devils' penalty killers were on point in being aggressive enough to make plays but not so aggressive that they got caught in bad positions. The Stars did have a couple of great looks but they could not be realized either due to a Devil, a pass to a skateblade and not a stick, a puck bouncing over a stick, and so forth. Credit the Devils' PK for at least limiting a team used to finishing those plays to having few of them and none of them finished.</p>
<p><b>One Last Thought:</b> How did I feel about this one? <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk8oOq30yjk">Like this.</a></p>
<p><b>Your Take: </b>The Devils beat the Dallas Stars in overtime, 3-2. They did it with a very good performance that hung with Dallas all night long. What was your take on this win? Who impressed you the most on the Devils? What was your favorite part of the game? What lessons do you wan the Devils to take from this one before their Monday game against Detroit? Please leave your answers and other thoughts on tonight's win in the comments.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who commented in the Gamethread and/or followed the site's account, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.twitter.com/aatjerseyblog">@AATJerseyBlog</a>. Thank you for reading.</p>
https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2016/1/3/10703340/new-jersey-devils-toppled-best-western-conference-beat-dallas-stars-overtime-3-2John Fischer2016-01-02T18:00:03-05:002016-01-02T18:00:03-05:00Gamethread #39: Devils vs. Stars
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<p>The New Jersey Devils will kick off 2016 by hosting the best team in the Western Conference, the offensively potent Dallas Stars. This gamethread is a place for users to discuss the game as it happens until the recap is up.</p> <p><strong>The Time: </strong>7:00 PM EST</p>
<p><strong>The Broadcast: </strong>TV - MSG+; Radio - 660 AM & 101.9 FM WFAN</p>
<p><strong>The Matchup: </strong>The <a href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New Jersey Devils</a> (19-14-5) at the <a href="https://www.defendingbigd.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Dallas Stars</a> (28-8-3; SBN Blog: <a href="http://www.defendingbigd.com/">Defending Big D</a>)</p>
<p><strong>A Song for Tonight: </strong>As it's possible <span>Tyler Seguin</span>, <span>Jamie Benn</span>, and <span>Patrick Sharp</span> could blow the Devils' collective minds, I decided on an instrumental that could blow your mind. Racer X is mostly known for shredder Paul Gilbert and drummer Scott Travis before he joined Judas Priest. In 1999, most of the original group reunited and they released <em>Technical Difficulties. </em><a target="_blank" href="https://youtu.be/SkoPfV5tjWo">The title track is one of the best instrumentals in metal.</a> Period.</p>
<p><strong>The Reminder of Rules: </strong>The rules remain the rules. Here's a quick reminder. Please keep your comments clean, legal, and all about the game itself. Other scores are OK, but let's make sure the comments here are primarily about the Devils and this game. Also, let's respect each other, there's no need for drama or unwelcome nature of any sort. This is a gamethread, <em>let's focus on the game.</em> Thank you for reading and commenting. Go Devils!</p>
https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2016/1/2/10699738/gamethread-39-new-jersey-devils-vs-dallas-starsJohn Fischer2016-01-02T07:00:02-05:002016-01-02T07:00:02-05:00Game Preview #39: Devils vs. Stars
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<img alt="Ales Hemsky has been hurt and Peter Harrold isn't even a Devil anymore. Still, this picture must be used." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QMoSPwYMuMyhVWvcH6o6MPArNqE=/0x0:3045x2030/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48479583/usa-today-8270028.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Ales Hemsky has been hurt and Peter Harrold isn't even a Devil anymore. Still, this picture must be used. | Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The New Jersey Devils will kick off 2016 by hosting the best team in the Western Conference, the offensively potent Dallas Stars. This game preview goes into what's going on with the Devils and how extremely good the Stars have been this season.</p> <p>Welcome to the New Year. Here's the most prolific offensive team in the NHL right now.</p>
<p><b>The Time: </b>7:00 PM EST</p>
<p><b>The Broadcast: </b>TV - MSG+; Preview - 660 AM; 101.9 FM WFAN</p>
<p><b>The Matchup: </b>The <a href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New Jersey Devils</a> (19-14-5) vs. The <a href="https://www.defendingbigd.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Dallas Stars</a> (28-8-3; SBN Blog: <a href="http://www.defendingbigd.com/">Defending Big D</a>)</p>
<p><b>The Last Devils Game: </b>The Devils went up to Canada's capital on Wednesday to play the <a href="https://www.silversevensens.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Senators</a>. Both teams were coming off games from the night before, but that was not apparent as the game had a brisk pace to it. Ottawa got into penalty trouble in the first period with three straight and deserved minor penalties. Despite their efforts, the Devils would convert on one of them. <span>Kyle Palmieri</span> forced a turnover off <span>Erik Karlsson</span> after Ottawa won a faceoff in New Jersey's end. The puck got ahead of <span>Mike Cammalleri</span>, who took it in himself and beat <span>Andrew Hammond</span> shortside. The two teams traded attacking shifts, and the Devils would strike gold again before the end of the first period. <span>Travis Zajac</span> forced a turnover on offense and Cammalleri unleashed a bullet above Hammond's right shoulder to make it 2-0. The Senators responded by throwing everything and the kitchen sink for the most of the following forty minutes, including four power plays and New Jersey not really able to fight back. Despite 36 shots out of 76 shooting attempts, <span>Cory Schneider</span> got them all. <span>Lee Stempniak</span> iced the game with a shorthanded empty netter to make it a 3-0 final score. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2015/12/30/10692382/cory-schneider-rules-new-jersey-devils-shut-out-ottawa-senators-3-0">My recap of the win is here.</a></p>
<p><b>The Last Stars Game: </b>On New Year's Eve, the Stars hosted Nashville. The first half of the game was testy for Dallas. Fresh off a loss to Columbus (!), the Stars could not solve <span>Pekka Rinne</span> initially. Fortunately, the <a href="https://www.ontheforecheck.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Predators</a> had similar struggles against <span>Antti Niemi</span>. Nashville would strike first a minute after the halfway mark; <span>Mike Ribeiro</span> played <span>Craig Smith</span> right into the front of the net and Smith's backhander was true. Dallas had more than a response prepared. They figured out Nashville and Rinne and then some. <span>Jamie Benn</span> tied it up a little more than a minute later. Jason Spezza set up rookie Mattias Janmark across the slot to make it 2-1 late in the second. Early in the third, Spezza won a puck behind the net and fed an open Patrick Eaves for a killer one-timer. At the eight minute mark, Tyler Seguin took the puck in, shot it, and scored on his own rebound. Or did he? Rinne did glove the rebound. However, the glove and the puck went over the line. After review, the goal stood and it was 4-1. Seguin would score again and leave little doubt about it. Just before the sixteen minute mark, he led a rush and took the shot himself. The Stars never stopped attacking, Niemi never stopped making saves after the Smith goal, and Dallas ultimately prevailed 5-1. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.defendingbigd.com/2015/12/31/10697954/tyler-seuin-dallas-stars-cap-2015-with-5-1-win-over-nashville">Brad Gardner had this recap of the win at what I consider to be the best non-Devils hockey blog around: Defending Big D.</a></p>
<p><b>The Goal: </b>For the love of everything, try to defend Dallas' top unit with players that might be able to do it. In fairness to the Devils, no one really has been able to do it. Dallas' first forward line is arguably the best in the league. I'd love to know who's better than Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and <span>Patrick Sharp</span> as forward line. Dallas' top pairing may not feature a stud on the level of a <span>P.K. Subban</span> or a <span>Shea Weber</span> or even a <span>Justin Faulk</span>. Yet, Alex Goligoski and <span>John Klingberg</span> just make things go forward and go well quite often. That's the best unit Dallas can throw out there and believe me, they use it. It is absolutely important for the Devils to try to slow them down with players that can do that. I do not want to see the fourths see these three at all possible. I do not want the third pairing to see them either. The Devils are at home; John Hynes should be able to get a Zajac or a Henrique at them as well as <span>Andy Greene</span>. They may not win that match-up but they have a better shot than guys who usually play limited minutes for usually good reasons. If they can even keep the match-up close, then the Devils can have some opportunities to make a game of it.</p>
<p><b>Please Be OK: </b>The Devils did practice on New Year's Day. However, Mike Cammalleri did not. <a target="_blank" href="http://fireandice.northjersey.com/fire-ice-1.174987/maintenance-day-for-devils-cammalleri-ruutu-returns-from-illness-1.1483858">Tom Gulitti reported at Fire & Ice that he was off for maintenance purposes.</a> Gulitti noted that he was icing his right arm after Wednesday's game. I'm hoping this will not affect him much tonight. After Cory Schneider (<a target="_blank" href="http://fireandice.northjersey.com/fire-ice-1.174987/tootoo-should-be-fine-after-taking-puck-to-jaw-cammalleri-expected-to-play-vs-stars-1.1483937">who is starting tonight</a>), Cammalleri is the most important Devil by default. He's not only their leading scorer, so much of the offense runs through him. That it's described as maintenance suggests to me that it's minor. Let's hope it is. If there's any shot of the Devils ending tonight's game with any points, then it will likely come from Cammalleri having a positive impact on the game. <a target="_blank" href="http://fireandice.northjersey.com/fire-ice-1.174987/tootoo-should-be-fine-after-taking-puck-to-jaw-cammalleri-expected-to-play-vs-stars-1.1483937" style="background-color: #ffffff;">Gulitti reported from John Hynes at F&I that Cammalleri is expected to play.</a></p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://fireandice.northjersey.com/fire-ice-1.174987/tootoo-should-be-fine-after-taking-puck-to-jaw-cammalleri-expected-to-play-vs-stars-1.1483937"></a><b>Potential Changes: </b>Nevertheless, there could be a change at forward. <span>Tuomo Ruutu</span> is now not sick. That means there's two extra forwards on the roster. Assuming Cammalleri is good to go tonight (he should be), then he'll likely play with Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri to start. <span>Tyler Kennedy</span>, who practiced with those two on Friday, could be bumped down to another line. I'm not sure who would come out for Ruutu and/or to keep Kennedy in the lineup. <span>Mike Sislo</span> is still in New Jersey, and <a href="http://fireandice.northjersey.com/fire-ice-1.174987/as-a-devil-from-new-jersey-kyle-palmieri-making-an-impact-on-and-off-the-ice-1.1483955" target="_blank">John Hynes said he'll play at the end of this post by Gulitti.</a> He's in. Who else?As energetic as he plays, <span>Bobby Farnham</span> could be stepping out as he doesn't really add much other than energy. We've seen <span>Jordin Tootoo</span> get a healthy scratch too, so I wouldn't say he's safe. Of course, Ruutu could still be held out and that leaves only one to take for Kennedy. I think there will at least be that.</p>
<p>Gulitti noted that the defensive pairings did not change. I don't know if I like that. I haven't been a huge fan of Greene and <span>John Moore</span> as a pairing; they got demolished by Ottawa on Wednesday. If there's a game to re-unite Andy Greene and <span>Adam Larsson</span>, then I'd make it this one. That said, the defensive effort is still likely going to be largely on the back of Cory Schneider. As confident as I am in Schneider's abilities, the Stars could make matters really difficult for him and the Devils' defense. I shall explain in the next part of this preview.</p>
<p><b>3.49: </b>Dallas may be called the Big D, but their hockey team is a big robot - the Big O. That 3.46 number? <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/stats/team?reportType=season&report=teamsummary&season=20152016&gameType=2&sort=goalsForPerGame&aggregate=0">That's their goals per game average per NHL.com.</a> That's not only the best in the NHL, but second place Washington is only at 3.1. You can count on one hand the number of times Dallas has been held to fewer than three goals in the last month. It's four. That is a smaller number than the number of times Dallas put up four or more in a game in December: seven. Dallas has the most prolific offense in hockey right now.</p>
<p>Let's break it down between situations. Even strength? <a target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/teamtable.html?mansit=3&scoresit=2&homeawaysit=1&tablegroup=1&playoffs=All&xaxis=3&yaxis=27&saxis=48&caxis=4&start0=20152016&end0=20152016&start1=2014-10-01&end1=2016-01-01&splitseasons=1&usedaterange=0&tablegroup=1">Per War on Ice</a>, no one has scored more 5-on-5 goals than Dallas, who have 85. They are a good possession team with a 52.6 CF% and that figure jumps up to 53.6% (third in the NHL) when adjusted for score. <a target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/teamtable.html?mansit=3&scoresit=1&homeawaysit=1&tablegroup=4&playoffs=All&xaxis=3&yaxis=27&saxis=48&caxis=4&start0=20152016&end0=20152016&start1=2014-10-01&end1=2016-01-01&splitseasons=1&usedaterange=0&tablegroup=4">This is an attacking team;</a> their CF/60 rate is the second best in the NHL at 59.5 and their CA/60 rate is a solid 51.4. The Stars have a decent team save percentage and a potent shooting percentage of 8.6% in 5-on-5 play. That's one of the higher values but it isn't so outrageously high that they're due for a massive fall anytime soon. Power play? <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/stats/team?reportType=season&report=powerplay&season=20152016&gameType=2&sort=ppPctg&aggregate=0">Let's go to NHL.com.</a> The Stars have the fourth best conversion rate at 23.4%, tied for the third most power play goals with 24, and ninth in total power play opportunities with 124. This is not a team that anyone should just hand situations where they will go up a man. They have and they will make teams pay for it - assuming they haven't suffered enough in 5-on-5 play. Penalty kill? The Stars have six shorties, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/stats/team?reportType=season&report=penaltykill&season=20152016&gameType=2&sort=shGoalsFor&aggregate=0">which is tied for the third most in the NHL.</a> So we can't even ignore the offensive power when the Devils go up a man.</p>
<p>Essentially. Dallas is an offensive powerhouse. Good luck, Schneider and the rest of the Devils.</p>
<p><b>Also: </b>They're not so bad defensively either in terms of stopping shots or allowing shots. The only major team stat that isn't so hot is their penalty kill and even there, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/stats/team?reportType=season&report=penaltykill&season=20152016&gameType=2&sort=pkPctg&aggregate=0" style="background-color: #ffffff;">their success rate of 80.9% is above the league median.</a> Antti Niemi has a notably poorer 84.4% penalty kill save percentage compared to his awesome 93.5% even strength save percentage. Note that our favorite, Schneider, is at 93.7% EVSV% so that should give you an idea of how awesome that is. Still, he's making the stops and their #1A goalie Kari Lehtonen hasn't been an albatross at all.</p>
<p>Quite frankly, it's not that much of a surprise this team has not won eleven games and only lost eight in regulation in the 2015 portion of this season. The Dallas Stars are <i>the</i> best team in the Western Conference. Perhaps even in the NHL. Though I'm sure the <a href="https://www.japersrink.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Washington Capitals</a> would have something to say about that.</p>
<p><b>Read This: </b>The leading scorer on Dallas and the second leading scorer in the entire NHL is Jamie Benn. He is the leading scorer of goals. No one has more than the 24 goals he has right now. Only Patrick Kane and his torrid production has been superior. What's most impressive is that he's been the most productive player in the entire NHL in 2015. David Castillo has an excellent post on Benn at Defending Big D that I will recommend to anyone and everyone who sees this. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.defendingbigd.com/2015/12/31/10684200/2015-the-year-that-belonged-to-jamie-benn-profile-dallas-stars-review-art-ross-trophy">Go read it and recognize that Benn is one of the best in the world right now.</a></p>
<p><b>Oh, and Joining One of the Best in the World...: </b>Are two excellent offensive players in their own right. Benn's closest competition in goals and points is his linemate Tyler Seguin. With 23 goals and 27 assists, he's one behind Benn in each category. He's no second banana, though. Seguin's skills just ooze out of every pore whether it's his shot, his awareness on plays, his speed, his glide, and even his defensive game. Oh, and he's fourth in the NHL in terms of shots on net with 156. Seguin will be featured as much as Benn tonight.</p>
<p>Those two alone would give coaches, defenses, and goalies headaches. What could make them more dangerous? How about Patrick Sharp? <a target="_blank" href="http://www.defendingbigd.com/2015/11/23/9779988/revisiting-how-does-the-patrick-sharp-trade-look-trevor-daley-garbutt-analysis">Castillo noted back in November how well Sharp fit in with Benn and Seguin at Defending Big D.</a> That hasn't changed in December. Sharp has fourteen goals, eighteen assists, and 120 shots - three more than Benn. His shot has always been a good one and he uses it quite a bit. <a target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/playertable.html?mansit=3&scoresit=2&homeawaysit=1&tablegroup=1&playoffs=All&names=&team=DAL&pos=5&start1=2015-10-01&xaxis=61&yaxis=96&caxis=9&saxis=103&mintoi=0&tab=1&usedaterange=0&start0=20152016&end0=20152016&end1=2016-01-01&splitseasons=1">According to War on Ice</a>, the threesome each has a CF% of above 55% and a combined 33 goals in 5-on-5 play, with Seguin having fifteen of those. Again, I don't think there's a better line in hockey right now and the Devils will get to deal with them two days after struggling against Ottawa playing while up two goals. In a word: yikes.</p>
<p><b>Supporting from the Back End: </b>John Klingberg is a name that many are going to have to get familiar with if they already are not. The defenseman sparkled with forty points in his rookie season last year. This season, he's already on track to surpass it with five goals and twenty nine assists in 39 games already. He's third on Dallas in points and he's the highest scoring defenseman not named Karlsson. Klingberg and Goligoski both shoot about the same number of shots, but with fifteen additional assists and ten additional power play points over the very good Goligoski (who has seventeen assists and four PPPs), I suspect Klingberg has a gift for setting up others. Klingberg will be involved with what the Benn line does and their top power play unit; the Devils would be wise to pressure him as well instead of letting him do as he wishes from distance. He has made opposing players pay for that since hitting the NHL.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://war-on-ice.com/playertable.html?mansit=3&scoresit=2&homeawaysit=1&tablegroup=1&playoffs=All&names=&team=DAL&pos=6&start1=2015-10-01&xaxis=61&yaxis=96&caxis=9&saxis=103&mintoi=0&tab=2&usedaterange=0&start0=20152016&end0=20152016&end1=2016-01-01&splitseasons=1" style="background-color: #ffffff;">Per War on Ice</a>, Goligoski and Klingberg have played plenty against difficult competition and have come out ahead. The second pairing of <span>Jason Demers</span> and Johnny Oduya has also played against difficult competition and often with defensive zone starts. Both Demers and Oduya have also come out on the right side of CF% despite their situations. Each has also chipped in a few goals - four for Demers, three for Oduya - and a few more assists - ten for Demers, nine for Oduya - to make them a viable part of a top four unit. It may not feature the glamour of two superstars like their forwards. They still get the job done well. And Klingberg will be a start provided the points keep on coming.</p>
<p><b>The Depth...Hmm: </b>If there's any reason that I would see as a concern for the Dallas faithful, then I'd have to say it's their depth. Their Seguin-Benn-Sharp line is amazing. Their second line stars Jason Spezza, who's still an excellent facilitator of the puck. Spezza's thirteen goals and fifteen assists mean the Stars are more than their top line. The issue is that after Spezza, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/stats/player?reportType=season&report=skatersummary&season=20152016&gameType=2&sort=points&aggregate=1&teamId=25&pos=S">the production numbers become less impressive.</a> According to<a target="_blank" href="http://leftwinglock.com/line-combinations/dallas-stars/?team=dallas-stars&strength=EV&gametype=1"> Left Wing Lock</a>, Spezza has been skating with rookie Matthias Janmark and a mix of Valeri Nichushkin and Patrick Eaves. Janmark and Nichushkin represent the future of the Stars; though they have not exactly lit the world on fire. Janmark has nine goals and five assists with one of each in his last two games, so he's been recently good. Nichushkin has struggled a bit with four goals and nine assists in his sophomore campaign. Still, those two could play a role. Though, it's not certain whether Nichushkin will play as he left the Nashville game early.</p>
<p>Beyond them are a mix of veterans of various effectiveness. Dallas is where Vernon Fiddler and Travis Moen ended up. They have been playing as well as one could expect. Ditto Eaves, though he did put up a goal created by Spezza against Nashville. <span>Antoine Roussel</span> and <span>Colton Sceviour</span> have been centered by Cody Eakin, who's been having a good season with nine goals and ten assists. Yet, it's not a unit that hasn't been so strong amid a bottom six that isn't so dangerous. If Ales Hemsky was available, then that would help, but he's still hurt. It seems like a cliche but if the Devils can somehow quiet the Benn line, then their offense is easier to defend. Likewise on defense, <span>Jordie Benn</span> and Jyrki Jokipakka represent a soft underbelly as a third pairing. That's one match-up I hope the Devils can win against and do so consistently.</p>
<p>Spezza has been great and Janmark has recently been productive, but if I were John Hynes, I'd still want the gameplan to hopefully force Dallas' non-stars to try to carry the day. Of course, no one has really been able to quiet Dallas' stars for long.</p>
<p><b>One Last Thought: </b><a target="_blank" href="http://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2015/12/31/10695740/article">Keeping in mind how December went</a> and how productive Dallas has been and how just plain good they have been...seriously, good luck, Devils.</p>
<p><b>Your Take: </b>The Devils have a massive challenge tonight. Will the Devils be able to meet it? How will they be able to do so? Would you be satisfied with even just a point? Can anyone stop Seguin, Benn, and/or Sharp? Please leave your answers and other thoughts about this game in the comments. Thank you for reading.</p>
https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2016/1/2/10699240/game-preview-39-new-jersey-devils-vs-dallas-starsJohn Fischer