In his NHL debut, high-end prospect Lian Bichsel netted the Dallas Stars' lone goal in 4-1 loss to the Nashville Predators.
The Dallas Stars lost 4-1 on Thursday night to the Nashville Predators in a game where they couldn't manage to get the puck past netminder Justus Annunen.
The 24-year-old Swiss native is a recent addition to Nashville after being traded by the Colorado Avalanche for goaltender Scott Wedgewood. Stars high end prospect Lian Bichsel scored the teams only goal and did so in his NHL debut.
The game started with aggressive forechecking from the Predators that saw Stars netminder Jake Oettinger have to make a handful of key saves to keep the game tied. Dallas struggled to generate any quality shot opportunities as they went the first 16 minutes of the game with just one shot on goal.
The pressure finally mounted as the Predators rushed into the Stars end with defenceman Adam Wilsby jumping into the play. He gets a quick pass while entering the zone and has a clear lane at the net from just inside the faceoff dot and takes advantage. He gets the puck past Oettinger but forgets to get onside when entering the zone and the game remains tied.
It was the first challenge of the season for Dallas and the momentum gained from having the score tied once again helped carry them back into the game. They started off the second with more scoring chances and evening up the shots on net after trailing eight to one with four minutes left in the first.
Dallas were generating chances but their momentum was quickly downed when Jonathan Marchessault, from behind the net, finds a wide open Ryan O'Reilly in the slot who buries a quick shot for the games opening goal. Four Stars were behind the net trying to get the puck and left O'Reilly uncovered in a brutal defensive breakdown.
Just two minutes later, the Stars again broke down defensively when trying to get the puck out of their end. They pushed high and left just one defender with two Predators low in their end. Tommy Novak doesn't waste the opportunity and blows past Oettinger and making it a 2-0 game for Nashville.
Things turned from bad to worse when a minute later, the Predators work a quick shot on net and Ryan O'Reilly scores his second goal of the game on a tip in front of the net. It was a quick flurry from Nashville that turned the game on its head and gave them a sizeable three goal lead in just four minutes.
The third period was a back-and-forth first ten minutes with the Stars finally catching a break after Bichsel jumps in on the action. He hops into a fast break with captain Jamie Benn and has a lane at the net so he fires off a shot towards Annunen's stick side and it gets by him. The rookie gets his first goal and cuts the deficit to just two.
Dallas's video coaches had again saved the team from a goal after a frenzy in front lead to goaltender interference and prevent a fourth goal from Nashville. They stayed persistent however and Zachary L'Heureux buries a shot on an empty net to seal the 4-1 victory for the Predators.
The Stars had brought the pressure with shots on net in the second and third periods but couldn't generate enough quality chances. They will look to rebound from the loss when taking on the Blues Saturday night.