As the Sharks head out for a big road trip, they seem like a team that really wants to start dominating play on the ice again, a state of affairs that has lagged a bit in recent games. It's almost as if they are annoyed with themselves, and are using the internal motivators to get prepared for what is certain to be a big test of their playoff-ready mettle in a four-game swing that begins here in Dallas.
Meanwhile, every game is a playoff game for the injury-riddled Stars, who are without the likes of LW Brenden Morrow (knee), D Sergei Zubov (hip) and now C Brad Richards (wrist). If you want to make a comparison, that would be similar to taking out Ryane Clowe, Dan Boyle, and (take your pick) Joe Pavelski or Patrick Marleau. Yet, the Stars are still in the playoff picture, having gone 15-8-2 since Christmastime (the Sharks, by comparison, are 13-4-6 in the same span).
How are the Stars doing it? Well, they've decided to take the old Benjamin Franklin strategy and put it to work. "We must hang together," Franklin noted, after the Declaration of Independence was signed, "or we shall surely hang separately." The Stars are hanging together. They're very well coached by Dave Tippett and his staff, who have endured a season of ups and downs with professional aplomb, and they also have been fortunate in that goaltender Marty Turco has turned things up a few notches in the last few weeks.
Turco has gone 20-9-3 in his last 32 games, and is tied for fourth in the NHL with 29 victories this season. He is the one constant that the Stars have completely depended upon in this stretch of games. Oh, yes, Loui Eriksson is having an excellent season, to be sure, and youngsters like Nicklas Grossman, James Neal, and Matt Niskanen are doing their part. But Turco is the glue that's holding it all together, because he's making the big saves and Dallas is rallying around their team-first defensive style that is also boosting their confidence in the face of adversity.
Yes, it is going to be quite a challenge for the Sharks in Game One of this important trip.
Meanwhile, every game is a playoff game for the injury-riddled Stars, who are without the likes of LW Brenden Morrow (knee), D Sergei Zubov (hip) and now C Brad Richards (wrist). If you want to make a comparison, that would be similar to taking out Ryane Clowe, Dan Boyle, and (take your pick) Joe Pavelski or Patrick Marleau. Yet, the Stars are still in the playoff picture, having gone 15-8-2 since Christmastime (the Sharks, by comparison, are 13-4-6 in the same span).
How are the Stars doing it? Well, they've decided to take the old Benjamin Franklin strategy and put it to work. "We must hang together," Franklin noted, after the Declaration of Independence was signed, "or we shall surely hang separately." The Stars are hanging together. They're very well coached by Dave Tippett and his staff, who have endured a season of ups and downs with professional aplomb, and they also have been fortunate in that goaltender Marty Turco has turned things up a few notches in the last few weeks.
Turco has gone 20-9-3 in his last 32 games, and is tied for fourth in the NHL with 29 victories this season. He is the one constant that the Stars have completely depended upon in this stretch of games. Oh, yes, Loui Eriksson is having an excellent season, to be sure, and youngsters like Nicklas Grossman, James Neal, and Matt Niskanen are doing their part. But Turco is the glue that's holding it all together, because he's making the big saves and Dallas is rallying around their team-first defensive style that is also boosting their confidence in the face of adversity.
Yes, it is going to be quite a challenge for the Sharks in Game One of this important trip.
