Game one final score: Stars 4, Lightning 1
Stars lead series 1-0

By Nathan Tucker
nrtucker@lc.edu

The well-rested Dallas Stars came out and hammered the banged-up Tampa Bay Lightning, taking it to them for two periods and relying on goaltender, Anton Khudobin, to close the door in the third to win 4-1 Saturday night for a 1-0 lead. 

By the time the Lightning got in the game, it was too late.

“I don’t even know if you need to take a shower after the first two periods,” Lightning coach, Jon Cooper, said. “They came out, they were skating and I think we probably dipped our toes in the water a little bit and watched them skate around for a bit.”

Game one started looking every bit like Dallas had four days off since winning the Western Conference final and Tampa Bay just one after clinching the East. The Stars, who grinded their way through the playoffs with ferocious checking, came out hitting, knowing the Lightning aren’t quite at full health.

The Lightning came out punching in the third period, outshooting Dallas 22-2 in that frame. Stars netminder Anton Khudobin shut down the threat, and propelled his team to a 1-0 series lead.

Goal scorers for Dallas:
Joel Hanley (1st of playoffs), Jamie Oleksiak (5), Joel Kiviranta (5), Jason Dickinson (1)

Goal scorer for Tampa Bay:
Yanni Gourde (6)