Stars' Lehtonen pulled after 1st period of Game 7

Kari Lehtonen had a tough night. (USATSI)

After barely hanging on to win Game 6 to shift the series back to Dallas, the Stars had a near worst-case scenario first period in Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues.

The Dallas skaters were mostly fine, as they put pressure on the Blues while also generating some high-danger scoring chances. However, it was the play by goaltender Kari Lehtonen, who has been boom or bust it seems all season, that turned the opening 20 minutes into a nightmare.

The Blues took a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal by rookie Robby Fabbri just 5:23 into the game. Sometimes, you can live with the power-play goals a goalie gives up. The Stars have been porous with the disadvantage anyway. It’s ust not their strong suit.

That said, Lehtonen had a chance to cover the puck that would have killed the play, but he just couldn’t locate it. The end result was the loose puck squirting out to Fabbri who deposited it into the open side of the net.

First try didn’t work. Neither did the second. The third… like a charm. @StLouisBlues lead 1-0. #Game7 #StanleyCuphttps://t.co/b5rvCALKcD

— #StanleyCup Playoffs (@NHL) May 12, 2016

The Stars’ shook off the tough start and started getting back to their game where they were pushing the pace.

Then the Blues came back and appeared to get a 2-0 lead when Vladimir Tarasenko‘s shot deflected off of Dallas defenseman John Klingberg‘s stick and past a stunned Lehtonen. Lucky for him, the Stars’ staff thought the play that started the rush for the goal was offside. They were right, but only by millimeters.

Bullet dodged… for just a few minutes.

The Blues came back and cycled the puck magnificently as each forward got a touch. Fabbri shoveled a puck to Troy Brouwer, who got it to Paul Stastny. The Blues center didn’t have a great angle, but threw the puck on net. He wasn’t able to get much lift on it, but Lehtonen failed to seal the post and the shot leaked through to make it 2-0 for real this time.

Sneaky sneaky, Mr. Stastny. #Game7 #DALvsSTL #StanleyCuphttps://t.co/0fU59gJHSk

— #StanleyCup Playoffs (@NHL) May 12, 2016

That goal came with just 1:28 to go in regulation. All the Stars needed to do was get out of the period and reset. They’ve overcome deficits before. Two goals is a gap they can handle.

If only it were that easy to keep the puck out of their net for the final minute-plus of the opening period.

Patrik Berglund let go a shot from just inside the Stars blue line, just trying to get it on net. The puck dipped and Lehtonen whiffed. It was 3-0 with just over four seconds to play in the period.

It all happened in a snap. Berglund tallied with 3.4 left in the 1st. #Game7 #DALvsSTL #StanleyCuphttps://t.co/Qunv6JamgT

— #StanleyCup Playoffs (@NHL) May 12, 2016

Here’s the kicker about that Berglund goal. After the Tarasenko goal was disallowed, the referees restored the four seconds on the clock that should have been there on the offside call.

So even though they got that first goal wiped out, the Blues used the time they got back to essentially get the goal back, too.

The Stars left Lehtonen in for the final four seconds, but when they came back out for the second period, Antti Niemi was in net for his fifth appearance of the playoffs. Niemi allowed a goal within the first four minutes of the period as the Stars’ postseason hopes continued to dwindle.

The cruel reality of Lehtonen’s first-period performance in Game 7 is that he is the single biggest reason there was a Game 7 at all. His 35 saves in Game 6, which included a game-saver on Jaden Schwartz in the final minute of regulation, showed the Stars netminder at his very best.

You can be a hero one night and the goat the next. The playoffs are tough.

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