Dallas Stars: Overcoming Their Kryptonite
Every team has its kryptonite, and the Dallas Stars’ kryptonite is currently any team near the bottom of the NHL table. It’s all a part of the growing pains associated with the Stars’ transformation from last season’s team.
Where you came from is usually just as important as where you’re going. It’s true in life and it’s apparently true in hockey, as well. Mike Heika posed a question that’s especially valid in the wake of last night’s curious clash with the Canes: why do the Dallas Stars consistently struggle against “lesser competition”? It seems that teams at the bottom of the table have become the Stars’ kryptonite.
It was a rational question even earlier in the season when the Toronto Maple Leafs, of all teams, swept the Stars in their season series. The Stars’ first tilt against the Leafs ended in an ugly 4-1 score, sealing their third loss of the season (after nine wins) in stone.
Their second and final loss to the Leafs was of slightly greater consolation, if such a thing is possible in that context. The final score was 3-2, snapping a three-game win streak. However, the Stars recovered to produce a five-game win streak immediately after.
Clearly, there is positivity in the midst of anything. The Dallas Stars have yet to lose back to back games, demonstrating their bounce-back power. However, it begs the question: why do they feel the need to put themselves in a situation against such teams where bouncing back is their only option?
Though you may have tried to banish it to the darkest recesses of your memory, let’s revisit the basics of the 14-15 Dallas Stars. To say they struggled in a lot of areas was an understatement. The only truly consistent thing was their lack of consistency, and they exhibited this in unleashing explosive offense one moment, and cowering on their own blue line the next.
This is where the Dallas Stars have come from. Despite highest aims, they occupied lower ranges of the NHL standings last season. Last season’s Stars were the type of team that this season’s Stars are struggling to overcome.
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Focus is indeed an issue. It’s like the trying transition from adolescence to young adulthood. There are new responsibilities and opportunities, but the capacity to efficiently deal with those things is still trying to catch up development-wise.
The Stars have found a new place at the top of the table, and they seem to find themselves struggling to carry that weight without faltering. Play the blame game if you’d like, or call it growing pains, but either way you spin it, the Stars have come a long way and still have a ways to go.
The takeaway? The Dallas Stars are still the team leading the NHL with 44 points and a stunning 21-5-2 record. Looks great on paper, right? Mike Heika expresses the problem behind the gilded curtain best: “The bad part is they have won a game by overcoming a three-goal deficit, lost a game by blowing a three-goal lead, lost a game despite dominating play and won a game despite getting dominated.”
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Against teams that are where Dallas has been, the Stars need to focus on looking forward. While where they have been will always be a part of the team and its story, and only serves to add to the excitement of this season, the Stars need to keep developing the staying power, strength, and reliability to shoulder their new-found place in the league.