It was an epiphany for some when Jamie Benn suited up for Team Canada at the Olympics, becoming their best forward at times. The Stars chief agitator Antoine Roussel carried the puck down the right wing with pace before zipping a pass across to John Klingberg.
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“(Benn) is going to play his game”, said Backes, who looks as though he’s gone 15 rounds with the champ, no doubt the physical price of the Chicago series.
Unfortunately we play in the Central Division, you’re going to get a really tough opponent… we’re going to have to be better than we were versus Chicago. When it was suggested to Spezza that not much was known about Faksa, the veteran center predicted a change.
Isn’t that the Gospel truth? “I think if he can get by that frustration he’ll be fine”.
“I’m very excited after every goal, maybe too excited”, said Faksa, who dropped to a knee and put his hand to his ear after scoring.
Nichushkin, the Stars’ first-round pick (No. 10) in the 2013 NHL Draft, had no points in five games in the first round against the Wild. “It just feels great”. Ruff said he likes what he’s seeing from the 28-year-old defenseman.
“He brings enthusiasm with a big smile on his face – his willingness to do whatever it takes to win right now”. “They have great speed, but we don’t have to feed it all the time”. He’s a kid that he’s enjoying every minute he plays. “Brian Elliot is a good goalie … he’s a good goalie, you have to work hard against him”. There isn’t a battle he doesn’t want to engage in. There isn’t a play he doesn’t… There isn’t a play he quits on.
Tarasenko is a wonderfully talented player on a team deep with quality forwards. From that Eastern prospect Bloc, Faksa has played the least National Hockey League games thus far, losing a season to a shoulder injury while smartly re-crafting his game to find success at this level. His game is really well-rounded, he doesn’t really rely on being a shooter, a passer, a physical player.
“But I think he’s adjusting. A lot of good things”.
The Blues came out sluggish in Game 1, with Dallas owning a 31-17 shot advantage over the first two periods and finishing with a 32-26 edge in hits.
The script is predictable in Round 2.
St. Louis won four of the five regular-season matchups, though two of the victories were in overtime and a third came in a shootout.
Roussel, better known as an agitator than scorer, notched the first marker for Dallas less than 24 hours after he was verbally dismissed by Blues’ pest Steve Ott.
Allowing 40 shots on goal might not be that common for the Blues, yet they leaned heavily on Brian Elliott against the Blackhawks in that series.
The Blues will need their full complement of talent against a Dallas team that has one focus: scoring goals.
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Noteworthy: San Jose, which won a playoff series for the first time in the past three years, cleared a major psychological hurdle when it got past arch-rival Los Angeles in the opening round. Perhaps they also get overly confident having just slayed the dragon from Chicago.–2. St. Louis isn’t all that different from what the Minnesota Wild had hoped they would be this season.
