Defining Play: Stars kill off key power play early in second period

There were quite a few plays that would qualify as “defining plays” in the Dallas Stars 6-0 win against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night.

We could easily pick any of the six goals, including a pair by Tyler Pitlick, but the Stars penalty kill early in the second period was quietly one of the most important stretches in the game.

Leading 2-0 and heading into the middle stanza facing 90 seconds shorthanded, the Stars survived an onslaught from the Sharks. San Jose had six shots in the first two minutes of the period, but couldn’t convert, as a penalty killing unit and goalie Ben Bishop did enough to limit quality scoring chances and force shots to the outside.

The closest call came roughly 30 seconds into the period when composure and a little bit of help from the post paid off.

Bishop made a smart play with his stick to deflect a cross-crease pass attempt, but it went straight to a Sharks forward, who fired a knuckling wrister that hit the right post.

That shot didn’t go in and rebounded out to Joe Pavelski, who turned and was able to fire a backhand back at the net.

During this stretch Bishop hasn’t panicked and maintains his composure. Instead of overreacting to the shot off the post, and thus taking himself out of position for the rebound, he remains centered and is able to settle things down by covering the rebound.

This was the type of impact Bishop had last night in a 26-save shutout. It wasn’t anything flashy, but it was simple and calming.