Kari Lehtonen was the only Dallas Stars player for two periods last night and he won. That has to be embarrassing for the St. Louis Blues, as their usual strategy of getting out ahead early and then turtle-ing was used against them, as the Stars are forcing a Game 7, with the possibility of Tyler Seguin’s return, which could make the difference for the Stars.

The Stars scored three quickly in the first, with the Spezza line credited with two and the fourth line and Vern Fiddler credited with the middle. Spezza and Janmaark scored on the second.

The fact that the Stars were able to play defensively for most of the game and pull out a win shows that even with the lackluster defense playing in Dallas, if everyone pitches in, they can be successful. What I don’t like is that they didn’t continue to attack Jake Allan, who has not played much, if at all, up to that point in the playoffs. They had the Blues defense over the coals, they could have continued the attack, or if they got scored on immediately in the second they could have gone into the turtle.

They should have started the attack again when the Blues made it 3-2 in the third. When that happened, the pressure is all still entirely on Lehtonen, instead of allowing the offense to continue to stretch the ice and take some off the goaltender’s shoulders.

But Lehtonen deserves all the credit for the win. He stopped 35 shots and two power plays and managed to find a way to win in a game where the opposing goalie was chased. This has to be a swagger moment for Kari, especially if the Stars are able to pull this series out. If he can get some confidence going into Game 7, that’s what the Stars need. They need to continue what they did in the first period, because if they are able to successfully leap out ahead like that, it will grant them a momentum swing which is huge in Game 7s.

The question for the next game is whether St. Louis’s defense becomes the gritty, rough, and extremely physical force it has been throughout the post-season. I think they need to try to continue bullying the Stars if they want to win, and force the Stars off their game, because in Game 6 they allowed the Stars to play how they wanted and it did not work out for the Blues.