Heika's Take: With win in Game 2, Stars even the series at the right time

The Stars on Thursday tied up their first-round playoff series with Calgary in more ways than one.
Sure, Dallas beat the Flames 2-0 at the Scotiabank Saddledome to put the best-of-seven series at 1-1 heading back to Texas. But just as important, the Stars received a shutout from goalie Jake Oettinger, got a goal from the top line, and sent a message that they can definitely match the intensity of the Pacific Division Champions.

"That's how we have to play," Stars coach Rick Bowness said. "We have to grind it out with them. This is one of the best defensive teams in the league. They're not going to give you a lot of chances, no matter if you play Dallas Stars hockey, whatever hockey. They don't give you very much."

John Klingberg and Matthew Tkachuk had a fight on the first shift, seven players had three hits or more, and Dallas regained its advantage in the faceoff circle and blocked 20 shots (to just five for the Flames). It was a gritty effort that embodied the personality of the team and what appears to be the personality of the series.
"It was a good team win," Stars captain Jamie Benn said. "I thought we made it too easy on them in the first game. We were better tonight. They're going to have their pushes, but we handled them well and we found a way to dig in and get it done."

The first 10 minutes were a bit bonkers, with 12 minutes in penalties called and plenty of special teams play. But Dallas was much better than Game 1, and even took a 1-0 lead seven minutes in. Klingberg attacked on the rush and helped win a puck battle to keep the puck deep in the offensive zone. Jason Robertson then controlled the puck and found Joe Pavelski driving the slot. Robertson made the perfect pass, Pavelski made the perfect redirection and the Stars had their first goal of the playoffs.
It was huge coming off a 1-0 loss in Game 1 in which Dallas had just 16 shots on goal. It was a boost in confidence, and it helped settle down a crazy Calgary crowd that was out for blood.
"It's nice to get the lead," Pavelski said. "We handled their forecheck a little bit better, a little bit cleaner. You reset, you see what you can do different, and guys responded. They're not going to go away, and you just have to take situations as they come."

And while the Stars really didn't generate a ton of shot opportunities throughout the game (Calgary had a 65-34 advantage in shot attempts), they didn't just sit back. Especially late in the game, the Stars pushed hard, created scoring chances and were rewarded with an empty-net goal for Michael Raffl.
"We had to get more physical, there's no question. We knew they'd be coming after us early and we did a good job on that first shift getting the puck deep and going," Bowness said. "This is one of the best defensive teams in the league, they're not going to give you a lot of chances. We weren't happy with our game in Game 1, but we had no passengers tonight and that's the only way you're going to beat this team."
Mix in all that team play with an incredible night from Oettinger, and the result was a lot of confidence.
"He's very calm, he's very confident," Bowness said of the goalie starting just his second playoff game. "We're putting a rookie in a tough situation, and we don't know how he's going to react. We're very confident with him clearly, and he's handled it very well."
In fact, the coach said it's clear that Oettinger is even having fun.

"I think he's enjoying being center stage," Bowness said. "I think he's enjoying being given the ball and running with it. Some guys are intimidated by that, he's not."
Still, 1-1 is just the first step. Dallas has to come back and take control of the series with Games 3 and 4 at American Airlines Center.
"It's one game, we've got a ways to go," Pavelski said.
That said, it was a pretty important win, for a lot of reasons.
"We're not going to win the series until we win a game in here, so it was good that we got it tonight," Bowness said. "It was a hard-fought game just like Game 1, and it's probably going to be the same way at home."
And now, the Stars know they're ready for more.
The series shifts to American Airlines Center for Game 3 on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. CT Get your tickets now!
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.