The Dallas Stars won 37 of 55 faceoffs Saturday night, a 67.3 percent share of the draws. It did not, by itself, explain the 4-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.
Dallas also finished ahead 32-19 in shots. Dallas won the faceoff ledger and the shot ledger, but those are separate accomplishments. The first gave the Stars frequent opportunities to begin with the puck. The second showed that the game developed beyond the faceoff circle.
That distinction appeared immediately at the United Center. Dallas outshot Chicago 12-5 in a scoreless opening period. Neither team had put a goal on the board. A faceoff win is a starting condition, not a guaranteed scoring chance; the puck still has to move into a dangerous area, and the ensuing play still has to produce a shot that matters.
Dallas eventually supplied the finishing. Jason Robertson opened the scoring 4:58 into the second period on the power play, with Mikko Rantanen and Thomas Harley assisting. The goal gave the Stars a lead, but it should not be used to inflate the entire special-teams story.
Dallas went 1-for-4 with the man advantage, while Chicago went 0-for-4. That was a favorable exchange, not a complete account of the night.
The broader separation came at even strength. Arttu Hyry scored at 14:10 of the second, assisted by Sam Steel, to make it 2-0. Dallas had again recorded 12 shots in the period, while Chicago managed six.
The Stars’ advantage was no longer just about who took the first touch after a whistle. The shot advantage stood alongside the faceoff advantage, with no need to assume one had directly produced the other.
Hyry struck again 1:27 into the third, this time on an even-strength backhand assisted by Nils Lundkvist. He finished with two goals on five shots in 12 minutes, an efficient contribution that changed the shape of the contest without requiring a massive workload.
Roope Hintz added an even-strength goal at 9:40, assisted by Tyler Seguin and Robertson, who finished with a goal, an assist and seven shots.
The timing of those goals matters. Dallas led 2-0 after two periods with a 24-11 shot advantage. Its other two goals came in the third. The final period was an even 8-8 in shots, which argues against describing the game as a continuous Dallas barrage. Chicago had its share of the closing frame; it simply had too much ground to recover.
