The Stars lost in heartbreaking fashion on Thursday at Madison Square Garden, allowing a tying goal in the final second of regulation, and then losing in overtime. Mix in the fact they didn't practice on Friday and then had a 1 p.m. start on Saturday, and you're not surprised they gave up a goal in the first minute. Calgary scored on a defensive breakdown 25 seconds into the game and made it 2-0 on a power play goal at the 8:10 mark of the first period.
It was a significant hole, but Dallas was able to trim the deficit to 2-1 after one period on a Jamie Benn shorthanded goal that was set up by Ty Dellandrea.
It seemed like the Stars would be able to bounce back, but Calgary stretched its lead to 6-1 in the second period. Goalie Scott Wedgewood was strafed with some great chances and strange deflections, and the Flames basically sucked any air out of the American Airlines Center. While Wedgewood wasn't blamed, it was clear the schedule, the absence of Roope Hintz with an upper body injury, and the lack of goalie Jake Oettinger, all accumulated to a dreary afternoon.
"It definitely wasn't Wedgewood's fault," DeBoer said. "We just didn't play well enough for long enough. I think that's the bottom line. You are down 2-0 it feels like before the puck even drops, and this time of year against good teams. You dig a hole like that, it is hard to dig out of."
The Stars tried their hardest and made things exciting in the third, but they exited with a loss and now sit 2-3-1 in their past six games. It's disappointing, and concerning when you consider they have to head out to play at Vegas, San Jose and Los Angeles. Yes, they have been good on the road. Yes, they seem to handle adversity well, but there seems to be a trend here of incomplete play in recent games.