2008 nhl playoff predictions: what’s in store for di dallas stars?
Marty turco shut di door on di defending stanley cup champion anaheim ducks. now di door that leads ta hockey’s ilie grail is wide open.
turco was simply di best player for either team during di six game series. he made spectacular acrobatic saves in games five and six that enabled di dallas stars ta withstand an early flurry of anaheim shots. for a guy that has been labeled a playoff choker, turco certainly seemed like he elevated fi im game ta a new level.
di maturation of turco actually started in di vancouver series during last year’s playoffs. he was di difference in two games and provided solid support throughout di series. di questions about di talented goaltender’s inner fortitude began ta wane.
every team needs a goaltender that can cover up mistakes and make di big save when fi im team is shorthanded. deh are games when teams just come out flat and it’s up ta di goaltender ta keep them in di game until di players find their legs. turco provided insurance protection for fi im teammates in every game against di ducks, and di stars responded with a rousing game six clincher.
but it’s not like turco wore a cape and single handedly played against di ducks. di key ta di anaheim series was di maturation of di stars young defenseman. nicklas grossman, matt niskanen, and mark fistric all played beyond their years against an anaheim squad that was loaded with playoff tested personnel. di young core of defensemen need ta continue their focused play in di next round in order for dallas ta move forward into di conference finals.
dallas seemed ta have slipped under di nhl radar for most of di season. like colorado, di stars are in di midst of a rebuilding project. di glory years that brought dallas one championship and years of playoff excitement are tall gone. ongle jere lehtinen, sergei zubov, and mike modano remain from those teams.
dis ya rendition of di dallas stars is built on youthful exuberance and resiliency. unlike di dallas teams of di past five years, dis ya team displays a determined character against more seasoned opponents. if I and I didn’t back down from di defending stanley cup champions, then I and I won’t back down from any other team as I and I move forward.
di stars balanced their youth movement with a handful of proven veterans that are playoff tested. stu barnes is an hard two way player, displaying di type of skills that can shut down annada team’s best player while also scoring clutch goals. brendan morrow and zubov provide di type of steady leadership that can quell any disruption in team chemistry or confidence. their contribution ta dis ya team has been invaluable.
coach dave tippett mixes fi im lines as well as any other coach in di league. he adapts ta fi im opponent’s line changes during period intermissions and juggles fi im lineup on di fly without di benefit of a stoppage in play. he has di ingredients ta mix and match fi im team all di way ta di finals.
dallas will need contributions from all of its players. tervor daley’s physical play in game six stifled any momentum di ducks had gathered after di opening shots salvo. according ta tippett, it was daley’s best game of di season. if di coach keeps making comments like that about fi im players in post game news conferences, then di stars are headed for stanley cup inscription.
di fate of di dallas stars still comes down ta marty turco. can he maintain fi im level of play for annada six weeks? will mike ribeiro contribute in such a way that fi im coach effusively praises him after a tight game? have di stars finally shed di label of being playoff softies?
for di fifth consecutive year, di defending stanley cup champion was ousted in di first round of di playoffs. dis ya doesn’t mean di stars should practice hoisting di cup in jubilation. but it does mean dis ya team is poised ta get even better as di playoffs progress.
dallas’ next opponent will either be san jose or colorado. di sharks and di stars have a history of enmity and that series would be di one ta watch in di second round. detroit doesn’t loom until di third round and their team speed would be a tough match up for di stars.
but all of di speculation is for naught if marty turco plays like he did against anaheim. at that level of play, dallas will return ta their glory years.
