Dallas Stars Offensive Defense Needs To Stop

 The Dallas Stars are currently making their way through a stacked February schedule, and they have been relatively successful with a 3-1-0 record. But if they want to continue their success, they will need to stop playing offensive defense.

The month of February has something in store for the Dallas Stars, but what that thing is has yet to be solved. The Stars have a packed and intense schedule staring them down this month, including multiple games against Central Division rivals as well as some of the best teams in the league.

This schedule could not have come at a more difficult time for the Stars, either. After the celebratory overtime victory against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night, the Stars took another step towards regaining the Central Division and Western Conference lead. They are currently three points back of the Chicago Blackhawks with three games in hand, so the opportunity has definitely presented itself.

But will these Dallas Stars be able to capitalize on it? That is the true question at hand.

While the Stars have succeeded so far this month with a 3-1-0 record in their four games (all of which have been against the Central Division), there are some outright points that require acknowledgement. For starters, two of those three wins have come in overtime fashion after the Stars neglected to put out a full 60-minute effort. Had it not been for John Klingberg, they may not be in the same position.

But there is one flaw that has plagued the Dallas Stars all season and has yet to truly be addressed: the eagerness of their defense to be involved on offense.

At first glance, this seems like an insane proposition. Every team that wants to be good in the NHL needs to have a five-man rotation on offense, with the two defenders taking part in the offensive gameplay. The blue liners are useful when it comes to moving the puck around the zone and finding the best possible options that could lead to scoring.

The only problem is that their defense becomes a bit too relaxed as members of the offense, and it ends up hurting them at times. A clear example is last night on Minnesota’s second goal. The Stars had tied the game up at 1-1 in the first period and were in the offensive zone, hungry to take the lead. But a simple turnover gave the Wild an open lane and breakaway to jump on, and they cashed in with a goal.

This was all due to the fact that the Dallas Stars defenders got caught too deep in the offensive zone and allowed the Minnesota forwards to sneak behind them. By the time the turnover had been committed and exploited, it was too late and the Stars could not get back to prevent the goal.

This is a bit of a problem for the Stars, considering they have so many defenders that are inclined to participate on the offensive side of the puck on a regular basis. John Klingberg, who is arguably their best defender, is dedicated to playing offense as much as he does defense. He was raised as a forward and converted to defense during his youth. Alex Goligoski is another name that loves to help run the offense.

The fact that so many of the Stars defensemen can effectively play on offense is a special card to possess, but it can come back to hurt them at times. I cannot even count the number of times this season that I have heard Razor talk about how the Stars pinched a bit too far and risked too much, and eventually ended up paying for it.

It’s not just on even strength goals either. The Stars have given up four shorthanded goals in their past five games. A good team should usually give up somewhere between 4-6 shorthanded goals in an entire season. These goals were due to the defense pinching too far on the power play and encroaching the play. It allows the forwards from the other team to sneak into the open gaps and take off once they receive the puck.

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This is definitely becoming a problem for the Stars, and more teams are starting to exploit it now that they are learning of it. Dallas Stars head coach Lindy Ruff will definitely need to figure out a game plan going forward on how the Stars need to handle their defensive affairs on the offensive attack.

It would definitely be a loss for the Stars if they forced their offensively-minded defenders to solely focus on defense, but it may be a necessary risk. The fact of the matter is that the Stars are at a point where they have exploited the tight offensive game as much as they can. But teams are finally beginning to catch on and they have also learned how to successfully counter their strategies.

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It will be interesting to see how Ruff deals with these problems, but they are definitely on the obvious side at this point. While Ruff would be smart to keep the defenders in the offensive attack, he needs to dial back their current activity by a hair or two and find a more respectable balance. If not, the Stars could be in for a rough February against some top-tier opponents.