THREE QUICK OBSERVATIONS FROM A RANCID ROAD TRIP

Going 0 for 3 was as easy as 1,2,3 for the weary, banged up and again staggering club.

1. Physicality – With Morrow out, then Begin injured in Vancouver, then Sutherby going down in Calgary, the Stars physical edge was severely dulled. Basically, Steve Ott was the only Dallas forward who consistently engaged in any body contact. Here’s a comparison to further illustrate this:
   
   

   	Steve Ott Hits	Other 11 Stars Forwards Hits
   @ VAN	5	7
   @ CGY	3	6
   @ SJ	7	6
   Total	15	19

   
   
2. Faceoffs – The Stars didn’t start with the puck much during the trip. Of course they didn’t have centers Richards, Modano, Begin, and Sutherby for a lot of the action either. Faceoffs are a good measure of intensity and desire with wingers doing a lot of the puck possessing after the centers sticks have waged war. Check out these totals:
   
   

   @ Vancouver	15 of 46	33%
   @ Calgary	19 of 56	34%
   @ San Jose	27 of 61	44%

   
   
3. Scoring – Ultimately this is all that matters – and they didn’t score enough. In fact they were outscored 11-5 and their withering powerplay went 1 for 14. Here’s what leading scorer Mike Ribeiro provided in the three games:
   
   

   @ VAN	27:19 total time on ice, 1:14 average shift, 2 shots, 1 secondary assist
   @ CGY	19:39 total time on the ice, 0:58 ave. shift, 1 shot
   @ SJ	21:12 total time on the ice, 1:03 ave. shift, 1 shot, 1 secondary assist