BOSTON -- Road games in the NHL can be unforgiving, with the pound of travel and the buzz of foreign buildings and the opportunities for inconsistencies. The Stars entered Monday night's eventual 2-1 overtime loss at Boston on a three-game wave of victories in a variety of ways.
In Montreal, they won despite a massive shot-attempt differential and because of huge efforts from Devin Shore and Ben Bishop. In Toronto, Anton Khudobin shined early and he shined late as the Stars held on tightly for a win. In Washington, they capitalized on turnovers and Jason Dickinson's overtime winner.
Boston offered a new way to win: not with forgiveness, but with fortune. The Stars couldn't, but picked up a point in the standings despite largely being outplayed by the Bruins.
Dallas finishes a season-long, six-game road trip on Tuesday night in Columbus. The Stars are 3-1-1 on the trip, already above the .500 record that Montgomery said the team needed before they left Texas.
But how to they bounce back against the Blue Jackets after looking flat in Boston?
"Say a couple swear words," Khudobin said, "maybe break the stick against the wall, go on a plane, watch some TV, come back, maybe say another couple swear words or whatever, yell at somebody and go to sleep."
Khudobin was one of the Stars' best players on Monday night, making 33 saves and keeping the Stars afloat during an overtime 5-on-3 power play that ultimately ended in Brad Marchand's game-winning goal off the post. Dallas killed more than a minute of the 5-on-3 power play, but needed 31 more seconds to extend the game to a shootout.
The Stars also had luck on their side on Monday night. The Bruins hit three posts, including Patrice Bergeron's slapshot in overtime that echoed with about two minutes remaining. Bergeron also had a shot trickle through Khudobin but just wide of the net in the third period.
An early whistle saved the Stars from giving up a goal in the second period, when Anders Bjork tucked home the puck after the whistle. Officials prematurely blew the whistle after thinking that Khudobin covered the puck, even though he never possessed it.
Even the Stars' lone goal came on a fortunate break. As Dallas was killing a first-period penalty, forward Radek Faksa exited the zone and floated a 30-foot shot to Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask. The puck slipped through Rask and the Stars were gifted a goal.
A number of Stars had the same sentiment: they played poorly, but the road point was a positive.
"We didn't play good enough as a team, but we still find a way to get one point," defenseman Roman Polak said. "I think on the road, that's big for us. Every point is valuable for us, so we just need to learn from it."
"It wasn't our best game, but we gave our team a chance to win and that's important on the road," Faksa said.
The reaction was no different for coach Jim Montgomery.
"We fought and grinded to get a point," Montgomery said. "That was a positive of tonight's game."
The loser point is hardly satisfactory for teams, but on a night when at 5-on-5 Boston attempted 61 shots and Dallas managed just 29, the single point is a fine consolation prize.
The reason for the almost miraculous point is more concerning for the road trip's finale on Tuesday night. Montgomery said the Stars lacked energy in Boston, a bad omen for the second half of a back-to-back against a team that didn't play Monday.
"I just didn't think we were skating," Montgomery said. "I don't think we had our legs."
Or maybe it was just one of those nights.
"Some nights, you're just not going to have the legs," Polak said. "Some nights, it's not going to go the way you want it. You still need to earn the points or be able to get the points, at least one. We did it today."
Help from the past: To learn more about his new team, Montgomery has enlisted help from his predecessor: Ken Hitchcock.
Hitchcock could shed some light on the team for Montgomery. For example, Montgomery said he talked to Hitchcock about the Stars struggling in the third period.