It was a good lesson that styles sometimes make fights, and the Stars definitely slipped out of a style they find most comfortable.
"I think we gave up too many chances for them and didn't take time and space away," said defenseman Esa Lindell, who had a goal and an assist in the loss. "With a good team like they are, they're going to make plays and hang onto the pucks and make us run around and then it's kind of chaotic out there. So, I'd say poor defense, be better on that. We can't let up that many chances on goal."
Lindell started the game with a fantastic play, racing up the right wing on a rush and lifting a beautiful backhand past Igor Shesterkin just 49 seconds into the game. Dallas then pushed that lead to 2-0 when Tyler Seguin tipped in his 18th goal of the season. It looked like Dallas was off to the races, but the problem was New York instead stepped on the gas.
The Rangers were able to push four goals past Jake Oettinger in rapid fire succession, as the defense broke down and the young goalie wasn't at his best. Some of the shots were unstoppable, but Oettinger (who's been one of the hottest goalies in the league) also looked shaky at times.
"Jake's been better," Stars coach Rick Bowness said when asked to assess Oettinger's performance. "He'll bounce back. I have 100 percent faith in Jake. He's been great for us all year, so he'll bounce back."
The 23-year-old will likely be thrust right back into action on Tuesday at Toronto. Veteran Braden Holtby wasn't available as a backup because of a lower-body injury and Bowness opted not to thrust rookie Adam Scheel into the fray on Saturday.
If Holtby isn't improved, Oettinger will likely get the majority of goal time for the short term.
He should be fine, but the key will also be the team playing better in front of him. New York finished with 29 shots on goal and more than 20 scoring chances. All in all, it was an uneven performance for the entire team.
"We just had one bad shift, and then we backed off and let them play," forward Radek Faksa said of the team's breakdown in structure. "They scored on the power play and had the momentum. When they have the momentum, we have to do something about it, and we didn't do anything. We had to have a good hit or more] zone time or something. We didn't have that, and we let them play for 10 minutes and they scored four goals. They're really talented offensively and it can happen with a team like that."
And even with those issues, Dallas found a way to come back. The Stars cut the deficit to 5-4 with about 11 minutes left in the third period but were unable to cash in a chance to tie the game and then fell behind again by two when New York's Barclay Goodrow blasted a shot between Oettinger's pads. That opened the door for an empty-net goal and the final tally.
In a lot of ways, the Stars showed they can fix their problems on the fly. In a lot of ways, Dallas learned that playing chaotic hockey isn't the best formula for this team.
"Go back to basics," Lindell said when asked what they should've done. "I think in the first [period] we started really well, we did good things, and we had the momentum then we let it slip away then they got it. So, it almost felt like two different things out there in the first for us. So, I'd say just skate harder, play the body more so they don't have that much time and space to make plays."
Can they do that on an upcoming four-game road trip? Well, they don't have a choice.
"It's huge for us," said forward Roope Hintz. "We've been good on the road lately, so we just have to keep playing there the way we've been doing. It's a good opportunity for us to get some points and climb in the standings."
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.
