Dallas Stars Beat Pittsburgh for Fifth Straight Win

There may be another team on the rise in the highly competitive NHL Central Division. The Dallas Stars missed the playoffs last season, but they won their fifth straight game on October 22nd defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 in Pittsburgh. The victory was also the completion of a four game sweep on the road. The victory completed a two game season sweep of the Penguins by the Stars. It’s kind of weird to think they’ve completed play against each other since we are still in October, but there it is.

The Stars weren’t a bad team last season, finishing with a record of 41-31-10. They scored 261 goals, second only to Tampa Bay’s 262. However, they also allowed 260, and a goal differential of +1 doesn’t get you to the post season very often. Goalie Kari Lehtonen had a 2.94 goals against average last season; he’s at 2.34 in three games this season. His fellow Finn Antii Niemi had a 2.59 GAA last year and he’s at 2.00 after four games in the nets this year.

Dallas also picked up a couple of veterans– left wing Patrick Sharp and defenseman Johnny Oduya–from the Chicago Blackhawks in the off season. Perhaps they brought some winning mojo with them.