The Dallas Stars found themselves down 2-0 in Game 4, but much like in this first-round series itself, they resolved to get back into it. They did more than that on Wednesday, in fact, storming back against the Anaheim Ducks to win 4-2 and tie the series 2-2.
This comeback win also prompted Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau to yank Frederik Andersen in the third period, likely inspiring some to wonder if there’s uncertainty regarding who’s the go-to guy in net. Then again, that might not really be that good of a thing for Dallas, as Jonas Hiller carried the ball for much of this season and has a lot on the line if he’s given a chance to start.
The Stars rode third-period goals from Cody Eakin and Alex Goligoski to secure the win. Here are video clips of the game-winner and the 4-2 insurance goal:
Goaltending isn’t the only area of concern for the Ducks. Even with Ryan Getzlaf mysteriously out of action for Game 4, beloved veteran Teemu Selanne was a healthy scratch, prompting plenty of late criticism:
Was Teemu Selanne playing that poorly that he had to be a healthy scratch tonight even with Ryan Getzlaf unable to play?
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) April 24, 2014
Thank god they benched Selanne.
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) April 24, 2014
Nope, Ducks didn’t need Teemu at all. #TeemuForever #LegendsForever
— Joe Yerdon (@JoeYerdon) April 24, 2014
Of course, the Devil’s Advocate argument would point to “The Finnish Flash” only have one assist in the three games he appeared in during the playoffs, but the bottom line is that a lot of people are doing some second-guessing right now.
Really, it was a bit of a nightmare for the Ducks tonight, especially as things got ugly late in the contest. Antoine Roussel even managed to draw Corey Perry into a fight in the closing minutes:
Perry takes on Roussel after leaving the box following his boarding penalty. Nah, Roussel isn't in the Ducks' heads.
— Eric Stephens (@icemancometh) April 24, 2014
Stars blog Defending Big D noted that Boudreau and the Ducks were already losing their cool regarding some of the Stars’ pesty players after Game 3. That testiness is probably boiling over to full-blown hatred by now (although, to be honest, it’s possible that disdain was already deep from their days as Pacific Division opponents).
On paper, the Stars seemed like they might be a sneaky-tough out for the Anaheim Ducks despite being the bottom-ranked West team in the playoffs (much like the Detroit Red Wings seemed like they might be a challenge for the Boston Bruins). They’ve fit that bill so far, sending this series back to Anaheim tied 2-2 ... essentially “holding serve.”
For the Ducks, it’s gut-check time, as they face the uncomfortable possibility of following two excellent regular seasons with two first-round series struggles.