Dallas Stars not letting guard down despite blowout win in Game 1
Jason Spezza has been part of too many NHL playoffs to take anything for granted at this point in his career.
He’s been on teams that have been swept out of the playoffs, and on teams that have won series in dominant fashion. He’s seen teams win a series after looking shaky in the opener, and teams fall apart after winning an opener.
Anything can happen in the postseason and Spezza — playing in his ninth Stanley Cup playoffs — made that clear after the Dallas Stars’ impressive 4-0 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night.
It’s an intense game. They were ready to play. They play us tough and play a patient game.
Stars forward Jason Spezza on the Minnesota Wild
Spezza isn’t ready to pencil in a trip to the second round just because of one game and outside signs pointing toward that seeming eventuality. After all, the Stars are the top-seeded team in the Western Conference for a reason, right? And the Wild are the eighth seed for a reason, too.
“One, eight doesn’t matter,” Spezza countered. “It’s the NHL. Every team is good. That’s all thrown out the window now. It’s just nice to get a good start to the series. But there is no one, eight when you get to the playoffs.”
So don’t expect the Stars to take their foot off the gas going into Game 2 at 7 p.m. Saturday at American Airlines Center. This team doesn’t want to give the Wild any life in the best-of-seven series.
The fans were into it. Once we got the first goal, the rink really got rocking.
Jason Spezza
“It’s an intense game,” said Spezza, who had a highlight-reel goal in Game 1. “They were ready to play. They play us tough and play a patient game.”
The Stars showed patience themselves in the opener. They had 12 more shots on goal than the Wild in the first period, but nothing to show for it. However, the Stars kept attacking and eventually cruised to the win. It marked the Stars’ 10th win in 12 games, and things are only looking up.
Forward Tyler Seguin is expected to return for Game 2 after missing the past 11 games with a cut Achilles, but he remains a game-day decision. And goalie Kari Lehtonen is peaking at the right time, posting his second career playoff shutout by stopping all 22 shots Thursday.
Coach Lindy Ruff remained non-committal on whether Seguin would return or Lehtonen would start Game 2, but it seems more likely than not each will happen.
“The fans were into it. Once we got the first goal, the rink really got rocking,” Spezza said. “We used the momentum well.”
TV ratings
Game 1 of the Stars vs. Wild series scored a 2.29 TV rating on FSSW in Dallas-Fort Worth and was the highest-rated Stars game on the regional sports network since 2014, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Drew Davison: 817-390-7760, @drewdavison
Wild at Stars
7 p.m. Saturday, FSSW, NBCSN
This story was originally published April 15, 2016 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Dallas Stars not letting guard down despite blowout win in Game 1."