Just What Is It That The Dallas Stars Are Doing Wrong?

The Dallas Stars have thoroughly this season, specifically in their last seven games. The are 0-5-2 and have not seen a win since they bested the New Jersey Devils in a shootout back on October 24th.

The Dallas Stars were physically mocked and harassed Saturday night against the Sharks, and it all happened in the last 20 minutes of the game. The Stars held a 3-1 lead entering the third period along with a 24-17 shot advantage. Tyler Seguin had just notched his fifth career hat trick with the Stars, Lindback had been impressive so far in net, and everything was right in the AAC. The Sharks came out on the attack, while the Stars seemed to stay in the locker room. Their third period consisted of turning pucks over in the zone, giving away careless rebounds, and an overall collapse that marked another successful letdown. The Stars gave up four goals in the third period and have now been outscored 13-3 at the AAC throughout the final 20 minutes this season. The tally for all 13 games is 21-8.

So just what is truly ailing the Dallas Stars and causing this “stacked” team to stumble along as they are?

Mainly, as we all know, it’s the defense. The Stars have not experienced a true defensive powerhouse manning their blue line since the days of the majestic Sergei Zubov. As of now, the Dallas Stars are 29th in goals against throughout the NHL and cannot seem to get any help. All six defensemen shoot with a left-handed stick, which is never a good strategy. A right-handed defenseman is almost necessary when building a blue line, and Jim Nill has bought in to this idea. John Klingberg was called up yesterday from the AHL. He currently sits at second in total points among AHL defensemen and is a right-handed shot that could help out the Dallas Stars defense in a lot of different ways. He will most likely get his first chance tomorrow night against the Coyotes out in the desert, so we will have to wait and see what he brings to the table to bandage up this wounded Stars blue line.

Another problem, as many believe, is the goaltending, specifically Anders Lindback. Lindback has choked in his first three performances in a green jersey, giving away 13 goals among the three contests. What many do not give Lindback credit for, though, is the lacking style of the defense in front of him. Too many times have the goals that have gone in been caused by a lack of defensive effort, often exposing Lindback entirely for a move or two by any sharpshooter. Which reverts us back to the main problem. But still, Lindback is paid to be a goaltender and a goaltender’s job is to make saves, no matter the circumstances.

But a BIG problem, debatably the biggest, is the Dallas Stars lack of 60-minute effort. They have not yet this season been able to perform at a high rate for all three periods. It’s come down to a mixture of different situations. Sometimes they will give it their all through the first and second periods, take a lead into the locker room, and then cough it up in the last twenty minutes. Sometimes they will sit back and relax for the first period and then give all they have through the last 40 minutes, but the first period proves to be the determining factor and bring up a lead they cannot overcome. They must learn how to play and produce through all three periods if they want to have a chance at a win.

The Dallas Stars problems are slowly becoming better, but they must learn how to fix them quicker if they want to save the majority of their fan base, even possibly their season.

Leave your comments and questions below, and as always, thanks for reading! Let’s get a win in the desert. Go Stars.