After a fun and festive Christmas break, the Dallas Stars returned to action in the Gateway to the West and took on their Central Division opponent, the St. Louis Blues. The Stars lost 2-1 to the Blues at the Enterprise Center on Wednesday night. Dallas fell to 20-9-4, while St. Louis improved to 18-15-1. Blues backup goaltender Joel Hofer made a whopping 29 saves for a win.
The first period saw some action from both teams. Brandon Saad was called for high-sticking Miro Heiskanen at 7:52, and Robert Thomas was called for holding Roope Hintz at 15:20. The Stars were unable to capitalize on the man advantage, and the Blues scored first on home ice. Jake Neighbours scored his first post-holiday goal on a slap shot to give the Blues a 1-0 lead at 18:08. Scott Perunovich collected the lone assist on Neighbours’ 12th goal of the season.
Dallas trailed 1-0 at the end of the first period. Dallas outshot St. Louis 14-8 after 20 minutes. The Stars were apparently not pleased with the second-period calls against them. Tyler Seguin was called for hooking Alexey Toropchenko, Craig Smith was called for high-sticking Marco Scandella, and Wyatt Johnston was called for delay of game.
The Blues took a 2-0 lead at 10:53 when Marco Scandella fired a wrist shot into the Stars’ net. Kasperi Kapanen and Scott Perunovich collected the assists on Scandella’s second goal of the season.
The Stars finally got on the board late in the second period. Jason Robertson blasted a wrist shot into the Blues’ net to cut the lead in half, 2-1, at 18:31. Roope Hintz collected the lone assist on Robertson’s 11th goal of the season.
Dallas trailed 2-1 at the end of two periods. Dallas and St. Louis’ shots were tied at 25 apiece after 40 minutes. The Stars looked to make a comeback in the third period, but they were unable to do so. The Stars lost to the Blues 2-1 in regulation. Dallas outshot St. Louis 40-30 after a full 60 minutes.
Notes
Three Stars of the Game
1. Joel Hofer (1.00 GAA and .975% SV %)
2. Marco Scandella (1 point: 1 goal)
3. Scott Perunovich (2 points: 2 assists)
New Playground
On Christmas Eve, the Dallas Stars Foundation announced they’ve partnered with Energy Transfer to provide Wesley Rankin with a new playground for a new and vibrant space where laughter, fitness, and community building will blossom over time.
Up Next
The Stars will return home to host the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday at 7:00 p.m. Central.
ITR 40: Headed For A Repeat? – Inside The Rink
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