Dallas Stars Season Comes To An End

So it's been 3 days now since the Dallas Stars' season came to an end at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks. It's been something that's been hard to stomach, but after a few days of processing exactly how they lost and allow my brain to process the fact that their season is over I'm finally able to write my thoughts on the season as a whole.

I'm very proud of the Stars. This season started with a lot of optimism but still a lot of uncertainty. First off, the team got a new General Manager in Jim Nill from the Detroit Red Wings. Nill was the Assistant GM with Detroit for 15 years. His first job as the new GM was to hire a coach and he brought in former Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. Ruff was known for being able to communicate with young players and that's exactly what the Stars needed considering the average age on the team is 28 years old and 12 of the 25 players are 26 years old or younger. This team had the talent, but needed a coach to guide that talent and to help them to mature as players. Coach Ruff was perfect for the job. He got the best of the best out of this team this year, helping to snap a 5 year playoff drought. This team all season never gave up. Several times this year we saw the Stars come back from multi-goal deficits to win or at least force overtime to get a point. Case in point...Game 4 against the Ducks. They trailed 2-0 after the 1st period, but fought their way back to win 4-2. The grit and "never say die" attitude by this squad this year was amazing and fun to watch.

Sunday night's game was such a heartbreaker. It looked like the Stars were going to force Game 7 as they had a 4-2 lead with 2:10 left in the game. But a goal by Nick Bonine cut the lead to 4-3. Then with :23 left in regulation Devante Smith-Pelly put the puck in the back of the net after a massive flurry thanks to a 6 on 5 advantage with the goalie pulled for his 2nd goal of the game. The crowd that had been so loud throughout the entire game was all of a sudden eerily quiet. Dallas still had a chance in overtime to win, but at 2:57 into overtime by Nick Bonine not only broke the hearts of all Dallas Stars fans and players alike, but it also ended the season for the Stars and sent the team into the offseason much sooner than they were hoping.

As hard as Sunday night's game was to swallow, we have some awesome positives we can take from this playoff series and from this season. In a post game interview, Stars play-by-play broadcaster Ralph Strangis said "As much as this hurts, it feels good to hurt again." And he's exactly right. The reason this hurts is because we saw just what this team is capable of. And over the next couple of years, this team is capable of being very VERY good. I predicted earlier this year that you'd see this team in the playoffs at the end of the season and I was right. Now I'm predicting that you'll see this team in the Stanley Cup Finals sometime over the next 3-4 years. For the first time in a long time the Stars are going into the offseason with a core group of guys that they are building around. Guys like Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Kari Lehtonen, Ryan Garbutt, Valeri Nichuskin, and Alex Chiasson. These are guys that will be around for a long time and that the team can build around. That's an awesome feeling.

You can also take pride in knowing that the Stars were the better team in their series against the Anaheim Ducks. There were 18 periods played in this series and the Stars dominated every aspect of 13 of those periods. They made some mistakes that young guys are going to make are what costs this team the series. However, they will mature and will get better. The next time the Stars are in the playoffs, I don't expect this team to make those same mistakes again.

We, as Dallas Stars fans, should be very proud of our guys. They came a long way from the beginning of the season. They made hockey relevant again in Dallas. They got people talking about Dallas Stars hockey again. It was a fun ride this season and I'm very excited to what the future holds for this club. So send out tweets to the players on the team. Let them know that we are proud of them and that we are here to support them for a very long time. Good job this season and for the last time until October...LET'S GO STARS!!!

The Dallas Stars Media Member Experience

The Dallas Stars played their first home playoff game since 2008 last night, a 3-0 shutout win over the Anaheim Ducks. While the Stars have dominated in almost every aspect of this series, they still trail the Ducks 2 games to 1. However, they definitely picked up the momentum last night with Kari Lehtonen's 37-save shutout. It was a big win for the goalie and a big win for the organization.

But today's blog isn't just about the Stars big win last night. It's also about my very first experience getting to be a member of the media covering a playoff hockey game. I got to tell you...it was absolutely awesome. After I got my media pass, I made my way to the elevator to go up to the press box only to realize that I'm riding up the elevator with the voice of the Dallas Stars, the legendary Ralph Strangis. That's when it really sank in that I was actually getting to cover a Dallas Stars playoff game from the press box. I get up to the press box and find my seat...which was on the front row of the press box. As you can see from the picture below that I had a great seat for the game.

I decided to go check out the media dining hall before the game got started. I mean...DUH...who wouldn't want to go find free food??? It was awesome. I did feel a little intimidated sitting there with other media guys who knew a lot more about hockey than I do. But then they began talking Big 12 College Football and I was right in the middle of the conversation for sure. It's almost time to drop the puck, so I made my way back to my seat. As a member of the media, you are not allowed to cheer for your team in the press box. It keeps arguments and fights from occurring. I get it. But when Jamie Benn scored at the 19:25 mark of the 1st period, my excitement got away from me for a minute and I raised my arm up celebrating. As my arm is halfway in the air, I caught myself and quickly grabbed my hat trying to make it look like I was just adjusting my hat. I'm pretty sure anyone that saw me didn't buy that I was just adjusting my hat. But after that I did very well. The next time that I had to really be very professional when I didn't want to was during the 2nd period. I got up from my seat to get a bottle water (yes it was free too). As I was walking to the mini fridge, I passed Dallas Stars' great Jere Lehtinen. As a fan, I nearly lost it. It was so cool to see him in the press box. But as a professional, I had to be cool, get my water, and go back to my seat. But it was cool to see a Stars legend like that in the press box.

After the game, I got to go into the locker room and interview some players about the game. It was just how I expected it to be. There was a crowd around Trevor Daley at his locker so...I joined the crowd. I noticed at his locker with only 1 or 2 other reporters was goalie Kari Lehtonen. I got to thinking "He just shut out the top team in the Western Conference for his first playoff win and playoff shutout. I should be talking to him." So I was able to interview the top star of the game for about 10 minutes. Then I was able to get an interview with defensemen and enforcer Antoine Roussel. All three guys were awesome and very nice to this first time reporter.

All in all, it was probably the best night I've ever had in my radio career. I've always wanted to cover a playoff game from the press box and interview players from the locker room. I got that chance last night. I will be doing it again this Wednesday night as the Dallas Stars will be looking to even the series at 2 games apiece. Follow me on Twitter @linedrivereport or find my Facebook page "The Line Drive Report." I will be live updating from the game.

Dallas Stars Are Back In The Playoffs

I told y'all. I told y'all. I told y'all. Early in the season, I kept saying that I believed that the Dallas Stars would be in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year. And I was right. Yes I take great joy in knowing that I was right. The Dallas Stars have finished the regular season with a 40-31-11 record and 91 points. They will face off against the top seeded team in the Western Conference, the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks finished with a 54-20-8 record and 116 points. I'm excited because I've been approved to receive media credentials for Games 3 and 4 at the American Airlines Center and I will be there. So I'm very excited about it.

Now looking around, not many people are giving the Stars much of a chance to win this series. But I am here to predict that the Dallas Stars will win this series in 6 games. Yes you heard me right. The 8th seed Dallas Stars will beat the #1 seed Anaheim Ducks in 6 games to advance in the Stanley Cup playoffs. How is this possible, you ask? Well I'm glad you did. Let's take a look at the 3 meetings between the 2 teams earlier in the year, in which the Stars took 2 of 3 games against the mighty Ducks.

Game 1 - October 20, 2013: Anaheim 6, Dallas 3
In this game, the Stars had Jack Campbell making his NHL debut in net. Thanks to goals by Brenden Dillon, Shawn Horcoff, and Ryan Garbutt, Dallas has a 3-1 lead after the first period. After that, it was down hill for Campbell. As a team, the Stars gave up 5 unanswered goals to lose 6-3. Campbell made 41 saves on 47 shots. You got to remember that when this game was played, both Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin had not really gotten going. They were struggling to start the season.

Game 2 - November 26, 2013: Dallas 6, Anaheim 3
In this game, Dan Ellis was in net for the Stars and this game was much closer than it looks. In the 2nd period, Antoine Roussel scored to tie the game 1-1. Dallas looked like they were going to go to the 3rd period in a tied game, but Ducks' Nick Bonine scored with :36 left in the period to take a 2-1 lead after 2. Then the Stars went off in the 3rd period. In a span of :53, Dallas went from down 2-1 to taking a 4-2 lead thanks to goals from Cody Eakin, Stephane Robidas, and Ryan Garbutt. In all the Stars scored 5 times in the 3rd period to win the game 6-3.

Game 3 - February 1, 2014: Dallas 2, Anaheim 0
In this game, Dan Ellis was in net yet again for Dallas and made 26 saves to shut out his former team. Anaheim's offense never really got in a rhythm while the Stars got goals from Trevor Daley and Jamie Benn. Dallas' defense was really good, only allowing 26 shots compared to 47 in the first meeting and 31 in the second meeting.

So we've looked at the three games between the two teams this season. Here are the reasons why I believe the Dallas Stars will win this series:

1. The Ducks never faced Kari Lehtonen this year.
2. The Stars are a younger team, therefore, will have more energy and stamina to last an entire series. Yes the Ducks were the best team in the Western Conference all season, but in a playoff series you are playing several games in a short time. The Stars are younger and can handle playing in a bunch of games in a short time while I don't believe the Ducks will be able to do that very well.
3. Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn have found chemistry like no other teammates on any other team have.  They seem to know exactly where the other is going on the ice and what the other is going to do with the puck. The two of them this season has made the entire team extremely better. They will play a key role in this First Round playoff series against. Anaheim.

So there you have it. I am predicting the Dallas Stars will beat the Anaheim Ducks in 6 games to advance to the 2nd Round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With that being said...LET'S GO STARS!!!