Stars Road Trip Starts With a Win

The Dallas Stars improved to 11-7-2 after a dominating 6-2 win at the Barclays Center against the New York Islanders. Sunday’s game was the first road game of a stretch that features seven road games in an eight-game span.

Goaltending

Ben Bishop got the nod for Sunday afternoons game after posting a shutout in overtime against the Boston Bruins Friday night. Bishop stopped 37-of-39 shots Sunday and now holds a 2.37 GAA and a .923 save percentage on the year. Anton Khudobin will likely start Monday night’s game which will give Bishop the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.

Milestones

During the Stars 6-2 route of the Islanders, there were a number of milestones that were hit. Roope Hintz recorded his first career NHL goal on a pass from Jason Spezza which happened to be Spezza’s 900th career point.

Defenseman Gavin Bayreuther tallied his first NHL point in only his second game after he got the primary assist on Alexander Radulov’s first goal of the game. A few minutes after Radulov netted career goal #99 he recorded his 100th on a breakaway.

Top Line

The Stars top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Alexander Radulov had a stellar game that put them back on track. Between the three of them, they recorded a total of nine points that led to four of the Stars six goals. In addition to Radulov’s two goals, Seguin added a goal and two assists while the captain tallied three helpers. The top line had struggled as of late following a hit start, however, this performance may quiet the critics for the time being. 

Life without Klingberg

John Klingberg has missed the past four games due to a hand injury and is not scheduled to return until the middle of December. However, Klingberg’s absence has given an opportunity for the other defenseman to step up. Most notably Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell. Lindell was one of the reasons the Stars came out on top today after his first career two-goal performance. Lindell who has been Klingberg’s defense partner for the vast majority of his career has carried the load, averaging 25 minutes of ice per game. 

After Sunday’s win against the Islanders, the Stars will stay in New York to face the Rangers on Monday night. The Rangers are currently 10-8-2 and have won seven of their last 10. Dallas has won six of their past 10 with two overtime losses. Monday’s game is scheduled for 6 pm central time and the Stars will play game two of a road-and-road series.

Cover photo credit: Blitzweekly.com
Chris Bugajsky covers the Dallas Stars for Full Press Coverage. Follow Chris on twitter @CBugajsky14.