For the second time in the last week, the Dallas Stars took a 2-0 lead to the first intermission of a game against the New York Islanders. Once again, all Dallas came away with was a disheartening regulation loss.
On Monday in Long Island, the Stars ran into a second-period buzzsaw en route to losing by a football score (7-3). Last night at the American Airlines Center, the Stars clung to a 2-1 lead until the final 4:14 of regulation only to give up three unaswered goals late in the game and skate off with a 4-2 loss.
Ageless veterans Ray Whitney and Sergei Gonchar provided the Stars with their early lead in a first period that saw a hungry and energetic Dallas side roar out to a 16-9 shot advantage. Thereafter, the Islanders outshot the Stars by a 22-15 margin.
Kyle Okposo shaved the Islanders deficit in half midway through regulation. The Stars were pressing on the offensive attack, had a pair of shots blocked and gave up an odd-man rush the other way. Thomas Vanek and primary puck carrier John Tavares earned the assists.
The one-goal margin held until 15:44 of the third period. On a seemingly routine Islanders rush up the ice from their own, Okposo wristed a tough-angle shot from just above the right circle off the long-side post and into the net. Rookie defenseman Calvin de Haan earned the lone assist.
From there, the air went out of the Stars' balloon. With 1:24 left in the third period, the Islanders took the lead for the first time in the game. Dallas had a coverage breakdown on another rush that started out looking harmless at is neared the defensive blueline. Tavares split the seams away from the puck and a pinching de Haan found him open in the slot. The Islanders' best offensive player made no mistake. Vanek earned the other assist.
With 52 seconds left in the game and Dan Ellis pulled for an extra attacker, the Stars turned a puck over at the defensive blueline. Brock Nelsen sealed the win with an empty net goal.
Kevin Poulin made 29 saves for the Islanders, settling in nicely as the game progressed. Ellis made 27 saves in a losing cause.
The Stars will try to snap their six-game losing streak tomorrow night and win for the first time in the 2014 calendar year. The Edmonton Oilers will be in town for a 7:30 p.m. tilt.
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