The Dallas Stars didn’t have an easy opponent in the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night, but they made their 4-0 win look quite simple against their Central Division rivals.
Morning Skate: Ken Hitchcock’s 800th win couldn’t have come at a better time for the Dallas Stars
A win against a Central Division rival and a playoff spot came with the historic victory.
James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Three straight goals in the second period put away a relatively low-event game of hockey, as the two teams combined for 46 shots on the evening. The win for Dallas does mark a nice milestone for its head coach, Ken Hitchcock, who got his 800th victory behind the bench. He joins Scotty Bowman and Joel Quenneville as the NHL’s most winningest head coaches in league history, and becomes the third coach all time to hit the 800-win mark.
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Lace ’em up. Time for the Morning Skate.
Quite fitting too that the win came against Quenneville’s Blackhawks, as he leads Hitchcock by 68 wins after Thursday night’s defeat.
Platitudes aside, the win has the Stars jumping the Blackhawks in the playoff standings, for now. With 41 points on the season, Dallas now has the Western Conference’s first wild card spot in a Jekyll and Hyde season. Goaltending and inconsistent scoring have done in the Stars at times this year, but when both are on, they’re clicking like one of the NHL’s best.
Ben Bishop looked like the goaltender the Stars signed him to be, as he stopped all 24 shots in the shutout victory. Two points by Tyler Seguin and Dan Hamhuis certainly helped in the endevor as well.
The Stars will likely flip flop in and out of the playoffs as the standings change day to day, but Hitchcock’s 800th win couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.
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