Every once in awhile, there are particular games that become etched in the memory banks and can be vividly recalled even as other recollections fade with the passage of time. Last night's contest in Vancouver between the Dallas Stars and the Canucks will be one of those rare games, at least for me.
Many years from now, I probably will have have to look up the date in February 2013 in which the match took place. Perhaps I might mistakenly recall the final score as 5-4 or 3-2 instead of 4-3. But the essential details will remain locked in my mind.
"Hey, remember that night when the Stars had that big comeback win in Vancouver after the back-to-back-to-back fights? What a wild game that was! That was the night where Henrik Sedin set the Canucks franchise scoring record. Oh, and I think Kari Lehtonen got hurt early in the game, had to leave, and the Canucks roughed up Richard Bachman for three goals. Now that I think about it some more, I believe the Stars scored first in the game, right after the Canucks had a goal -- was it Mason Raymond? -- disallowed for a questionable goalie interference. The Stars led after the first period, got steamrolled in the second period and then rallied right after there were three successive fights by the fourth line guys Remember? The Stars got three goals in the game from rookies, and Brenden Dillon had the winning one late in the third period."
At any rate, returning to the present tense, last night's win in Vancouver enabled the Stars to complete their western Canada road trip by taking two of the three games. Beyond that, it was a character-building sort of game. The Stars dealt with a lot of adversity, but kept on battling and rallied around each other.
On a night where none of the goals were directly scored by one of the top five forwards (although Loui Eriksson and Jamie Benn had primary assists on the first and final goals respectively), it was the Dallas role players that stepped up to produce enough offense to beat one of the top teams in the NHL. Perhaps two of the goals should have stopped by Cory Schneider but the bottom line is that they were scored.
In the glow of victory, it is easy to overlook the fact that the Stars are in bad shape if Kari Lehtonen's groin injury keeps him out of the lineup for any extended period of time. With him, they often seem to overcome mediocre team defense, discipline lapses and occasionally spotty offense. If he's out for more than a game or two, the Stars will have to lean on Bachman and Cristopher Nilstorp for awhile.
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