Dallas Stars Shockingly Still Have No Goal From Patrick Sharp

On July 10th, 2015, the Dallas Stars made headlines as a result of their third straight blockbuster trade in the past three offseason chances.

This trade was between the Stars and one of their Central Division foes, the Chicago Blackhawks. It was a four player deal, with the Stars giving up veteran defenseman Trevor Daley and young forward Ryan Garbutt and the Blackhawks giving away veteran forward Patrick Sharp and prospect defenseman Stephen Johns.

Both teams made off with a decent return in the exchange, filling the voids they had.

The Stars would send Stephen Johns down to the AHL soon after training camp concluded, leaving Sharp as the only part of the trade still on the team.

Many people suggested that the Dallas Stars would run a Super Line combo of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Patrick Sharp. Benn and Seguin have been running on the same line since the season opener of the 2013-2014 season, and they have wreaked havoc on the NHL ever since. Adding a veteran sniper to a line of playmakers and lethal finishers would surely make the Stars top unit a near unstoppable force.

While head coach Lindy Ruff tested it in the preseason, opening saw Sharp moved to the second line where he began creating chemistry with Jason Spezza and Valeri Nichushkin.

But there was still just something about the offensive force that was born from Benn, Seguin, and Sharp joining together. As a result, at the first sign of trouble the Stars would surely bounce back to the combo.

That trouble came up Tuesday night when Patrick Eaves was mysteriously injured in a game against the Edmonton Oilers. Eaves was lined up with Benn and Seguin that night, so Ruff moved Sharp to the top after Eaves headed for the locker room early in the first period.

What ended up forming was, as many expected, an unstoppable force. The group combined for a total of 20 shots on net, making up almost 50 percent of the Stars shot total on the night (yes, the Stars took an astonishing 52 shots on net. But c’mon, it IS the Dallas Stars offense and the Oilers defense. You should have expected it).

Even with all of these shots, Patrick Sharp did not find a goal or assist in that game. Not only that, but he is still pointless since donning a Victory Green jersey this regular season.

That has come with plenty of clear frustration from Sharp, who is used to scoring anywhere between 20-40 goals in a given year. In the Stars most recent game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Sharp took two shots on net with Ben Bishop manning the crease. Once Bishop abandoned the crease with less than two minutes to go in the third period, it seemed like it was Sharp’s first clear chance to start his point career in Dallas.

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Sharp was fed the puck three different times in the final two minutes, but missed the net or had his shot blocked by a Lightning defender. The final shot he took with under 10 seconds to go was from near center ice and he missed the net by a hair. He proceeded to vent his frustration by banging his stick on the ice.

Sharp has zero points this season along with a -2 on-ice rating. The astonishing part is that he has 15 shots on net, second only to Seguin for the team lead. To make things even more frustrating, six of the top eight shooters on the Stars team already have at least one goal on the season. Only Sharp and defenseman Alex Goligoski sit near the top without goals.

Every hockey player that joins a new team simply needs a first goal to get them into their groove, and the Stars could really use one for Patrick Sharp. It’s difficult to watch Sharp continue to get good chances and be beaten by a goaltender or simply miss the net.

If you can rewind one year, it took Ales Hemsky almost two full months to register his first goal with the Dallas Stars (scored on November 28th, opening night was October 9th). That was with second line minutes, which is primarily what Sharp is receiving currently.

But Sharp is a determined player. He’ll find the twine here soon. If not, the Stars may become a little frustrated on offense and therefore less effective.

Next: Stars Recall Radek Faksa; Is He The Next Mattias Janmark?

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