THE GREATEST 15 MINUTE TEAM IN HOCKEY

You know that rock star maxim from the 60s, “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” Well that phrase seems to have been wholly embraced by the late March version of the Dallas Stars.

For the third straight home game the Stars grossly outplayed their opponent at the start of the game, then slowly and steadily receded. The shot differential in those three first periods was a whopping 44-15, but the goal differential was only 2-2, and there’s the rub. The heroic, attacking, shot out of a cannon starts aren’t producing much more than just “chances” – and as we all know, close is only good in horseshoes and hand grenades.

And when the games have reached their final-frame tipping point the Stars seem to be unnerved, out of gas, unable to compete, or all of the above. Over the past 12 games they’ve been outscored 14-5 in third periods.

Game over.

Fade to black.