Well, the Blues tried. That’s about the only thing they should take away from this game. They were unsuccessful, despite the Stars trying to give them every possibility to be. If the Blues continue to be unable to convert, this while be a short series.

The Stars gave away the puck 14 times. The Blues got one goal. The Blues had 2 power plays and failed to convert. The Blues offense needs to step up. I don’t understand what is happening, because the Stars defense and goaltending are several steps beneath those of the Blackhawks who the Blues found ways to sneak past.

The reffing was much better in this game, something the Stars deserve. The Blues had to serve eight penalty minutes, as the refs are finally trying to keep them honest. Unfortunately, the Stars were unable to convert on the power play, so the threat against cheating for the Blues didn’t exist. If the Stars don’t start racking up power play points, expect the Blues to start taking constant cheap shots.

Both goaltenders had to put up with a ton, and did so well. The defenses for both teams stepped up as well. Kris Russell has injected a shot blocking mindset into the Stars defense, and they blocked 22 shots last night. The Blues blocked 11 and let 42 past them. Those 10 shots made the difference, as the Stars came away with a one goal victory. The closeness of this series is something that isn’t going to go away. Whoever can win these close wins is going to win this series, and the Stars aren’t starting off badly.

The goals all came from unexpected sources – Antoine Roussel, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Radek Faksa. This is depth on both teams, especially with the stars of both teams missing. Tyler Seguin isn’t healthy, which affects the entire first line, and Jason Spezza hasn’t been able to truly step up in his absence.

When the second two centers on the Stars have as many faceoff wins as they did – Cody Eakin won 53% and Vern Fiddler had 67% – the Stars are going to be successful. Again, the depth for Dallas came out to play, and with the chemistry missing from the first two lines still a bit off with the loss of one of the team’s true scorers and half of Dallas’s famous bromance, that’s an important factor going forward. Look for the Stars to ride partially on how these two do.

The Blues defense is also going to have to step up. That aspect is how the Blues beat the Blackhawks, and if they’re going to repeat their success that’s how it’s going to happen.