Colin Blackwell showed Dallas on Monday how crucial it is to have a strong team when he delivered a big hit to Yakov Trenin in Game 2. He went right in and did it flawlessly; it was done well. It was a typical hit you’d see in playoffs.
Dallas is down in this series, 0-1, after losing badly, 6-1, at home on Saturday.
Glen Gulutzan doesn’t want his top scorers to play that way; he needs them to score more.
Having a player like Blackwell, who earns $775,000, set the tough tone is the kind of help that can really lift a playoff team.
At 33, Blackwell has played for 13 different teams in his NHL time. It might feel like that.
The Dallas Stars are hoping for a lift after their heavy 6-1 loss in Game 1 at home.
Dallas ended the regular season well with 50 wins, 112 points, and a goal difference of plus-52. They were on a five-game winning streak before the playoffs. Then, Minnesota came to Texas and scored six goals on them.
That loss is something Gulutzan has to take responsibility for. Game 2 needed to start off differently.
Blackwell’s hit alone won’t win a game. The four goals he got in the 70 regular-season games show us his role on the team.
But a team shouldn’t just wait for the scoring line to boost the spirits of the players sitting on the bench.
Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes and their best players have been using their speed and passing to create chances.
The Stars have to make sure every Minnesota forward thinks twice the next time they get the puck in open ice during Game 2.
That’s what Blackwell just did. His message is clear without words.
Jim Nill created this Dallas team to have four effective groups, and a play like that shows the benefit of having experienced players on the team instead of just using new players in April.
There is still a lot of game left to play. Minnesota is a strong team and they won Game 1 by a good margin.
However, the Stars needed someone to rise to the occasion and make a strong response.
Blackwell was that person. The only thing that really matters now is whether the rest of the Dallas team will join him in the effort.
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