INSIDER
Radulov, Pavelski 2 goals as Stars beat Preds 7-0 in opener
Read full article: Radulov, Pavelski 2 goals as Stars beat Preds 7-0 in opener... That was a special moment.โJoe Pavelski had two goals and two assists and Alexander Radulov also scored twice for the Stars, who had a scoreless first period. Five of Dallasโ goals came in the second, including three on the power play and an unassisted short-handed wrist shot by Esa Lindell. Pavelski and Kiviranta added power-play goals in the third period, those against Pekka Rinne, who entered after Saros allowed five goals on 20 shots. CAPTAIN HURTStars captain Jamie Benn was injured when his right leg buckled awkwardly after a collision with Viktor Arvidsson in the second period. Three of the shots game in the first period, including a wraparound attempt into Khudobinโs pads and a hard second shot on the rebound.
Tampa Bay momentum over Dallas into back-to-back Cup games
Read full article: Tampa Bay momentum over Dallas into back-to-back Cup gamesThe Dallas Stars have to fix some things in a hurry, or this Stanley Cup Final could be over quickly. After consecutive games with three-goal periods, Tampa Bay has all of the momentum and a 2-1 series lead. Dallas' top line is without a goal against Tampa Bay. The NHL is playing Stanley Cup Final games on back-to-back nights for the first time since 2009, when Detroit won each of the first two games against Pittsburgh, which eventually won the series in seven games. In its only back-to-back this postseason, Tampa Bay won Games 2 and 3 in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs against Boston.
Stanley Cup: Stars and Lightning turn defense into offense
Read full article: Stanley Cup: Stars and Lightning turn defense into offenseThis is a Stanley Cup matchup for all of those who like their games to be a bit defensive. โIn todayโs NHL you need that for your team to be successful,โ Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh said Friday. โWe're not surprised,โ Stars defenseman John Klingberg said. ... Heโs doing it all right now.โThe Stars signed 14-year veteran Andrej Sekera as a free agent last summer, and he is finally in his first Stanley Cup Final with his fifth team. โEveryone is obviously very hungry to go all of the way,โ said Hedman, part of Tampa Bay's loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Final five years ago.