It would be a vast over statement to consider the Kings’ road warriors. The label ‘spoilers’ might be appropriate. Prior to Saturday’s game, the Stars-Kings’ games this year were a home dominant match-up. In an otherwise disappointing year, the Royal Rebound is definitely a highlight. (Anyone other than I find that to be a less than memorable name?)
The Stars in theory had the game and two points in hand. Those pesky Kings sure got in the way of that with some of these highlights:
• Ersberg’s Hasek-esque save in the first when he took an all or nothing gamble to stop a break-away and won that same bet by not only stopping the Dallas shot but also clearing the zone;
• The Stars out-shooting the Kings 6-3 through most of the first but a late rally ends the 1st with just a shot less than the home team;
• Handzus’ 1st goal in 42 games (finally) then follows it up with a 2nd a scant 1:42 later;
• More scoring from another unlikely source, Visnovsky, who helped complete the comeback with his 8th of the year;
• A striking third period comeback where the Stars entered the third with a one goal lead and proceeded to give up three unanswered goals in 1:42;
• A team getting booed off of the ice and it wasn’t the Kings (who knew?);
• All but three Kings (Kopitar, Dallman and Preissing) having a positive or even +/- at the end of 60 minutes;
• Can fans now start addressing the fact that Kopitar (-18) and Frolov (+4) may both be offensive forces of nature but Frolov is bar none better defensively, and when do fans/coaches make him be accountable for that?
Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News had the following game take in his blog where he aptly named the game for the Stars,
“Meltdown City”:
“Dave Tippett is juggling lines, so it's hard to keep up.
But it looks like Morrow-Ribeiro-Barnes and Ott-Modano-Lehtinen are the constants. Richards and Modano have taken shifts with Hagman, Lundqvist and Eriksson.
A one-goal lead against the worst team in the NHL? This should be a good test that the Stars need to pass. Kings are 4-33-3 when trailing after two periods.
Stars give up three goals in the final five minutes and lose 4-2.
Trevor Daley misplayed Michal Handzus on one goal and Marty Turco was not able to recover from an earlier push into the crease, scrambling to get back in position as Lubomir Visnovsky's game winner sailed past him from the point.
Handzus then flipped in a rebound to follow, and the Stars were toast. Handzus had not scored in 42 games before this one.
This team has a huge mental block right now, and the players have no idea how to get over it.”
Stars’ Blog
Prior to the game changing third, Dave Lewis gave the following clairvoyant take:
“Hang in there. Hang around. Stay in it.”
Here is Blake’s response to this and other Fox/Miller questions post game:
“Dallas loves to control the puck. Their “D” likes to go back and forth. They regroup. You’ve got to stay real patient, if you get spread out, they pick you apart. I thought we did a good job of playing patient. Then we needed to get going in the third. We applied a little more pressure, a little pinching on the blue lines. Obviously, we got a couple big goals…”
Blake on his power play goal and Kopitar’s shot off of the half wall:
“You got to establish a shot. That is one thing that that power play group that we are on there, with Kopi and Cammi; we have to establish more of a shot. The last couple weeks we have gotten away from that. Once you get that established, it opens up other plays. You get the team to start reacting, and then you can make your cross boxes, and then getting back doors.”
Blake on team’s focus late in games:
“Once the game starts, you play games to win. That is how careers have been made. Guys that stick around the NHL play hard and Dallas understands that. Obviously, they are preparing a lot different than we are right at this moment. Again, you stay competitive, you try to win games.”
Blake on tight checking games:
“We really wanted to concentrate on controlling our goals against. I thought we’ve done a good job lately. We haven’t been scoring as much as we were earlier. Tonight, we got a few and against Phoenix. You take care of your own zone and a lot of good things will happen.
Odd Quote of the Game:
Cammalleri in the Rapid Fire segment with Heidi Androl:
“I am in heaven when I am playing golf.”
Did anyone other than me find this segment painful to watch? .... Cammalleri might have generated more confidence from fans with him as a King if his answer to this question was hockey related. Seriously.
Quote of the Year from O’Sullivan (which perhaps makes him Captain Material):
“We cannot be satisfied with individual success.”
Watch the best of the game again:
Game Highlights Carla Muller Carla.hockeygal@att.net
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Thank you to everyone being patient with less than frequent blogs from me. I started a new job this month. Every effort will be made to go back to regular blogging to keep this a regular place Kings’ fans can come to talk, if for no other reason than group therapy during our team’s long off season. *sigh*
CarlaMuller
Dallas Royally Dunked …. Again!! 
