The Utah Hockey Club and the Dallas Stars played the first game of their four-game series Monday night at the Delta Center. Utah entered this one looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since Oct. 12, while the Stars were looking to extend their winning streak to three games after beating the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday night.
At the end of the night, Utah dominated most of the game. However, this is not a game where the Money Puck's 'Deserve To Win O'Meter' didn't match the final result, as the Stars came away with a 2-1 victory.
Casey DeSmith Goalies Utah HC
From the opening puck drop, Utah controlled the game. After the first five minutes of the game, they were leading with 6-1 goals, and after the first ten minutes, they were leading in the most dangerous section, defeating the Stars by 3-0. Although the Stars found their legs at the end of the first half even with these opportunities after one period, Utah continued to dominate the entire game, outscoring the Stars 35-21, and got 12 chances that were very dangerous for the Stars. seven and won the goal battle expected 3.05-2.35.
Related: Utah HC: Has Nick Schmaltz Lost His Scoring Touch?
Despite Utah's best offensive effort, they couldn't solve Casey DeSmith until midway through the third period when Nick Schmaltz hit a wrist shot for his second goal. Schmaltz scored his first goal in Utah's most recent game against the Vegas Golden Knights. He's the guy Utah needed to get around for a long time, as he's scored 20 or more goals in three straight seasons. His second goal in as many games is the silver lining for this Utah team tonight. Utah is looking forward to scoring second. Schmaltz has been the guy they've been counting on for that, and if he can get hot, Utah could be greatly improved offensively in December.
However, DeSmith was the star of the game for the Stars. He saved 33 of 34 shots he faced for a .971 save percentage. In addition, he stopped all seven of the most dangerous chances he faced and saved 2.05 more goals than expected. This was the game the Stars needed from their backup goaltender. Jake Oettinger has been a surprise for the Stars. However, DeSmith has struggled recently, losing four straight starts and allowing four or more goals in all four of those starts. With the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets leading the Central Division and having Vezina Trophy players in their net, the Stars will need winning games from both goaltenders to keep pace in the division.
Stars Score Two Timely Goals In Victory Over Utah
Dallas opened the scoring seven minutes into the second half. The goal came from the powerplay and was scored by Evgenii Dadonov. The goal came with a quick wrist shot, and Dadonov made it look like he was evaluating his passing options but eventually decided to shoot, beating Karel Vejmelka's defender with a shot that should have been saved.
Then, with less than a minute on the clock late in the second half, Utah and Dallas lined up against each other in the Stars defense. The Stars would go on to win the game and catch Utah off guard by having Sam Steel chase down the puck from Esa Lindell. This created an easy opening for Sam Steel, who made a good pass into the area, finding a wide open Jamie Benn, who beat the glove of Vejmelka.
The Stars' second goal came 43 seconds into the second half. Despite being stymied defensively for most of the night, the Stars took advantage of Utah's key lack of focus on this second goal. All five of Utah's linebackers were back on defense when the field goal was scored. However, none of them picked up Benn from the most dangerous place on the ice.
Although the 'Deserve To Win O'Meter' had Utah winning this game 58.4% of the time, there was something in this game that the stats couldn't account for. The Stars showed why they are one of the best teams in the NHL by weathering storms in a game where they didn't have good legs and still found a way to give their goalie a steal. The highly regarded goalkeeper will win many games in this league. Utah won't have to wait long for its chance at revenge as the two teams square off at the Delta Center on December 23rd.
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