- 9 minutes ago
Brien Rea joined the K&C Masterpiece to discuss the Dallas Stars’ current season. Rea broke down how the team has handled the point streak ending, and explained the impact of elevated intensity in third periods. He analyzed the Stars’ physicality and defensive pressure, previewed potential playoff matchups and more.
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00:00We will turn our attention to our friend, Dallas Stars broadcaster and music aficionado, Brian Ray.
00:06Brian, how are we doing today, sir?
00:09So we got March Madness in two days.
00:11We got Dallas in Colorado tonight, and Kevin's taking some time off.
00:16Yeah, coincidence?
00:17Do you think it's a coincidence that he's like, I don't want to talk about it, I just want to
00:21watch it, is what I feel is going on.
00:23I better see him courtside at the next play in March Madness game with his face painted going bananas.
00:30I'll tell you what, last year at this time, he did make it to two Duke games.
00:34Yeah, he was at two Duke games.
00:37Was it the Final Four or something like that?
00:40I can't remember exactly how it went.
00:41He's a big Duke guy.
00:42He's a huge Cooper Flag fan, so there's a possibility.
00:46I don't have him in my Final Four this year, so I'm glad he's not on the show.
00:49That's my guy right there.
00:51I appreciate digging on Duke there.
00:53All right, so Brian, I loved what you said the other night when we were texting back and forth after
01:00the loss to the Mammoth,
01:02because it changed my mind on how I look at this Stars team, actually.
01:08And this Stars team doesn't ever feel sorry for themselves.
01:11After a 6-3 loss like that, what's your take on what that does for this team?
01:19We'll find out tonight against Colorado what it does.
01:22And I'm usually a glass-half-full guy, but I look at that loss to Utah, and it wasn't a
01:29good loss.
01:29I thought they looked disconnected.
01:31Actually, I loved their first two periods.
01:33I thought they were engaged defensively.
01:36I thought at times offensively there could have been a little more assertiveness.
01:41I thought they could have had a little more urgency to it.
01:44But at the end of the day, this point streak was going to end.
01:48Yes.
01:49They were not going to roll the table for the rest of the season.
01:52If they win that game against Utah, all they're being asked about today after morning skate,
01:58and all we're talking about is the point streak and going into Colorado and trying to catch them and staying
02:07hot.
02:08And Colorado is in their own room saying how sweet would it be to end the point streak and get
02:14the two points in regulation.
02:16And it's not like the Avalanche need any more motivation,
02:19but why hand them any extra motivation when you're going into their barn tonight?
02:23So I thought if Dallas was going to take a little bit of a punch in the nose and be
02:28forced to reset and look in the mirror again,
02:31the best time for them to do that is right before they have to go on the road to Colorado,
02:39on the road to Minnesota, and then play Vegas again.
02:43Because now you're getting into the big boy part of the Western Conference
02:48and teams that they're going to see or potentially see in a playoff series.
02:54So just a little reset.
02:57I think it's good for the situation they are about to find themselves in beginning tonight in Colorado.
03:03Brian, you mentioned that you liked the first two periods against the Mammoth,
03:07and I'd been talking about it since that game that the third period the past few games has felt a
03:13little restless by the Stars,
03:16and Matt Duchesne even mentioned it after the loss,
03:19saying that they need to keep the energy level up a little bit more.
03:22What have you noticed in the third period specifically that has slowed them down?
03:27Yeah, the biggest thing for me with the Utah game specifically,
03:30it was really the intensity.
03:32And Chevy and I were talking about this on our post-game show.
03:35I don't think Dallas let their foot off the gas.
03:38I don't think they necessarily went into a lull.
03:41I think they felt they were in it, or at least not.
03:44It looked to me like they felt they were in a good place after the first two periods,
03:49and they stayed in that place for the third.
03:52Utah entered the third period and said, we've lost four in a row.
03:56We're tied.
03:57We're winning this third period regardless of what it takes,
04:01and we're walking out of here with two points.
04:03The intensity elevated for them.
04:05And I think it's similar to that Detroit game and Detroit coming back to force overtime.
04:10You could see the pushback and the shift in intensity that Detroit brought
04:16because they knew that they were trying to stay alive in a playoff race.
04:20Chicago's not in a playoff race, but I think Chicago thought, hey,
04:23we've got a chance to beat this team.
04:25It's finding a way to match that elevated intensity from the team on the other side of the ice.
04:31Now, if this game is tied entering the third period tonight against Colorado or Minnesota
04:36or even Vegas, I don't think this team's going to have a problem elevating their intensity.
04:41I think you look at the two teams or the team that's on the other side of the ice
04:44and the magnitude of these games, and I think Dallas is going to be right there.
04:50And since you brought up the third periods, let's go back to that very first Colorado game,
04:55and they score with 13 seconds left, that's tough.
05:01Sometimes that's hockey.
05:03I mean, to be 13 seconds away from getting two points in regulation against that team,
05:09you know, the truth could have taken that shot.
05:12It could have hit a post.
05:12And now we're talking about Dallas, you know, walking out of that game with two points.
05:17I thought they had matched Colorado's intensity,
05:19and they were blow for blow in that game going back and forth.
05:22That wasn't, they had a massive lead or full control of the game,
05:26and they lost it in the third period, as opposed to Detroit and Utah.
05:31You know, I thought Dallas had full control of both of those games
05:34and the elevated intensity of the other side.
05:37They didn't match that.
05:38And so that is why they ended up having to go to overtime.
05:42And I'll just leave this last thing for you.
05:45I thought in the third period of the Utah game,
05:47the best offensive sequence for the Dallas Stars
05:51was when they were on that penalty kill.
05:54They had chance after, they had, that's when I'm like, okay, their intensity,
05:58they're chasing this game, they're down 4-2.
06:00They just elevated their intensity to the place that it needed to be,
06:04and they were dominating Utah, shorthanded no less, in creating chances.
06:10That's, they will be able to get to that place,
06:13no problem against Colorado, Minnesota, and Vegas if those games are tied,
06:18or if they're down by a goal or even up by a goal in the third period of play.
06:22Brian, I'm going to need a little, this is some marriage advice.
06:25I feel like I give a lot of great marriage advice on the show,
06:28but my wife last week, she was at the game where the Stars scored seven goals,
06:32and she was like, I think I need to go to the rest of the games this year.
06:37I'm not sure I can get her to all the rest of the games,
06:39but I want to do what I can for the Stars.
06:41Do you think she'll be upset if I can't get her to all the rest of the games this year?
06:47Because we saw what happened on Friday, so.
06:49I mean, yeah, look, this isn't a marriage thing.
06:53This is Sports Fandom 101.
06:56I don't know what your mortgage situation is,
06:58but you can always take out a second one.
07:00That's good, yeah, that's a good call.
07:01So figure it out, brother.
07:04You know, it's pretty obvious.
07:06Seven goals.
07:07I was trying to tell her it was just a coincidence,
07:09and she refused to believe it.
07:11So you know what?
07:12I think I need to refuse to believe it, too,
07:13because if I want these Stars to do their thing,
07:15I've got to get her there.
07:17Look, like I said, I don't know what your mortgage situation is.
07:20I'm never going to judge anybody if they go back to renting.
07:23I actually think it's a smart economical decision.
07:27I'm really not.
07:28And plenty of us have cut the cord.
07:30You don't need spectrum.
07:31You're fine.
07:32That's a good point.
07:32That's a good point.
07:33As long as I have victory plus, I'm good.
07:36Unless spectrum is a current sponsor, then absolutely you need it.
07:39I love them.
07:40But otherwise, figure it out.
07:42Yeah, good point there.
07:43Now, one of the things that I was really excited about,
07:46and I was speaking to figure it out,
07:48one of the things before the season ends,
07:50I want Glenn Gullitson to really kind of have a good idea of where his best
07:55rotations are, obviously.
07:56But that Myers and Bischel line stands a chance to be phenomenally,
08:02like it's the Mighty Ducks.
08:04You know, it's the movie, obviously, where you've got the Bash brothers.
08:07You've got big size with some good skill, too, to go along with it.
08:11And you have a lot of skill on this team,
08:13but the physicality that comes from that.
08:15Is that going to be one of those defensive pairings that you're just like,
08:19yeah, we leave it like that, and that's a good one?
08:22You'll see that.
08:24I guarantee you'll see that defensive pairing at some point in the playoffs.
08:28I also am fairly confident you're going to see Tyler Myers play with Thomas
08:34Harley at some point here before the regular season is done.
08:36The benefit that Glenn Gullitson has when you have built up the point cushion
08:42that the Stars have had, you can try some things.
08:46And it's not in a careless manner.
08:48I mean, if a game's not going well, or the Stars just don't seem to have it,
08:54Glenn Gullitson could say, you know what, we've got to change our mojo anyway.
08:57Let's see what Myers and Harley look like together.
08:59Let's see what happens this period with those two players paired up.
09:03And, you know, that data could be really good.
09:05He puts it in his back pocket.
09:06It could be really bad.
09:07He says, we're never doing this again.
09:09But because the Stars are in the position they're in,
09:13even if you switch a couple of players around like that,
09:16you're not necessarily compromising putting your best squad on the ice.
09:21So I do think you will see, I mean, you're going to see that pair go tonight for sure.
09:28But if things look a little off or things look a little different,
09:32because Dallas is on the road.
09:33They cannot dictate matchups after each stoppage.
09:37They do not get the last change in terms of the stoppage on ice.
09:41So there may be some tinkering that goes on here.
09:45I do think you will see Thomas Harley and Tyler Myers play together in some fashion
09:51before the regular season is done.
09:53How it carries into the playoffs, yeah, Glenn Gullitson is going to go with what he is most comfortable with
09:59and what plays the best, but also matchups are going to play a part of it too.
10:04You know, and we see coaches move chess pieces and tinker things around even within a playoff series.
10:11You know, if one team gets an advantage in a playoff series, the other team makes an adjustment.
10:16If that adjustment works, well, the other team's going to adjust to them.
10:19And then they're going to try and regain the upper hand.
10:20And that's the beauty of the playoffs.
10:22It's the old, you know, you're holding the baseball bat upside down
10:26and you're just lifting one hand on top of the other until who gets to the top.
10:31That's a playoff series.
10:32So you're going to see these pairings as they are, and you are going to see different pairings.
10:36Both things are going to happen.
10:37Yeah, who has the chalk in their hand at the end of it that was able to drop that last
10:42one.
10:43That's always about it.
10:44Now, speaking of that physicality, we love how skilled this team is.
10:48Like, we always have loved the skill of Robertson and the skill that all these guys have offensively
10:53and even our defensive players, how skilled they are.
10:56But adding Myers, having Bischel, adding Bunting, did this team add the physicality
11:01that it does take to be part of that grind in the playoffs in your mind?
11:06You hope so.
11:08I would say this.
11:10I think this team is in a better place physicality-wise today than they were entering the Olympic break.
11:18And Myers is a part of that.
11:20Liam Bischel is a part of that.
11:22Michael Bunting is a part of that.
11:24And when I say physicality, I'm not talking about the fights.
11:27I'm not talking about the pushing and shoving.
11:29I'm not even talking about the heavy hits when the Stars are trying to kill a play in their own
11:35zone.
11:35If you go back and watch part of that Utah game, and it's something to watch here with Colorado
11:41and with Minnesota and with Vegas, it's going to be really difficult to maintain this because of how good Colorado
11:46is.
11:47But when you watch the Stars recently, every time the opposing team has the puck in their own zone,
11:55there is a green jersey on them.
11:57Yes.
11:58Within their vicinity, applying pressure.
12:01And sometimes you finish a check.
12:03Sometimes you physically lock the guy up to win the puck battle.
12:07Sometimes you force the guy to move the puck quicker than he wants to, and he makes the wrong decision.
12:12But wherever he moves that puck, there's another green jersey in the vicinity, applying pressure.
12:18And I feel like Dallas has been getting better and better at that really over the course of this point
12:24streak.
12:25But since they've come back from the Olympics, they've been one of the best teams at doing that.
12:29And a lot of times you're ending possession for the other side.
12:34And if the other side doesn't have the puck, well, now you have the chance to score.
12:38You have the chance to make a play.
12:39So that's where I think their game is going physically.
12:42And it's really hard to do this.
12:43But to constantly apply that pressure over the course of a hockey game, it's really hard to do.
12:51But if you do it, it's really effective.
12:53And Dallas has been really effective at doing that.
12:56And putting their game in that place, I think that is what is setting them up to try and have
13:01a really good playoff run.
13:02It's being able to do that now effectively against teams.
13:06They weren't doing that as well before the Olympic break.
13:09I think they are doing that much better.
13:11And it's everybody.
13:11It's top to bottom.
13:13It's not just the fourth line guys.
13:15It's everybody top to bottom that has been applying that kind of pressure physically on teams to try and create
13:21the opportunities they have.
13:22So they have been much better.
13:24And some of the metrics do say that as well.
13:26Stars analyst Brian Ray joining us here on 105.3 The Fan.
13:30How important do you think the messaging from Gully is going to be down the stretch?
13:35You've got a lot of heavy hitters left on the schedule.
13:39How important do you think, especially coming off of a loss going into a massive game tonight, the messaging, how
13:46important will that be?
13:47And how well received do you think it's been so far this season?
13:51Well, it's been incredibly well received.
13:53I think you look at the way the Stars have been playing and you look at the success they have.
13:57I go all the way back to the start of the season with Glenn Gulliton's messaging.
14:02And he basically, his two phrases have always stood out to me.
14:06Adding one degree every game in hand-to-hand combat.
14:09Because when they get into a playoff series, they don't want to have to flip a switch.
14:14They want to be there in that mindset, ready to go.
14:17And I think we've seen over this point streak, they have been adding one degree along the way.
14:23You know, the physicality is part of it.
14:25The defensive play is part of it.
14:26Some of the offense is part of it.
14:28Doing this without Mikko Rantanen and Rope Hintz and not missing a beat.
14:31That is a collective group.
14:33You know, if everybody increases their play 1%, you're going to have a 20% increase every night,
14:38regardless of who is in and out of the lineup.
14:40So it's kind of that situation.
14:41The hand-to-hand combat, it goes back to that physical play, that checking play of always applying pressure
14:49and always forcing teams into some type of battle that you can win.
14:53He's had that messaging from day one.
14:56And it really has been set in place over the course of this entire season.
15:00And I think it will continue to build as we roll through this regular season.
15:04And the other benefit here, Dallas is a veteran team.
15:09Like, there's scar tissue.
15:11There's skins on the wall.
15:13There's three consecutive Western Conference final losses with the majority of that group in the room.
15:18So the messaging is already there.
15:21And embracing that messaging and moving forward with it.
15:24Like, talking with guys in the locker room, I was actually having a great conversation with Matthew Shane about this.
15:30But they were still mad about the Colorado game that they lost in the shootout because of the three-point
15:35swing
15:35and how close they were to getting those two points in regulation.
15:38And it wasn't a dwelling on it because they were in a bad mindset.
15:42It was a, we have to do everything we can to not let that happen again type situation.
15:48And so I, this team understands there is an opportunity in front of them and they want to try and
15:56make the most of that opportunity.
15:57So it's not necessarily a messaging thing.
16:00There is an understanding in that room, head coach and with the players of the opportunity in front of them.
16:06And I truly, I truly believe each player has embraced it and embraced their specific role in trying to achieve
16:13what they want to achieve.
16:14How much do you think, and this is kind of an overall bigger hockey thing here, the dry sidle injury
16:20changes the way Edmonton finishes out
16:23or makes the complexion of the Western Conference look different?
16:29You know, talk to me if Dallas is playing Edmonton in a playoff series.
16:32Yeah, exactly.
16:33Well, you know, that's a Pacific Division problem.
16:38Dallas doesn't have to worry about that because they're either going to be number one in the Central, number two,
16:42or number three in the Central.
16:43So they're going to be in the Central Division bracket.
16:46And I think in the Pacific, look, it's going to be Vegas, it's going to be Anaheim, it's going to
16:50be Edmonton in some kind of order.
16:53One, two, three.
16:55Losing dry sidle, maybe that gives Edmonton some problems and they finish in that three hole.
17:00Maybe they drop down to a first wild card if things really go to go in the in the toilet.
17:06But the GM of the Oilers came out today and said, if everything goes according to plan and schedule, dry
17:13sidle's back for the playoffs.
17:15So this is Edmonton just trying to get themselves into the playoffs.
17:19And I think they will.
17:20There's still enough good talent there.
17:21I think they will get in the playoffs.
17:23Yeah.
17:23Yeah, I don't think it's a – for me, I don't think it's that they won't get in.
17:27It's just how it's shaped a little bit.
17:29But you're right.
17:30Stars –
17:31Well, they're going to have trouble scoring some goals, so they better learn how to keep them out of their
17:34net.
17:34They haven't been doing that this year.
17:35Yeah.
17:36But that's an Edmonton problem that Dallas is not going to have to worry about unless they see Edmonton in
17:42a playoff series of some kind.
17:44Brian, this one going to be – this one going to match up to that level?
17:47Because the other night when I was like, man, we got Edmonton coming in town.
17:50This is exciting to watch two teams that are like this good play at this level.
17:55And then, you know, the Stars went and put it on them.
17:57Are you expecting another, you know, burner tonight against the Avalanche?
18:01You know, I expect a competitive game.
18:06Every team that goes into Colorado is going to take on water.
18:11Stars are going to be outshot tonight, and it's probably going to be a decently gapped margin on that number.
18:20Jake Otinger is going to be under duress tonight at times.
18:23He's going to have to make some huge saves.
18:25There's going to be times where it looks like Dallas just can't get the puck out of their own zone.
18:29And that's what happens when you play Colorado.
18:33But I do think this team has been very well built to bend but not break.
18:39We've seen them do that against Colorado.
18:41It just may feel a little bit more fragile in this one, but they can absolutely go in there and
18:47beat Colorado.
18:48I expect another tight game.
18:50I wouldn't be surprised if it's a one-goal finish.
18:52Wouldn't be surprised if it's an overtime or a shootout again.
18:54I really won't.
18:56But they are more than capable of handling this, especially after being forced to hit the reset button from that
19:00Utah loss.
19:01Love it, man.
19:02Thank you so much for your time today, man.
19:03And we always appreciate you hopping on with us.
19:06Can't wait to talk to you again.
19:08Always, fellas.
19:09I appreciate it.
19:10There goes Brian Ray, broadcaster for the Dallas Stars.
19:12Does phenomenal work.
19:13You really should follow him for his music content the most, though.
19:18I'm dead serious about this.
19:19If you want to learn anything about late 80s, early 90s music, that's the guy that you can definitely learn
19:25a lot from.
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