When Will This Madness End For This Dallas Stars Team?
The Dallas Stars once again found a way to drop another chance at two points Thursday night, this time at the hands of longtime rival the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings massacred the Stars in the first and third period, and came out on top with a 5-2 victory. The Stars have now lost four straight games, three in regulation, and cannot answer the call that so many fans plead for.
The Dallas Stars now fall to 9-12-5, officially pinning them three games below the .500 (average) mark. This is their first time at this spot since December 10th, 2008 when they were 10-13-4. The only thing that really makes people cringe is that, when it happened in 2008, our best player (based on statistics) was Mike Ribeiro. Now, with an arsenal consisting of Jason Spezza, Tyler Seguin, and Jamie Benn, they sit at the same spot, and they look as dumbfounded as their fans.
This Dallas Stars team just simply cannot pinpoint the disease that has infected them. They’ve attempted multiple medicinal aids, such as trading and calling up right-handed defensemen, changing their starting goaltender three times, shuffling their lines to no foreseeable end. But nothing seems to be working, leaving any Dallas Stars fans to ask one simple question:
What is the true cause of the Dallas Stars troubles, and if they are planning on doing so, how will they fix it before the clock strikes midnight on their comeback hopes?
When you look at the Dallas Stars, you have to notice the lacking effort through the full 60 minutes, from all three areas. The offense, the defense, and the goaltending all seem to slump at different times during the game, causing a downward spiral in the overall game plan. Too many times the Stars have either slept through the first period and found themselves in too massive of a hole to surmount, or come out roaring in the first 40 minutes and snag a lead, only to lose it in the third due to the absence of energy. Sadly, this is an internal problem and only the players can fix it. Each player will have to get his mind straight and determine that they want it more than the opposition. Then, they need to go out and make it happen.
Now, how about that defense? What seemed like a long- term solution a few weeks back has only turned out to be a temporary patch. Sadly, that patch has shriveled up and fallen off. After bringing up the hot-handed and wise playing John Klingberg from the AHL and following that up with a trade for another right handed blue liner Jason Demers, it looked like the Dallas Stars were finally set. They had given in to the pleas of fans and scratched Jordie Benn after a rough start to the year, and their lineup was seriously clicking from the defensive zone. They were tallying multiple points each game and keeping the opposing team on it’s heels. But then it all seemed to fade away. The Dallas Stars have now succeeded in giving up 20 goals over the last four games. Those numbers are truly horrific, and the defense has now held dead last place for goals given up in the NHL for a while.
The goaltending has entered the Stars problem list as well, just recently in fact. After starting Anders Lindback Saturday night against one of the league’s worst teams, the Colorado Avalanche, he pulled off a fifth straight loss and surrendered five goals, bringing his record to 0-5-0, along with a .861 save percentage and a 4.63 goals against average. Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill responded by waiving Anders Lindback on Wednesday morning and assigning him to the Texas Stars on Thursday. Kari Lehtonen got the next call on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and did not perform any different. Lehtonen gave away five goals as well, and he now rests at 9-6-5 with a .903 save percentage and a 3.13 goals against average. With Lindback gone, the Stars called up Jussi Rynnas and gave him his first start with the Dallas Stars on Thursday night against the Detroit Red Wings. You might have been able to guess, but Rynnas handed over five goals also. He is now 0-1-0 in NHL play this year. The big guys in the crease do not seem to be in the zone over the past few weeks, and it is really hurting this Dallas Stars team. Now, it is the job of the defense to limit the number of good looks that the opposition gets on the goalie. But, it is still the job of a goalie to key saves when necessary. Over the past few games, none of them have answered the call.
So, what is the key problem? It is what you would call the “letter D” which stands for “All Of The Above.”
If the Dallas Stars can string together a passionate, effortful, energetic 60 minutes against the Montreal Canadiens, a win will be simple. They just need the motivation, but where it is going to come from is unsure.
Either way, the Dallas Stars are heading in the wrong direction and getting to the wrong destination quicker than anyone thought at the beginning of the year. The amount of talent they have on the team in correlation with their record is simply astounding. If they can pull it together, they can climb back in the standings and regain their drifting fans. If not, this season will go down as one of, if not the most disappointing in the club’s history.
Are they going to get it right? Is another trade in the works? What’s up next for the Dallas Stars? Will they work it out in time?
Leave your comments and questions below, and as always, thanks for reading! Go Stars.