SB Nation Dallas: All Posts by Brandon Worley

New Dallas Stars Logo Leaked

2013-05-24T14:04:59Z

The Dallas Stars are gearing up for a very big event in just a few weeks, unveiling the franchise's new logos and jerseys as well as making a few important announcements in front of an exclusive crowd of season-ticket holders and special guests.

The new jerseys and logos themselves have been the source of much mystery and intrigue with Stars fans the past few years, as it was made clear very soon after Tom Gaglardi purchased the team that changes would be coming. With rumors swirling that a color change was also in place, it became clear that the Stars would indeed be turning to green as the new main color for the team moving forward.

Anything else was unclear.

On Thursday night, what appears to be the new logos were posted in the "Wallpapers" section of the team's official iOS and Android app. From what we can confirm, this is indeed what the new logos will be.

According to our sources, the "DALLAS STARS" circular logo will actually be the shoulder patch, while the larger "D" logo will be the new official logo that will be the crest on the jerseys.

As you can surmise from the colors above, gold is now out. The two main colors will now be green and silver, with white and black also coming into play. The green above is the one we've been mentioning, a variation on the "Celtics Green" and "kelly green" that has been discussed so much lately.

The Dallas Stars have removed these images from the official app. An official with the team had this statement when reached about the leaked logo:

"We will officially unveil our new logo and uniforms on June 4th at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. Beyond that, we have no comment."

Defending Big D will be covering the unveiling event live on June 4th. Until then, it's important to remember that it's tough to accurately judge the merits of the new logos without the context of the actual jerseys.

For what it's worth, I think they're sharp.

NHL playoffs: Joe Thornton steps up, leads Sharks to series tie vs. Kings

2013-05-22T17:32:38Z

The San Jose Sharks left Los Angeles on Thursday night a beaten and broken team.

For two games the Sharks had grossly outplayed the Kings for most of the six periods of the series, dominating on the faceoff dot and controlling possession for nearly whole periods at a time. Yet the Sharks limped away down 2-0 thanks to a monster performance by Jonathan Quick and one heck of a meltdown in the final minutes of a what should have been a triumphant third period.

As the series skipped over to San Jose questions began to arise once more over the resolve of this Sharks team, whether Todd McLellan's squad would join the ranks of other Sharks teams to have fumbled away a golden opportunity in the postseason. Instead of stealing a game in Los Angeles the Sharks collapsed around the pressure, aided by late-game penalty trouble, and it seemed a quick exit in the second round would be the final chapter in this long storyline.

Yet Sharks captain Joe Thornton has found another level to his game and has led his team to two straight home victories to tie the series, including a 2-1 victory on Tuesday night that suddenly made this one heck of a competitive series moving forward.

Thornton's time and success in San Jose has mirrored that of the Sharks. For all of his regular season prowess and success, Thornton has struggled to live up to expectations in the postseason despite producing at nearly a point-per-game pace in the playoffs throughout his career.

This postseason, Thornton has taken the challenge of overcoming lowering expectations with perhaps the finest postseason performance of his career -- especially when you factor in his dominance on the faceoff dot. Aside from nine points in eight games, however, it's Thornton's energy and leadership that is truly moving this team forward.

In both games in front of the home crowd, the Sharks have controlled play from the drop of the puck. On Tuesday night, this full frontal assault led to an early lead that the Sharks would never relinquish, despite a heavy counter attack by the Kings as the contest wore on.

Hitting the ice like a bat out of hell, Thornton set the pace for a frantic first period by the Sharks. The Kings did not attempt a shot on goal for the final half of the first period, with San Jose outshooting the Kings 21-9 by the end of the second period. Thornton's speed and power were on full display on Tuesday, including the opening goal by Brent Burns that gave the Sharks an early 1-0 lead.

Thornton's charge led the Sharks on a clinic on how to control play, with a hard forecheck and speed through the neutral zone boosted by hyper-aggressive movement of the puck with accurate passing and instant changes to the point of attack. This full frontal assault had the Kings on their heels from the start of the game and almost all of it can be attributed to the team's captain.

"Joe was dominant tonight," said Sharks center Logan Couture. "That was vintage Joe Thornton. Unbelievable -- creating turnovers, making passes, skating. Skating like a young guy. He was flying. Me personally, got me going. We need Joe to play like that for the rest of the playoffs."

On Burns' goal, Thornton beat out Slava Voynov in a race for the puck behind the net and instantly turned and fired a pass to the front of the net. Blocked by the Kings' Mike Richards, Thornton gained control of the puck once more and fired a pass across the crease pass the befuddled defense and right onto the tape of Burns -- who tapped home the gaping-net goal.

San Jose hit the Kings full square on the chin in the first period, and again to start the second, yet never seemed capable of truly pulling away. Jonathan Quick allowed the Kings to withstand the assault long enough to get their game back underneath them, and the Sharks would still need to hang tough in the final period to secure the victory.

The same challenges that faced the Sharks in Los Angeles were just as present in San Jose -- the Sharks have certainly controlled most aspects of this series yet Quick has certainly been the better goaltender between himself and Antti Niemi. Quick's ability to keep the game close is trouble for San Jose, especially when facing a team with the resolve of the Kings, and despite the warm feelings of Games 2 and 3, there's no doubt that San Jose is far from truly being in control of this series.

Yet with Joe Thornton coming alive and putting his team on his back in the postseason, perhaps this could be the year the San Jose Sharks finally break through. They'll need to win a best-of-three series now in order to accomplish that with two games being played in Los Angeles -- can the Sharks and Thornton forget the nightmares of just one week ago?

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2013 NHL Free Agency Musings: Would Dallas Stars Consider Trading Loui Eriksson?

2013-05-21T16:00:04Z

Let's start off this article with a very clear statement: All that follows is purely hypothetical musings on the options the Stars have at their disposal this summer.

Dallas Stars winger Loui Eriksson is arguably the best player on the team. An incredible two-way forward with top possession ability as well as elite scoring prowess has Eriksson's name on the list of some of the top forwards in the NHL. His humble demeanor and and off the ice, as well as where he plays, has led to Eriksson becoming known as the most underrated player in the NHL.

Eriksson was one of just four players with more than 70 points in three straight seasons from 2009 to 2012 and is undoubtedly one of the more valuable wingers the Dallas Stars possess given his absurdly low $4.25 million cap hit until 2016.

It's that inherent value that could potentially become a major factor in the Dallas Stars' strategy this summer.

The task ahead for new general manager Jim Nill and owner Tom Gaglardi is not an easy one. There are some very promising pieces from which to begin their molding of a winning team, as well as a solid framework of core players, yet there are some notable holes at the center position.

As it currently stands, Jamie Benn and Cody Eakin are you top two centers, with Vernon Fiddler having received top six minutes the final month of the season. While Benn will likely remain the top center on the team, the Stars absolutely need another option for the second line that allows the team the depth up the middle needed to be successful.

Unfortunately, the options in free agency this summer for centers are not all that promising. Derek Roy and Mike Ribeiro will both be the most sought-after centers -- although Roy's stock has surely plunged this season -- and neither are returning to the Stars. Roman Cervenka, Matthew Lombardi, Stephen Weiss, Kyle Wellwood are all names that don't exactly thrill you and Tyler Bozak is more than likely going to be locked up long-term by Toronto.

Options remain, however, specifically when it comes to a trade. If there would be a top-six center available via trade, however, the price to acquire said player would be very steep -- which is where Loui Eriksson would come into play.

Now, Eriksson as trade bait is a thought that is getting a lot of mentions in the Canadian media right now. Perhaps it's just a case of one writer thinking out loud and the rest copying that thought -- but this is a scenario that will certatinly be talked about over the course of this summer.

Eriksson is one of the top forwards in the NHL, he's under contract for three more seasons at a ridiculously low price and from what we understand his no-trade clause does not begin until the 2013-2014 season. This makes Eriksson an incredibly valuable trade target and could be part of a trade that completely alters the course of this franchise.

Make no mistake, any trade involving Loui Eriksson would be one hell of a blockbuster.

The big question, however, is which is more valuable to the Stars -- a proven elite scorer with top two-way ability who is just 27 years old or a top-six, proven center capable of rounding out a dangerous top two lines. Logic states that a young center capable of producing more than 60-70 points per season is certainly more valuable than a scoring winger; we are seeing right now exactly how difficult it is to find good depth at that position.

The Stars do have a number of promising prospects coming up on the wing, including Alex Chiasson, Matej Stransky and Brett Ritchie. All three project to be top six wingers at the NHL level, although there is absolutely zero guarantee that any of them reach the level of Eriksson in the coming years. There are also options at center, although even Radek Faksa is at least two years away from being ready for the second line center position in the NHL.

So the Stars must explore every option. Perhaps Eriksson is used to move up to a top five spot in the draft, although I'm doubtful any of those teams are willing to trade down. The Stars could also explore acquiring a center by taking advantage of amnesty buyouts this summer, or trading for expensive contracts where the other team retains a chunk of the salary.

It's tough to think of Loui Eriksson as a player the Stars would actually trade, however, and Tom Gaglardi has repeatedly noted his name when discussing "untouchable" players that make up the core of the Dallas Stars. The Stars would have to make such a trade as low-risk as possible, as this is not a move the team can even come close to affording to getting wrong.

These are the types of tough decisions that Nill and the Stars must consider. Such trades in the past have completely turned around franchises and defined those teams for the next decade or so; Eriksson is also the type of player any winning and successful team absolutely desires, and the Dallas Stars are no different.

2013 NHL Draft: Dallas Stars Prospect Ranking Pre-Draft Edition

2013-05-20T17:18:20Z

We've changed how we've put together our prospect rankings over the past year or so, shifting away from monthly rankings to perhaps four rankings at most per year.

We kick off the 2013 offseason with my pre-draft prospect rankings, taking a look at the top 20 prospects in the Dallas Stars organization before it gets all shaken up by trades and the draft. The Stars have seen significant change in the prospect system and an influx of newer prospects in the past six months, so coming up with an actual ranking was perhaps the toughest undertaking I've had since I began doing these.

These lists are incredibly subjective -- and Huw will have his along soon -- so I don't expect everyone to be in agreement with how I've ranked the players. The toughest part is weighing potential versus actual production, since a 23-year old defenseman already has a significantly more extensive track record than an 19-year old just drafted last summer.

I've done my best to explain my ranking for each player. Chime in with your thoughts below, and feel free to play the game of how you would rank the top 20 in the Stars organization.

No longer considered a prospect: Brenden Dillon, Philip Larsen, Tom Wandell, Richard Bachman, Cristopher Nilstorp

Honorable mentions: Esa Lindell, Troy Vance, Colton Sceviour, Cody Payne, Dimitry Sinitsyn, Austin Smith

Rank	Player	Details…
1	Jamie Oleksiak, D	This was an interesting season for Oleksiak, who enjoyed an All-Star season in the AHL yet was not exactly overwhelming during his time in the NHL. It seems the Stars were being careful and not wanting to rush him along and it's likely Jim Nill takes the same approach. Oleksiak has shown the ability to be a top-pairing shut down defenseman with offensive upside in the AHL; he just needs to build his confidence to carry that forward into the NHL.
2	Alex Chiasson, C/RW	Alex Chiasson has shown to be a quick study in his transition out of the NCAA; after a bit of a slow start, the versatile forward finished with 34 points in 51 games with Texas while potting six goals in seven games in Dallas before his shoulder injury. Chiasson's ability to play strong along the boards and innate ability to find the prime spots around the goal have led to comparisons to Brenden Morrow which could be fair. He has a significantly more size, however, and is certainly the most promising of all of the forward prospects.
3	Jack Campbell, G	Campbell should be set to take over as the No. 1 goalie in Texas next season, after appearing in 40 games this season without playing a game in the playoffs. Campbell started to put together some consistency as the season wore on and finished with respectable numbers -- this next season is when we should see the most improvement for the young goaltender.
4	Brett Ritchie, RW	Ritchie was touted as untapped potential when he was drafted in the second round in 2011 and he surely came alive with Niagara this past year. Playing alongside Ryan Strome, Ritchie put up 41 goals and 76 points in 53 games and had a fine showing for Team Canada in the 2013 World Juniors. The trick now is for Ritchie to prove he doesn't need a perfect center to produce; a full offseason with the Dallas Stars program could do wonders for his development next season.
5	Radek Faksa, C	Faksa came out of the draft with the promise of a "ready-made" NHL center, although it was quickly noted that was not the path the Dallas Stars desired. Faksa worked through a tough year with Kitchener, taking on a more defensive role, and suffered a knee injury that limited him to just 39 games. Faksa will be back in the OHL for one final season next year, but all eyes will be on his continued offensive development.
6	Patrick Nemeth, D	Nemeth, when he was healthy, was arguably the best defenseman for the Texas Stars this past season. Unfortunately, Nemeth's injury issues severely limited his playing time yet his potential as a physical shutdown defenseman has bolted him up the rankings.
7	Matej Stransky, RW	Matej Stransky and the Saskatoon Blades had one heck of a rollercoaster season. After a very slow start Stransky proved to be a productive leader, finishing with 40 goals and 85 points in 72 games.
8	Ludvig Bystrom, D	Bystrom is an interesting study in just how much "potential" becomes a factor. Bystrom was considered a first-round talent when drafted and made the jump to the Elitserien this past season. He fought for playing time and never had the chance to show the true two-way ability he's capable of. In the playoffs with the Under-20 team, Bystrom had six points in seven games.
9	Reilly Smith, LW/RW	Reilly Smith was the toughest of all to place. Smith played most of the season with Dallas (37 games) and was a player full of "almosts" that never could seem to get luck to go his way. He showed great potential with Texas, however, proving to be both a capable playmaker as well as a skilled goal-scorer. With just one more season on his ELC, however, Smith is under pressure to prove he can produce at the NHL level.
10	Alex Guptill, LW	Guptill is a strong, sizable winger who is along the same mold as Chiasson -- good possession player with skill around the net. He had to work through some off-ice issues this past season and after an early scratch, came on strong the second half of the year. The sophomore left winger finished with 16 goals and 36 points in 38 games for Michigan.
11	Joe Morrow, D	This was another tough ranking, as Morrow didn't exactly overwhelm in his time with Texas so far, but was far from a liability. That could have been due to his particular pairing, yet Morrow is expected to show more offensive production than he enjoyed his first season in the AHL. Next season will be interesting for the 21-year old.
12	Emil Molin, C	Molin fought for ice time with Brynas this season, occasionally playing with Elias Lindholm, and finished with just 3 points in 34 games in the Elitserien. Molin was impressive at the World Juniors however, and continues to show he could be a surprising forward to watch in the coming years.
13	Kevin Connauton, D	Oh, Kevin Connauton. The skilled blueliner took Cedar Park by storm after his trade, but the question remains whether the 23-year old can actually translate this potential to the NHL. Connauton was torched against OKC in the playoffs and while he was certainly the defenseman most capable of driving play up ice -- there's no doubt he needs help on his two-way game.
14	Jyrkki Jokipakka, D	The Finnish blueliner doesn't have much offensive upside but impresses as a player already capable of logging big minutes in a top league. Ilves was not a very good team and Jokipakka finished minus-29, yet there's no doubt the 6-3 defenseman is already ahead of his development curve.
15	Cameron Gaunce, D	Cameron Gaunce is a player that could prove to be much better than where he is ranked here. He plays a very similar game as Brenden Dillon, a solid two-way player with a good shot and a sharp pass -- unfortunatly, he does not have Dillon's size and is not as physical as he probably should be along the boards.
16	Scott Glennie, C	Perhaps this ranking is a bit unfair; there's a very strong chance that Glennie continues to develop into a very strong two-way center that can play on the third or fourth line in the NHL. He was a strong player the second half of the season and while he may never live up to the No. 8 pick, earning a spot in the NHL is still a possibility.
17	Devin Shore, C	Devin Shore earned the top center spot for Maine this season as a true freshman, scoring six goals and 26 points in 38 games. Shore's impact on the franchise might not be felt for another three years, but he could certainly be a hell of an option at center by that point.
18	Matt Fraser, LW	Matt Fraser had an inauspicious true NHL debut, scoring just one goal (on his first shot) in 12 games. He was once again one of the top scorers in the AHL, but early signs show his struggles to create his own space will hold him back at the NHL level.
19	Mike Winther, C	Winther took a bit of a step back offensively this season, but is still one of the better two-way options that is versatile on both the wing and at center.
20	Gemel Smith, C	Gemel Smith gets a lot of comparisons to Steve Ott, a speedy and energetic player with some offensive upside. The speed is perhaps one of the best of all Stars prospects and his potential is intriguing.

What Went Wrong: Texas Stars Season Ends With 4-1 Series Loss To Oklahoma City Barons

2013-05-17T15:26:06Z

It was the best regular season the Texas Stars had enjoyed in the franchise's four seasons in Cedar Park and expectations were high as the team entered the postseason. After the disaster that was the 2011-2012 season, just getting to the playoffs should have been considered a massive success but this was a team that was expected to once again make a run at the Calder Cup, with AHL Coach of the Year Willie Desjardins behind the bench an SEL champion goaltender in net.

The season ended unceremoniously on Thursday night with a 5-1 loss to the Oklahoma City Barons, a a 4-1 series loss. In the final three games of the series, all played in OKC, the Stars were outscored 16-4 and completely outplayed in nearly every aspect of the game in the third period in each contest.

On Wednesday, a 3-2 lead headed into the third period fell apart as the Barons scored five goals in a 7-3 rout. It could be said the season was the moment Fedun scored to give the Barons the lead, because after that goal the Stars were never the same. The wind left their sails and there was basically no fight left in what turned out to be a rather hapless Game 5 effort on the way to the loss.

Aside from the third period meltdowns of the past few games, the Stars can't be accused of not giving everything they had -- and that's the problem. Desjardins and the Stars threw everything they had at the Barons and were frustrated so much that it appeared the team actually regressed as the series wore on as all confidence and chemistry left the ice.

At the crux of the issue was the play in net by both goaltenders. Yann Danis was nothing short of brilliant, while Cristopher Nilstorp ultimately proved to be mortal. The Barons were a high-scoring team and the Stars needed to do anything possible to keep the score low; Texas allowed just three goals combined in the first two games yet had just one win, with the frustration around that fact showing through as the series progressed.

The Stars were all flash and no finish, with Alex Chiasson, Matt Fraser, Reilly Smith and Brett Ritchie all generating chance after chance against the Barons but were unable to put the puck in the net when it counted the most. On Thursday, the game began to fall apart when Chiasson just missed on a brilliant shot off the rush only to have the Barons skate the puck back down the ice and bury a well-placed shot to go ahead 2-0.

Texas had a strong start on Thursday, outshooting the Barons 12-8 in the first period. Yet Hartikainen scored in the final minutes of the frame and all of the hard work was for naught, as Fedun's goal came less than two minutes into the second period and the Stars never recovered.

The body language on the ice and on the bench was tough to see. As the Stars skated off the ice for the second intermission heads were hanging low and you could see this was a defeated team. Perhaps it all boiled down to Danis outplaying Nilstorp and nothing more, but this was a hockey team that did not resemble the one that had been so successful for the majority of the season.

Back in October, with the Stars still trying to gain their footing in the AHL standings, here were the line combinations and defensive pairings:

R.Smith-Eakin-Vincour
Fraser-Morin-Hedden
Wathier-Petersen-Chiasson
Gazdic-Roussel-A. Smith

Barker-Fortunus
Dillon-Benn
Nemeth-Oleksiak

Here were the line combos and pairings last night:

Fraser-Petersen-Morin
Hedden-Chiasson-Dowling
R. Smith-Sceviour-Glennie
Wathier-Vause-Ritchie

Gaunce-Connauton
Oleksiak-Benn
Fortunus-Sloan(Morrow)

Morrow played most of the postseason next to Fortunus but was scratched for Thursday's game.

Now, every team experiences turnover throughout the season and the AHL is home for such changes more than any other. It's expected that the best teams are the ones that can deal with this change the best; the Barons are just as dangerous now as they were five months ago, yet don't have Taylor Hall and Justin Schultz leading the way.

Simply put, Willie Desjardins and the Texas Stars were unable to deal with this change -- for whatever reason -- and the right balance and chemistry needed for the postseason was never found.

Part of this issue hinges around the injury to Travis Morin that kept him out of Game 1; the Stars could never really find offensive balance after his return. The lack of depth at center was woefully apparent in this series, as Chiasson and Glennie were unable to provide the sort of boost that Cody Eakin and Antoine Roussel had enjoyed before the lockout.

It's also clear that Desjardin's attempts to spark some sort of offensive output actually had a negative effect, as whatever chemistry the team might have had before was now gone. Credit goes to the Barons and Danis for frustrating the hell out of the Stars, but the Stars were incredibly flat in two of the three games in OKC and especially in that third period on Wednesday.

What is clear is that, even with Gaunce and Connauton added at the end of the season* this is a very young and inexperienced team that was just handily dispatched by a veteran and skilled Barons squad. The Texas Stars have a fine crop of young forwards and defensemen that are just getting their feet wet in the pros but the entire organization must have better success and a better effort than what we witnessed against OKC.

*To go ahead address the question of "how could you have been so praiseworthy of the prospects yet the team fell apart against the Barons?": The answer is simple... I was scouting individuals and not the team. The Barons exposed the Stars all season long and that continued in this series. Desjardins was outcoached and frankly tried to do too much, especially moving Morin to the wing; in the end the individual skills on this team were not enough to overcome the lack of depth at center and an obvious lack of cohesive chemistry when it counted.

This has been an issue for a few years now, but the Stars need veteran leadership in that locker room and they need veterans that can also lead on the ice as well. Francis Wathier and Luke Gazdic are popular and hard working players, but they aren't what this team ultimately needs.

Stephen Meserve also chimes inwith his thoughts on why the Stars fell apart against the Barons:

Texas's best players were not their best players. Matt Fraser didn't have a point in the series and had the egregious turnover in OT of Game 1 to give the Barons the win. Alex Chiasson's only point came on the inconsequential lone goal last night. He struggled with the unexplained transition to center and was minus-8 in the series. The Stars' leading scorer in round 1, Kevin Connauton, had a single assist and was minus-8 in the series as well.

Line shuffling last night was very confusing. Travis Morin, all-time points leader for Texas and all-time assists leader, was moved to the wing to be centered by Toby Petersen. Colton Sceviour dropped to the third line to center Glennie and Reilly Smith. Glennie had been doing well in the defensive center role in the series. While he hadn't recorded any points, coming into last night's game he was one of Texas's few plus players in the series. Also, Sceviour hasn't played center in months. It's not like you forget, but it's not the best time to make a shift and play with new linemates.

Perhaps this is all just part of the growth. We can't look at last season and use that as a barometer for this year's outcome; there was just too much change for such a comparison to be made. Instead, this should be seen a starting point and a place to move forward but the same challenges lie ahead, especially if the Stars are unable to find some suitable AHL veteran help moving forward.

What is very important, however, is that the same culture of success that Jim Nill is charged with instilling in Dallas is also instilled in Cedar Park. The players hanging their heads at the end of last night's game are expected to form the core of the Dallas team in the very near future. While getting to the second round of the postseason is no small feat and should be commended, the expectations in this organization are certainly rising.

Once again, time to look ahead to next year.

2013 NHL Playoffs: San Jose Sharks can't overcome choker label in heartbreaking loss

2013-05-17T14:59:52Z

At this point, it's just a self-fulfilling prophesy that has descended into the depths of a bad joke retold at each holiday gathering.

"Hey, remember that time when the San Jose Sharks choked?"

"Which time was that?"

Uproarious laughter ensues.

Add Thursday's heartbreaking 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, in which the Sharks allowed two power play goals in the final two minutes of the game, to the list of moments where San Jose choked away a golden opportunity.

Perhaps all of the pointing and laughing is just jealousy and basic schadenfreude at work.

The San Jose Sharks are an incredibly successful hockey franchise and arguably a top five franchise in the NHL the past decade. The Sharks have not missed the postseason since before the last lockout and have secured six divisional titles since 2002, as well as appearing in three Western Conference Finals in that span.

There are many teams around the NHL that would kill to trade their history for that of the Sharks, that would love to be a perennially successful playoff team that has made it out of the first round in six out of the last eight years while putting together some of the stronger teams the Western Conference has to offer.

Yet success is always judged on a relative scale. While the Florida Panthers may look across the continent at San Jose in jealousy, the Sharks franchise and their fans have a completely different set of expectations to meet. While the Panthers may look to a rebuild because they struggle to actually make the playoffs, the Sharks are constantly looking at the possibility of a rebuild in each successive season in which the Stanley Cup is not obtained.

There's been a lot of talk the past two seasons about the "window closing" for the Sharks and their current run of success, as Joe Thornton and company get on in the years and the core of the team gets older and crustier. There's been some shots of youth and skill on the team, most notably Logan Couture, yet with the same essential group of players the Sharks continue to fall short in their battle for the ultimate goal in hockey.

Last season the Sharks were handily dismissed by the St. Louis Blues in the first round and there was talk of blowing the team up, or possibly firing head coach Todd McLellan. Other than signing Adam Burish to a four-year contract and losing a number of role players to free agency, not many changes were actually made in the offseason and the Sharks entered the truncated 2013 season with essentially the same team -- perhaps that first round loss was just a fluke?

The Sharks did make some significant changes at the trade deadline, parting ways with Douglas Murray, Michal Handzus and Ryane Clow while acquiring future assets, then picking up Raffi Torres and Scott Hannan as the dynamic on the roster was tweaked a bit. The results weren't exactly encouraging, as the Sharks went just 6-5-1 after the deadline and lost the final two games of the season before facing Vancouver.

A four-game sweep of a hapless Canucks team obviously solved everything, right?

To be fair, the Sharks have mostly outplayed the Kings in the first two games of the series. The Sharks were shutout in Game 1 by an absurdly strong performance by goaltender Jonathan Quick and then dominated Game 2 on Thursday. After going down 2-0 early in the game the Sharks controlled every aspect of play, winning 68 percent of the faceoffs and scoring three goals to eventually take the lead in the third period.

Yet hockey is a 60 minute sport and no one understands this better than the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings have tasted success; this is a team that understands exactly what it takes to win when the pressure is at its highest and that came through on Thursday.

The Dustin Brown power play goal to tie the game with 1:43 remaining left the Sharks reeling and it showed the moment the puck dropped. Trevor Lewis' goal just 22 seconds later came on a rush with Brad Stuart, Joe Pavelski and Dan Boyle aimlessly skating back to their net and then left staring at each other in disbelief and disgrace.

If Brown's goal was a back-breaker, then Lewis' goal was a soul-destroying blow. Can the Sharks rebound from a 2-0 deficit, especially after losing in such a fashion in a game in which they actually played very well? More importantly, are the Los Angeles Kings right back to being the unstoppable force from the 2012 postseason and do the Sharks have any chance at all in slowing them down?

The Sharks lost another postseason game in heartbreaking fashion (remember Boyle scoring on his own goal in overtime?) and once again will be facing questions of team construction and coaching if this series is lost. Sweeping change has been talked about for two years now and it's possible that 1:43 of game play at the end of a singular game could become the straw that breaks that metaphorical camel's back.

The Sharks claim they won't give up, however.

"I liked our game," McLellan said after the game. "We'll meet at the rink and I'll tell our team that. The thing I like about our team -- maybe in the past this would have bothered our team more, but with the group of guys we have I think we can recover from this. I think we can get out and play hard again."

Game 3 is set for Saturday, May 18 with the puck dropping at 9 p.m. ET.

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NHL playoffs: Logan Couture's Sharks unable to solve Jonathan Quick, Kings

2013-05-15T16:14:02Z

The San Jose Sharks easily dismissed the Vancouver Canucks in the first round, the only team to put together a sweep thus far in the postseason, yet the path will be much more difficult moving forward. That reality hit hard on Tuesday night in a 2-0 shutout loss as the Sharks were unable to solve the continuing playoff mystery that is goaltender Jonathan Quick.

Logan Couture and his line enjoyed incredible success against the Canucks, with the big center finishing with eight points in just four games -- including six points in two home games in San Jose. Couture's rise over the past few seasons, as well as his big play in the first round, was expected to help add some balance to an offensive attack that too often had become one-dimensional and wrapped around Joe Thornton to succeed with the stakes were at their highest.

This lack of balance in the playoffs has led to the Sharks gaining a reputation of a team that falls apart when adversity strikes in the postseason. The franchise has not missed the postseason since 2003 and has two conference finals appearances since 2010, yet still cannot shake the moniker of a team incapable of getting the upper hand against the best the NHL has to offer -- no matter what may have happened in the regular season.

The Sharks came out in the first period, after a full week of rest following their first round sweep of the Canucks, as a team on a mission and controlled play for most of the first period. As has happened so many times in recent years, however, the Sharks proved unable to take advantage of prime scoring chances and despite a lethal-looking power play never could truly take control of the game.

That sliver of sunlight was all the Kings needed, scoring with just 13 seconds remaining in the first period to take what would be an impossible lead for the Sharks to overcome.

The Kings did a masterful job of putting the Anze Kopitar line directly up against Couture, Patrick Marleau and Raffi Torres, victimizing the Sharks' top line for the majority of the game and using a big second period push to fully take control of the game. Couture proved no match straight up against Kopitar, who dominated play against the line for the majority of the game -- which also allowed the Kings to better focus on shutting down Joe Thornton.

Couture and company were then beaten by Mike Richards and Slava Voynov for a second period goal that would essentially place the game well out of reach.

To their credit, the Sharks showed plenty of fight and perhaps moreso than we would have seen in recent years. San Jose directed 28 total shots on goal in the third period, officially outshooting the Kings 16-4 in the frame and putting Los Angeles back on their heels for the majority of the period. This was the sort of attack the Kings were used to doling out to the opposition and showed against St. Louis that this was a team that is indeed vulnerable when put against the ropes.

Yet again, however, the Kings showcased the sort of resiliency that carried them to the Stanley Cup in 2012. After two straight losses to open the postseason the Kings have now won five straight, outscoring the opposition 12-6 in that span with Jonathan Quick obviously right back in the top form he enjoyed on his way to lifting the Cup last season.

It's a scary thought for the Sharks, that once again they come up against a team clicking on all cylinders right a time when San Jose appears ready for true postseason success. This is not the same Sharks team of year's past; there is a belief this a deeper, stronger team with better goaltending than ever before -- but that there's a chance the window is closing on the Sharks' chances at truly finding glory.

Quick was a perfect 35-for-35 on Tuesday night, showing the incredible sense of calm and control he has when moving about the crease. There were many instances where a scramble in front appeared to be headed toward an imminent goal against yet Quick would confidently shut down such thoughts with a masterful kick of his leg pad or a subtle flick of his shoulder.

The Sharks appeared to command play of the game for the better part of the first and third periods, yet the Kings were never truly not in control of the game. Not with Jonathan Quick in net. A team that opened the 2013 season a bit rusty and perhaps feeling the pressures of being the defending champions suddenly appear to be the most stable teams remaining in this postseason.

This series is far from over, however, and the guess is that the Sharks walked away from Game 1 feeling confident despite the shutout loss. If San Jose cannot begin to solve Quick, however, and Couture is unable to find the same level of play he enjoyed against the Canucks, then this is a Sharks team that could be once again headed for a relatively early departure from the postseason.

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Dallas Stars Fire Glen Gulutzan; Coaching Search Begins

2013-05-14T17:40:21Z

As expected, news came today in regards to the Dallas Stars coaching situation. Glen Gulutzan will not return next season.

The Dallas Stars will not have head coach Glen Gulutzan and assistant coach Paul Jerrard return next season, the team announced on Tuesday, stating that the two have been relieved of their coaching duties. Gulutzan was not technically under contract for next season, although the Dallas Stars did have a team option for that third year.

Gulutzan, 41, was hired in 2011 as a coach expected to grow with a young team and was coming off two very successful seasons with the Texas Stars in the AHL. It was clear, however, that Gulutzan was likely in over his head from the start and had a very inexperienced coaching staff and front office around him -- as well as a team that never truly had the sort of firepower a coach needs to be successful.

In two seasons, one that was cut short to just 48 games because of the lockout, Gulutzan had a 66-57-9 record with the Stars missing the postseason both years. Each season, the Stars were in control of their postseason fate with just five games remaining and both seasons lost those final five games. The Stars were also mired by a historically bad power play last season, as well as continued difficulites on defense and in transition.

Like Nieuwendyk, it could be said that Gulutzan was put in an impossible situation -- especially considering the amount of turnover on the team in a season cut in half by the lockout. In the end, his team never seemed to really be able to gain the upper hand when the stakes were at their highest and it's likely that Gulutzan needs a few more years of coaching experience before he's ready to take over an NHL team again.

Just as it was with Nieuwendyk, the biggest issue with Gulutzan is that the Stars never truly had an identity as a hockey team while he was coach. There just didn't appear to be the sort of inherent structure a team needs to have to fall back on, and perhaps he just did not work as well with veteran players as would be expected of a NHL coach.

All of that being said, it was apparent that Gulutzan never really had the benefit of a team that was properly assembled -- and this season's attempt at short-term transition was not nearly as successful as it was expected to be. Some could argue that the Stars overachieved at times under Gulutzan, but at the same time it's clear that this was perhaps the right decision for all involved.

Gulutzan is an intelligent, thoughtful coach who always treated those in the media with respect and class. We wish him nothing but the best moving forward and hopefully he'll be back coaching in the NHL sooner than later.

The big question now becomes which coach is chosen to replace him? Curt Fraser is going to stay on board with the team, as well as goaltenders coach Mike Valley. There has been speculation that Alain Vigneault could be at the top of the list to be the next coach, with Dallas Eakins and Dave Tippett also having been mentioned.

Here's the press release:

Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that head coach Glen Gulutzan and assistant coach Paul Jerrard have been relieved of their coaching duties, effective immediately.

Jim Nill will be available to the media today at 3:00 p.m. inside of Dallas' locker room at Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco. Audio of Nill's statements will be posted on StarsMediaCentral.com shortly after media availability.

"I would like to thank Glen Gulutzan and Paul Jerrard for the work they provided to the Dallas organization over the past four seasons," said Nill. "They are both quality coaches and men, but we have decided to go in a different direction with our coaching staff and we wish them well in their next endeavors."

Gulutzan, 41, was the 21st head coach in franchise history and led the club to a 42-35-5 record in 2011-12, and a mark of 22-22-4 in the shortened 2013 campaign.

Assistant coach Curt Fraser and goaltending coach Mike Valley will both be retained by the club moving forward.

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