Stars aim to limit chances against, keep Lightning scorers frustrated

Game 2: Stars vs. Lightning (Dallas leads 1-0)

There was much made about the Stars surrendering 22 shots against in the third period of a Game 1 victory against Tampa Bay Saturday. It tied the franchise record for most shots against in a playoff period (set in 2000 against Edmonton) and also was contrasted by the fact Dallas only got two shots on goal in that same 20 minutes.
But as much as interim coach Rick Bowness said he would like to keep that shot total down going forward, he said his team did a great job of not allowing quality shots on goal.
"We try to keep them to the outside. We'll give up the outside shot," Bowness said. "When we're playing our game, we're keeping shots to the outside, which we're willing to give up. It's not just your five-man unit out there. It's your six-man unit. Your goalie has to be involved. He has to know what we're willing to give up. When we're on, for the most part, we're keeping it to the outside. We're protecting the middle of the ice, and we're going to give you that outside shot, so your goalie's a big part of that defensive scheme."
Tampa Bay said Sunday and Monday morning that they have to find a way to get to Anton Khudobin, who has gone 5-1 in his past six starts with a 1.57 goals against averages and a .954 save percentage.
"You've got to get to the inside on these guys, you've got to take eyes away," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "When the goalie can see the puck, in this league, usually they're pretty much stopping all of those. You have to make it disruptive, you have to make it uncomfortable in their surroundings."
While the Stars have yielded 33.2 shots on goal per game, sixth worst in the playoffs, they have received great goaltending from Khudobin and have done a good job of keeping pressure to the outside and cleaning up messes to the inside. When Dallas beat Vegas in five games, it was clear that the Golden Knights were frustrated they couldn't score. Cooper said his team has to remain patient and keep pushing.
"I think Vegas, probably one of the things that was frustrating for them at times is they had a bunch of guys used to scoring that weren't," Cooper said. "And the big thing is you have to just keep fighting through that, because when guys are used to doing something and it's not happening for them, that's when it can disrupt their game."

Cooper said the Stars do things well defensively, that's one of the reasons they ranked second in the regular season in goals against average.
"Basically, they defend well, they get in lanes, and they make it hard on you, and when you do get your opportunities, you have to capitalize," Cooper said. "The one thing for us is we've had to fight through that in three series now against some defensive teams."
As Vegas was frustrated by Vancouver before they got to the Stars, Tampa Bay also had its problems with the Islanders. So, yes, the mental game could become huge as this series unfolds.
That said, Bowness isn't just sitting back and waiting for the opposition to get frustrated. He said getting outshot 22-2 in any period is not acceptable.
"We talk a lot about bending, don't break. But eventually, you spend that much time in your zone, you kill that many minutes, you're going to give up quality chances and your goaltender has to keep you in the game," Bowness said.
"I know most of them were from the outside, but I still don't like spending that much time in our zone," Bowness added. "It's nice to say, 'We can give up the outside shot and everything,' but that's not the game plan, trust me. When we're seeing that, we're on our heels. That's not how we play the game. We play the game on our toes going north."

Stamkos could return for Lightning in Game 2

Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos has been out since Phase 2 of the return to play with an injury, but is skating and is getting close to a return. When asked Monday morning if that return could come in Game 2, Cooper said we'd all have to turn in to find out.
Stamkos is a significant player for the Lightning. He had 29 goals among 66 points in 57 games during the regular season and he is a huge factor in helping the power play with a powerful one-timer.
Cooper said Stamkos also is an emotional leader for the team.
"You don't get this many chances to be where we are and he wants to be a part of it, which he has," Cooper said. "He's collectively helped the group on the mental side of things, but he wants to be part of it on the ice as well. We're not sure when that'll be. We're hopeful he'll come back at some point in this series, but there's no way we can tag that. When he's not on the ice, he's been an influential leader off the ice."

While the end of the season is drawing near, Cooper said he doesn't want to play Stamkos if he isn't ready.
"You have to make sure the player's conditioned enough," Cooper said. "You need guys to be able to contribute. He wouldn't want that, either. Nobody wants to go into a game and sit on the bench the whole time. You have to be ready to play minutes and contribute. But we have a full medical staff, and Steven will be the first to tell you if he can go or not. If that time comes, he'll be put in to play, not just sit on the bench."
Bowness, who was an assistant coach with the Lightning from 2013-18, said he has immense respect for Stamkos.
"He's a great player and he changes the whole look on the power play, so that's a big factor," Bowness said. "You take three penalties like we did in one period (in Game 1), they're going to do some damage with Steven out there. It just gives them another offensive weapon.
"Where they use him, again, it's on-ice awareness. But Steven's a great player, he's a great person and he's a captain, so we're expecting him to play at some point and we'll just have to see how he's utilized. But immediately, you're concerned with the impact he'll have on their power play."

Khudobin taking it one shot at a time

Khudobin is taking the hockey world by storm as he delights fans and media with his unique style and humor.
But Khudobin, 34, continues to say the secret to his ability to stop pucks is to simply concentrate on the simplest approach.
"I try to focus on the next shot," Khudobin said after Game 1. "How many there will be? I don't really think about that.'
With Ben Bishop sidelined by an undisclosed injury, Khudobin has been called on to play the most games in one stretch during his career. He said he has not been worried about fatigue, and said the four-day rest before the Stanley Cup Final was refreshing.

As for his unique style, Bowness said it is what it is.
"Don't get wrapped up in styles," Bowness said. "Get wrapped up in the job description: Stop the puck. He does everything he can to stop the puck."
Bowness said the dissection of Khudobin's game is both amusing and overdue.
"I'm very happy for him to get the recognition he is now," Bowness said. "You don't go anywhere in this league without great goaltending. You can talk about defensive structures, but you've got to have someone back there who gives you a chance to win every game. There are going to be breakdowns. It's an imperfect game. You need a great goaltender to keep you in there.
"I'm happy and proud of Khudobin, the way he's battling in the net."

By the numbers

9

That's the goals scored by Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman in these playoffs. That puts him in good company. Hedman is tied with Brad Park (1978) and Bobby Orr (1970) for third most goals by a defenseman in a playoff season. Paul Coffey is the all-time leader at 12 goals (1985), while Brian Leetch is second at 11 (1994).

1

That's the amount of points for Stars center Tyler Seguin over the past 10 games. Seguin has one assist. Lightning forward Tyler Johnson has one goal in the past eight games. Either of the two could be ready for a breakout game.

9-4-0

The Stars are 9-4-0 when being outshot in the playoffs. Dallas has been outshot 721-665 in 22 games. Tampa Bay has outshot opponents 711-598, but is 8-5-0 when outshooting an opponent.

He said it

"I think they are confident guys. It's really important when you see everybody on the board, when everybody [is] producing and everybody put something on the line to win the game. It's really important, and we're happy for them and we're confident in everybody. That's what I would say."
-- Khudobin when asked how important it is to get goals from players like Jamie Oleksiak, Joel Kiviranta and Joel Hanley

Stars projected lineup

Jamie Benn - Tyler Seguin - Alexander Radulov
Mattias Janmark - Joe Pavelski - Denis Gurianov
Andrew Cogliano - Jason Dickinson - Blake Comeau
Joel Kiviranta - Roope Hintz - Corey Perry
Esa Lindell - John Klingberg
Jamie Oleksiak - Miro Heiskanen
Joel Hanley - Andrej Sekera
Anton Khudobin
Jake Oettinger
Unfit to Play: Stephen Johns, Ben Bishop, Radek Faksa
Scratched:Justin Dowling, Jason Robertson, Ty Dellandrea, Thomas Harley, Nick Caamano, Gavin Bayreuther, Landon Bow
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, and listen to his podcast.