Dallas Stars Dominate Detroit Red Wings

Wow. That was awesome! Headed into Thursday night's matchup with the Detroit Red Wings, the Stars knew this was going to be a test of how good they were. Luckily, they passed with flying colors as they dominated the Red Wings, 4-1.

A couple of notes from the game:

Brad Richards was spectacular. The tone he set with the early power-play goal was huge in swinging momentum in the Stars' favor. Luckily, he wasn't done there as he also accounted for two crucial assists in helping put the game away. If the Stars are going to do something big this season, he is going to be a huge key!

James Neal and Loui Eriksson have the making of top line forwards. While they have had a large amount of success in the past, they both have really taken their game to a new level thus far this season. Combining Neal's ferocity with Eriksson's gracefulness has really given the Stars a new dimension.

Now the unquestioned leader on this team, it seems that Brenden Morrow has really embraced the role of captain yet again and has also regained his health. A healthy Morrow will go along way in the locker room and on the ice for the Stars.

Kari Lehtonen wasn't tested much early on, but he did hold his own throughout most of the third period when the Wings were pressuring. While he was staked to a four-goal lead by then, he also did make some nice saves.

It really was painful watching Mike Modano in a uniform without Dallas on it. That's all that can pretty much be said.

While the Stars aren't guaranteed of anything yet, they certainly are headed in the right direction. Within the next couple of weeks, we will be able to get a better idea of what this team is going to look like.