Yet another poor start for Dallas
Slow starts have been something of an issue for the Stars this season, and on Tuesday night in Detroit, a lackluster performance in the opening period saw Dallas trailing 2-0 after 40 minutes of play.
But to the Stars' credit, they played much better in the second and third periods, but in the end fell 3-1 to the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena as Detroit won their NHL-record 21st consecutive game at home.
For the season, Dallas has allowed the first goal in 28 games and the Stars are 8-19-1 in those contests. And against a highly talented team like Detroit, playing from behind, especially on their home ice, is quite a tall order.
"I think, playing against a team like that, it's tough when you get down 2-0. So maybe our start, our first 10-15 minutes of the game wasn't probably where we wanted it," Stars winger Adam Burish, who had the lone goal in the loss at Detroit, said.
And Burish, who was a member of Chicago's 2010 Stanley Cup-winning team before joining the Stars prior to last season, knows that digging yourselves an early hole against a team like the Red Wings is a recipe for disaster.
"It (starting better) was a point of emphasis going into the game. We didn't have that start," Burish said. "When you get down 2-0 against a team that's that good, you kind of start pressing a little bit."
Loui Eriksson got the secondary assist on Burish's third-period goal, his fifth tally of the season. Eriksson realizes that if the Stars are to have a legitimate chance of ending a playoff dry spell that has now reached three straight years, they need to start off better in their final 26 games of the regular season, beginning with their matchup with the Calgary Flames on Thursday.
"They got two goals in the first there. We have to be better at the beginning of the game," Eriksson said. "We know they're a really good team and they've been playing really good at home too. It's tough to try to work when they're up 2-0 against you."
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