Pre-Season Game 3: Dallas 4, St. Louis 3

The Stars mounted three-goals in the third period, and survived a late push by the visiting St. Louis Blues, in order to hang on for their first pre-season victory, 4-3. As with all previous pre-season games, this game was not broadcast through radio or television, so all impressions are gained by looking at the stats.

First, it was nice to finally get a win. The Blues should be a decent club this year (though probably not serious contenders in the heavily competitive Western Conference).

Second, from reading the stats, it appears that St. Louis goaltender Chris Mason had a really great night. Mason made 31 stops on 35 shots. That’s still giving up four goals, but any night where your goaltender faces 35 shots is a pretty rough night for him. If he can play like this through the season, he’s going to give the Blues another great option in goal.

By comparison, Marty Turco played the entire night in net for Dallas, and faced 19 shots, stopping 16.

Lastly - the Stars really kept the competitive fire going last night, pulling out a rally in the third period, and holding off a rally by the Blues. That really gives a boost to a team’s offense AND defense. I’d like to see them carry that momentum on into the next game, tonight in Chicago.

As far as stats go, Brenden Morrow continued his strong pre-season play, adding another goal to his totals, and defenseman Nicklas Grossman had two assists on the night. Stars’ roster hopefuls B.J. Crombeen and James Neal each had a goal as well. Competition for that last forward spot available for a promising rookie looks like it’s building up even stronger.