Dallas Stars: Avoiding Central Division Slump
Excepting the uncharacteristic losses against the Leafs, the Panthers, and the Avalanche, the Dallas Stars have come out with guns blazing this season. Despite these few losses and setbacks from injury, the Stars have managed to shine against Pacific Division and Eastern Conference opponents. So much so that they now occupy the first place in the Western Conference and second place in the NHL.
But all good success stories have a wrench thrown in them somewhere. And the Central Division is, at the very least, the Dallas Stars’ wrench.
The Stars’ season series against the Leafs served as an object lesson in the fact that, while the Stars have improved vastly from the team they were last season, they still have some kinks to work out. Some problems that rear their ugly heads at the most confusing and inopportune of moments, initiating that choke factor that Stars fans are so accustomed to seeing in the third period.
So the Dallas Stars are certainly not bulletproof, and certainly not guaranteed anything against the Central Division opponents they are about to take on. While the start to the Stars’ season was hot and confidence-boosting, keep in mind that they have only played one game against a Central Division opponent so far. And that game against the Avalanche certainly didn’t end in the Stars’ favor.
However, that was also the Stars’ second game of the season. These next two games will certainly not be a walk in the park, but there’s also hope that Dallas has improved enough since the game against the Avalanche and has settled back in from their road trip enough after their last loss to the Leafs to play the kind of hockey we all know they’re capable of.
Because anything less than that will not get them far in the Central. The Stars have absolutely dominated Eastern opponents, owing their best franchise season start to those performances. But, coming from someone who has, like every other good Stars fan, applauded and set the Stars on a trajectory for the Cup based on their first 16 games, the reality is that things could get ugly and fast.
The second half of the Stars’ season will be much more Central-concentrated than the first half of it, so one of two outcomes is possible. One, the Stars will use the confidence built and lessons learned from victories so far to edge them past division rivals; or two, they will have gotten used to a different pace of play and will be unable to keep their heads above water in their more turbulent division.
Last season, the Stars went 8-14-7 against teams in their division, the worst divisional record of any Central team. Obviously, the Stars are currently leading their division in points and goals for, but a key area that Dallas will need to pay attention to if they want to maintain dominance is goals against.
Despite such high standings in the Central Division, the Stars share the ranking for second most goals against with the Avalanche (42), who are at the very bottom of the division table. Winnipeg, with 45, is the only team with more goals against.
So the Stars rarely find themselves in a situation when their offensive power is lacking, but to stay alive in the Central, the Stars will need to work on keeping their GA down. Most importantly, in those intense third period make-it-or-break-it situations.
More from Blackout Dallas
- Dallas Stars Traverse City Tournament: Who had great performances?
- Grushnikov and Stankoven lead Dallas Stars to 6-3 win over Columbus
- Dallas Stars prospects look to wrap up tournament with a win
- Burn the tapes: Dallas Stars prospects lose 5-1 to Toronto Maple Leafs
- Dallas Stars look to continue success today against the Maple Leafs
And the Dallas Stars have more than adequately demonstrated their ability to adapt and bounce back, get the job done with the tools that they have available to them. With a little grit and some psychological toughness, the Stars will hopefully be able to do the same against Central Division opponents.
Ever hear that saying, tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life? Well, tomorrow is the first day of the rest of the Dallas Stars’ season. Taking all these potential areas of concern under advisement, I am still of the hope that last season’s ceiling will be this season’s floor, and the Stars will keep their place at the top of the Central Division and then some.
Next: Dallas Stars Rookies Making It Hard For Veterans To Return
What do you think? Have the Stars shown themselves capable of continuing their upward trajectory, or do their upcoming tilts against Central Division teams mark the beginning of a downward spiral?