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Three Different Stars Score Three Points Each as They Burn Oilers 5-1

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The Dallas Stars beat the Edmonton Oilers soundly 5-1 in a Saturday matinee game. The catalyst for the victory was the quick lineup tweak early in the game by Stars coach Ken Hitchcock, putting Alexander Radulov back on the top line and it worked in a big way. Alexander Radulov, Tyler Seguin, and John Klingberg all finished with three points each. Mattias Janmark also chipped in with two points.

Radulov was the standout player in the first period for the Stars, racking up a goal and two assists. His first shot was on a breakaway that drew a slashing penalty, and the second was a goal on an odd man rush that got the Stars on the board. He later set up both Jamie Benn and Seguin on similar plays in front of the net that resulted in goals for each of his line mates.

The lineup decision also put Brett Ritchie on Jason Spezza’s line, which seemed an afterthought at first. Hitchcock’s tinkering looked even more like a stroke of genius when the second line also produced, with  Janmark getting a lucky bounce off a skate on his centering pass putting the Stars up 4-0. The goal ended the afternoon for Cam Talbot in favor of the freshly acquired Al Montoya. Ritchie was key on the play with good forechecking and his screening presence in front of the net.

Not to be overlooked was the work of Klingberg in setting up teammates and quietly collecting two points to remain the top scoring defenseman in the NHL. Credit also goes to the third line centered by Radek Faksa, which has been drawing match-ups against opposing top lines lately, and continued that trend against Edmonton. Their defensive production helped give the reunited super-line favorable match-ups to exploit.

Ben Bishop’s 10th consecutive start was marvelous even though he had four reasons to allow a soft goal. He especially battened things down in the second period when the Oilers were camped in the Stars’ zone desperately clawing to get something positive going, and he faced 30 shots through the first two periods. Bishop was finally beaten in the third period on a power play goal from Leon Draisaitl but still finished with a sterling stat sheet (37 saves on 38 shots).

Play of the Game

The first gain from Ken Hitchcock’s chess move was a goal from Alexander Radulov. It was the most entertaining goal to watch in the game, as just about any goal would with Tyler Seguin and Radulov breaking for a 2-on-1. The goal was an almost immediate omen that perhaps this line could be a fixture going forward as it displayed uncanny cohesiveness.

The Upset Three Stars of the Game

1. Alexander Radulov (1 G, 2 A) – After he was moved to the top line, Radulov generated three quick points and essentially ended the game in the first period for the Oilers.

2. Tyler Seguin (1 G, 2 A, 79 FO%) – Seguin’s first assist on Jamie Benn’s goal was critical in getting the Stars some breathing room. To go with his other assist and his goal, he was also tremendous on the face-off dot.

3. John Klingberg (1 G, 2 A) – There likely isn’t much more that Klingberg can do to get a Norris bid at this point. All he has to do is keep doing what he’s doing, and the league will take notice. He racked up three more points and made the reunited top line look unfair.

The Goals

First Period

10:20 John Klingberg’s breakout pass found Tyler Seguin racing up ice with Alexander Radulov flanking him for a 2-on-1. Seguin fed Radulov a perfect saucer pass for a one timer that bounced off of Cam Talbot into the net. Stars 1, Oilers 0

12:54 Alexander Radulov picked up his second point, feeding Jamie Benn on the weak side where Benn finished off the play with a wrister to put the Stars up by two. Stars 2, Oilers 0

16:32 The top line continued to dominate with Tyler Seguin benefitting from an Alexander Radulov feed in front of the net. Stars 3, Oilers 0

Second Period

4:27 Brett Ritchie’s new spot on the second line also bore fruit with Mattias Janmark getting a fortunate bounce off a defender’s skate into the net. Ritchie set up the play with a hard forecheck and getting his body to the front of the net. Stars 4, Oilers 0

Third Period

2:03 Leon Draisaitl scored on the power play after the Stars blocked an initial attempt, and the puck deflected off a skate onto his stick. Ben Bishop wasn’t able to recover, and Draisaitl beat him from the right circle to end the shutout. Stars 4, Oilers 1

10:04 John Klingberg scored a goal to go with his two assists when Tyler Seguin found him pinching down into the slot. Seguin drew all the attention, and Klingberg had plenty of open net to work with as Al Montoya couldn’t recover. Stars 5, Oilers 1

Oilers lineup
Milan Lucic — Connor McDavid — Jesse Puljujarvi
Anton Slepyshev — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Ryan Strome
Jujhar Khaira — Leon Draisaitl — Drake Caggiula
Michael Cammalleri — Mark Letestu — Zack Kassian

Darnell Nurse — Adam Larsson
Andrej Sekera — Kris Russell
Oskar Klefbom — Matt Benning

Cam Talbot
Al Montoya

Injured: None

Scratched: Johann Auvitu, Brandon Davidson

Suspended: Patrick Maroon

Stars lineup
Jamie Benn — Tyler Seguin — Brett Ritchie
Mattias Janmark — Jason Spezza — Alexander Radulov
Antoine Roussel — Radek Faksa — Tyler Pitlick
Remi Elie — Martin Hanzal — Devin Shore

Esa Lindell — John Klingberg
Dan Hamhuis — Greg Pateryn
Stephen Johns — Julius Honka

Ben Bishop
Kari Lehtonen

Injured: None

Scratched: Marc Methot

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