ST. LOUIS -- The Stars left Tyler Seguin, Patrick Eaves and their A-game back home in Dallas.
What the Stars brought to St. Louis for Game 3 of the conference semifinal was a goaltending tandem in tatters and a defense that has become defenseless. This one was a mismatch that didn’t favor the top-seeded team in the West.
The Blues outhit, outskated and outclassed the Stars Tuesday night, claiming a 6-1 victory and a 2-1 lead in the series.
Wow. Where to start.
The Stars couldn’t put the puck in the St. Louis net and couldn’t keep it out of their own net. They also couldn’t stay out of the penalty box and couldn’t budge David Backes from the front of their own net. It was a clinic for bad hockey, for losing hockey.
For the second consecutive game, Stars coach Lindy Ruff pulled his starting goaltender. It was Kari Lehtonen Sunday after he allowed three goals in five shots in Game 2 and Antti Niemi’s turn Tuesday night after he allowed three goals in 12 shots in Game 3.
But maybe it’s his defensemen who should take a seat. Both Alex Goligoski and John Klingberg, who comprise Ruff’s defensive A-team, failed to clear a puck out of their own zone and it resulted in St. Louis goals. Alexander Steen converted Goligoski’s puck failure into a first-period goal and Vladimir Tarasenko capitalized on Klingberg’s miscue in the second period.
Troy Brouwer also spun Kris Russell like a top swooping in off the left wing boards early in the second period for yet another goal, which ended Niemi’s night.
At his press conference following the morning skate before the game, Ruff became irritated with questions about his revolving door in net. He should be just as irritated now with his goaltending.
What you want in the post-season is one goalie to step up, seize the moment and play game-after-game of stout hockey. That’s how a team wins a Stanley Cup -- ride the hot goaltender. The Stars franchise did that with Eddie Belfour in 1999.
Since 1970, only one team has managed to capture an NHL championship with a two-goalie system. In 1972, the Boston Bruins split the work between Gerry Cheevers and Eddie Johnston during the regular season on the way to the best record in the NHL. Cheevers played 41 games and Johnston 38. It was more of the same in the playoffs as Cheevers went 6-2 and Johnston 6-1 and the Bruins stormed to the Cup in 15 games.
But that Boston team had Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito -- the best defenseman in hockey and the league’s scoring champion. This Dallas team does not have an Orr or an Esposito. So the Stars are going to need more from their goaltending. They’re going to need a few momentum-turning saves. In hockey lingo, the Stars need a goaltender to stand on his head. Any goaltender.
But those nights have been rare against the Blues all season. The Stars managed to win only once against St. Louis -- a 3-0 shutout by Lehtonen in December. Lehtonen also held off the Blues 2-1 in the opening game of this playoff series but, in hindsight, that could probably be attributed to the short turnaround for St. Louis after an emotional seven-game elimination of the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.
The Blues beat the Stars once outright this season, twice more in overtime and another time in a shootout. St. Louis again won in overtime in Game 2 -- but only after coughing up a 3-1 third-period lead on Dallas ice. The Blues weren’t about to cough up a 5-1 third period lead Tuesday night on their home ice.
Except for the third period of Game 2, the size and physicality of the Blues has bottled up the Dallas offense. These last two games the Blues have belted everyone wearing green, eliminating the Dallas speed and frustrating the highest-scoring team in the NHL. That gameplan doesn’t figure to change in Game 4. That’s who the Blues are and how they play.
For the Stars to get back into this series, they may need a goaltender to steal a game for them. They need Ruff standing on his bench in the first period applauding his choice in net rather than reaching for the hook.
Ruff has two choices for Game 4. He can ill afford to make another wrong choice in this series.
Listen to Rick Gosselin at 10:50 a.m. Tuesdays on Sportsradio 1310 AM/96.7 FM The Ticket with Norm Hitzges and Donovan Lewis, and follow @RickGosselinDMN on Twitter