Playing “what if” is never a good way to survive the long slog of a hockey season, but you can’t help but wonder what happens if Alexander Radulov’s shot on the Stars’ first power play had gone in instead of hitting the crossbar. If the pressure shifts onto Carolina early, maybe the whole game changes, right?
Well, no. Butterfly effect notwithstanding, these Stars once again put up a horse collar in the “even-strength goals for” column, and that won’t win you many hockey games. In fact, the Stars don’t even need to win a ton of games on the road, but they do need to get some points.