Since Sturm has bailed on his obligation (Dentist? Whatever, Bob!), I will attempt to fill the void regarding Avs 5 Stars 4.
Oh, this is very bad news indeed.
I must be honest - I didn't tune in to Ralphie and Razor until the first intermission. It's difficult to describe the shock and dismay I felt when I saw the 3-0 score after the first period.
The second period was awesome. The Stars took it to Colorado from the drop of the puck and pummeled them. Four goals later, it's Stars in the lead and all is right in the universe.
Then here comes the third period and overtime. Arnott (the most consistent guy in green thru the first two games) NEARLY won the damn thing. If his heart-stopping shot had gone in rather than hit the post, we'd be talking about a close, but needed, win.
Instead, defensive lapses, questionable goaltending, lack of energy, and a general appearance of disinterest cost the Stars another game. They now head off to Colorado, down 2 games to none, and in complete disarray.
Marty Turco is now one of the highest-paid goaltenders in the NHL, and he plays like it pretty much every regular season. However, this is a guy who has yet to get out of the first round of the playoffs. Talk was (here and elsewhere) this is the year. It may still be, but we've seen no signs of it yet. Turco's already got the tag of "Big-Game Choker". If he doesn't stage an immediate and complete turnaround, he may as well sew that onto the back of his sweater.
Bill Guerin is turning out to be the biggest bust in recent Stars history. Here's a guy who came in with all kinds of hype and an enormous contract. What, exactly, has he done since then? He's one of the most likeable guys on the team, but let's face it: He's got a BAG.
Modano summoned some energy during period two, and looked like the Mikey Mo of old. It didn't last long. What's his story? He had a great comeback season, shut up a lot of his critics, but he's choking as badly as anyone on the team.
Tippett, the most consistent coach in the NHL, apparently panicked after the no-show his team pulled in Game 1 and completely shuffled his offensive lines. Is this the reason the Stars got KILLED in the first period? I'll give him this: He didn't back off, and the team turned in an All-World performance in period 2. But it's hard to argue with the hole dug in the first.
I'll give props to the Finns (with the exception of Janne Niinimaa - why was HE playing?) and Jason Arnott. These guys showed some jump and some want-to throughout. Arnott took NO crap off anyone last night and I loved it.
Well, Game 3 is an absolute MUST-win. Tippett will start Turco, but I wonder if this is the right way to go. Does the team have faith in Turco anymore? Does a change to Hedberg shake up the team enough to force some change? I have no idea, and I doubt Tippett would make the switch regardless. However, I have to believe Turco is on the shortest of short leashes.
This is NOT what we had in mind while the regular season crawled to an end.
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