Dallas Stars Bring Excellent End to Overall Average January

The Dallas Stars looked like a team poised for a Stanley Cup run last night when they tore apart Central Division rival, the Winnipeg Jets, by a luscious score of 5-2. This was the first time this season that the Stars managed to beat the Jets out of three tries, leaving the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators as the only Central Division members they have yet to conquer.

“I thought we had the bulk of the high percentage chances. I thought the desperation was good.” – Lindy Ruff

But the Dallas Stars could not have donned their new selves at a much better time (besides the beginning of the season).

With last night’s victory, the Stars shifted their overall January record to a final resting place of 6-5-2. This means that they were able to snag 14 of a possible 26 points, which is in no means horrible. But, at the same time, it is in no means terrific based on the level of play they performed at. In other words, they deserved a better month than they received.

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The Dallas Stars began the new year on a tear, averaging 35 shots on goal in their first two games against the then-dominant Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks. They buried the Wild and took the Hawks to overtime on the second night of a home/away back-to-back. After this came a three-game sputter, where the Stars dropped contests to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators in overtime, and Colorado Avalanche. After these five games, the Dallas Stars offense led the team through the rest of January. Going on a 5-3-0 streak, the Stars offense mauled the opposition. Averaging 36 shots on net per game, they were able to flex their offensive muscle and prove their lethality. They scored 3.88 goals on average in each of the last eight games, including two six-goal games and three five-goal games. The Dallas Stars offense seems to finally be clicking, and it will be a useful tool down the stretch as the playoff hunt rages on into February.

The Dallas Stars defense and goaltending improved down the stretch of January, for the most part. Through the first five games of the month, the back three were letting in an average of 3.40 goals a game. In the last eight, however, they dropped the average to 3.00. Kari Lehtonen has a lot of ground to gain before he receives trust back from a majority of Stars fans. But he took a step in the right direction last night, going 38 for 40 in the crease for a final save percentage of .950. These numbers also reflect the Dallas Stars defensive effort once the offense has salvaged a two or three goal lead and they tend to coast a little bit.

The special teams seems to have found its niche as well. It may be entirely temporary, but it all depends on the Stars play. Through the first five matchups, the Stars went 1-for-19 on the power play, which translates to 5.26%. Over the last eight, they went 10-for-40, translating to 25%. They now rest in 19th place in the NHL in regards to efficiency on the man advantage.

The Dallas Stars now rest four points out of a playoff spot, with a game in hand on the eighth place Calgary Flames. Though January did not gain a ton of ground for them, the end set them straight and they took their first steps in the right direction. At the level they are performing at right now, the Dallas Stars could trounce any team in the NHL. The question now is if they will be able to keep the consistency and continue to answer the bell.