It was billed as a matchup of two of the West's best clubs, the pace-setting Vancouver Canucks and the surprising Dallas Stars. By the end of the night, the Canucks would vault themselves to a tie for the NHL's best record, while the Stars would be left with a missed opportunity to put themselves in the category of the league's elite.
The Stars did come out firing, but that didn't matter much when Alex Burrows ripped a slap shot from the point that cleanly beat Kari Lehtonen. It was the Canucks first shot, the Canucks first goal, and alas, the Canucks first step to a blowout win.
Dallas tied the game several minutes later on a Brad Richards backhander, but that would be short-lived as well. Ironically, the Stars penalty killing had killed 24 of their last 26 penalties, but two stick fouls just about a minute apart led to two Vancouver power play goals. The Canucks never looked back, adding four more goals after that as they rolled to a 7-1 romp.
- Seven different Canucks scored, writes Nucks Misconduct, while only four players failed to notch a point.
- Defending Big D says that if you didn't stay up for the late start, you're one of the lucky ones.