Anaheim Ducks VS Dallas Stars Game Recap

Anaheim had great depth at the wing and depth on defense.  What Dallas did to counter this was to win the face offs, display outstanding puck control, and outhit the opponent in an attempt to wear them down.

Anaheim opened up the game outshooting the Dallas Stars 5 to 0 in the first two and a half minutes of the hockey game.  The game was even at first.  Anaheim led 8 to 2 in shots on goal.  Dallas was ahead 6 to 2 in hits during the first period which made the contest a stalemate at the beginning of the game.

Mike Ribeiro would fire the puck on a pass to winger Brenden Morrow.  Great execution by Morrow would lead to an early Dallas Stars goal.  That goal was Morrow’s 7th goal on the year.  Dallas took the early 1 to 0 lead.

Anaheim had a chance to convert a power play.  Dallas did a great job stopping the Anaheim Ducks while penalty killing.

Not much happened after that in the first period.  Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller made an outstanding save early in the game that would rob the Dallas Stars of a 2 to 0 lead.

Dallas would get a 5 on 3 chance at the end of the first period.  Dallas would get a second 5 on 3 chance.  Goligoski would score a second goal on a 5 on 3 power play.  Dallas would score another power play goal less than a minute later.  This would put Dallas up 3 to 0.

Anaheim looked like they were out of this game after trailing 3 to 0.  Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau called the Ducks only timeout of the game hoping to rally the team back into the game.

Anaheim would get their first goal off a Teemu Selanne power play goal.  Selanne’s power play goal ties him with Mike Modano for 22nd overall in all time goals.

Lbomir Visnovsky scored another power play goal.  Later in the second period Cam Fowler would shoot a slap shot that got tipped in by Nick Bobino.  This would tie the game at 3 heading into the final period.

In the 3rd period Dallas was able to take control of the game because they had better puck control, won more face offs, and inflicted more hits.  This wore down the Ducks in the 3rd period.

Michael Ryder would score his 11th goal of the year off of wrist shot.  Eric Nystrom would also score his 11th goal off of a slap shot.  Dallas would end up winning 5 to 3.  Anaheim deserves a lot of credit for fighting their way back into the game when they were down 3 to 0.  Dallas did their job wearing down the Ducks which translated into critical goals late in the game.  Dallas’s win extends their home record to 10-4-1 on the year in 2011 at the American Airlines Center.