Heika's Take: Stars can draw from Game 1 loss despite lack of scoring

The good thing about the Stars' 1-0 Game 1 loss at Calgary is Dallas knows it can play better.
The bad thing is they didn't fix the problems on Tuesday.

The Stars generated just 16 shots on goal, including six in 10 minutes of power-play time, and allowed Calgary goalie Jacob Markstrom to post his 10th shutout of the season. And as bad as getting three shots on goal in the first period was, Dallas also only was able to muster three shots on goal in the third period while desperately trying to tie the game.
"We didn't play our best game and we still lost 1-0, so we should feel confidence from that," said goalie Jake Oettinger. "I know the guys are going to respond."

Just recovering from the start was a big step.
"They thought they were going to run us out of the rink, and they didn't," Stars coach Rick Bowness said. "We put up a good fight."
In a lot of ways, it was the perfect confirmation for Calgary that it had done the right things in trying to turn around its franchise. The Flames in March of 2021 hired coach Darryl Sutter and committed to his brand of detailed defense. They signed Markstrom as a free agent. And they added veteran presence in the form of Blake Coleman and Tyler Toffoli. That helped forge a 111-point season and a Pacific Division championship.
It also helped make this look like a team with calmness and purpose in Game 1.
Bottom line, the Flames earned the win. Calgary dominated play early, getting an 11-0 advantage in shots on goal to start the game and executing perfectly on a first-period power play. Elias Lindholm cranked a one-timer that trickled over the glove of Oettinger, and that would be the only goal in the game.
"They came out flying, the building was electric, and it was an awesome atmosphere to be in," said forward Michael Raffl. "They took it to us, especially in the first 10 minutes."

Part of that was because the Flames were so good at puck possession and defensive details - Calgary had a 56-38 advantage in shot attempts. Part of that was the Stars simply didn't win nearly enough puck battles or display the kind of creativity that's necessary to create scoring chances.
"We probably didn't have the puck enough, but we had our scoring chances," said John Klingberg. "The power play's got to be better."
There were mitigating circumstances, of course. Officials handed out 10 power plays in the game and the first period ended with two fights, the second which forced both Klingberg and Rasmus Andersson from the contest with game misconduct penalties. Each team suffered because it was missing a skilled defenseman, and the flow of the game was affected.

Now, there were plenty of good things, too.
Oettinger was great in his first playoff start. The 23-year-old goalie made 25 saves and looked like a veteran for most of the game. He seemed motivated by the one goal, and he clearly drew confidence from the performance.
"It was awesome," Oettinger said. "It was such a fun atmosphere to play in, and it's only going to get better.
While Bowness added he was impressed with Oettinger's demeanor.
"He started the year in the minors," Bowness said. "That's his first start in a very tough rink, and we're very happy."

The loss of Klingberg weighed down on the remaining five defensemen, and they performed admirably. Miro Heiskanen logged 29:25 and Ryan Suter played 25:14. In addition, both Jani Hakanpää and Joel Hanley were solid in extended minutes.
Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn seemed to take a step up from the regular season, and both look like they could do even more as the playoffs move forward.
Raffl won his fight with Matthew Tkachuk, as he was standing up for Klingberg (who had been hit by Tkachuk) and sent a message to the Flames that Dallas wasn't backing down.
"It's playoff hockey, you've got to do what you've got to do," said Raffl. "It maybe gets the boys going, maybe gets you into the game a little bit."
All those things are important for Game 2 on Thursday.
"We're here to win," Bowness said. "We're not here to be somebody else's steppingstone. We're here to win."
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.