Dallas Stars Have Tough Central Road Ahead Over Next Month
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars need to gain ground early this year if they want to experience the success they did in 2015-16. In order to do that, they will have to go toe-to-toe with some Central Division powerhouses.
In order to win your division, you have to deal with some tough situations. No one ever said it was going to be easy, and the Dallas Stars are certainly no exception.
When the NHL went through realignment in 2013 and regressed from six divisions to four, it was clear that one division in particular was going to be more powerful than the rest. That division included the Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets, and of course the Dallas Stars.
And however much you try to debate it, the chances at having success and earning a playoff berth in hockey solely rests on divisional play. The Stars learned that lesson the hard way during the 2014-15 season.
Coming off of a 2013-14 season that produced major strides and an offseason filled with adding high quality talent, the Stars caved in early 2014 and could not salvage their play in enough time. They finished the year seven points away from the final wild card spot.
One of the primary causes of their unexpected regression was poor play against Central Division rivals (8-14-7 final record) and a sluggish start to the season that included a five-game losing streak. These are killers to postseason hopes.
In the early offseason that followed, the Stars preached endlessly about building a fast start in the 2015-16 season. And start fast they did.
The Stars went 19-7-3 during the 2015-16 season when playing opponents within the Central Division. Throughout the first month of the season, Dallas also posted a record of 12-3-0. This is the kind of consistent performance that can lead to division championships and playoff runs.
Last year, Dallas rolled out the season in a very similar fashion to what they have done this season: win the first game at home in excellent fashion on Thursday and then travel to Colorado and be dismantled by the Avalanche. Maybe that means the rest of the season will follow the same protocol as last year?
Whatever the case may be, the Dallas Stars need to be prepared for this first month. If they aren’t, they will quickly find themselves on the wrong side of the eight ball and out of reach. That’s how this game goes.
Over the next month, the Stars will have a gauntlet of Central Division clubs that they will be forced to go toe-to-toe with. They kicked off Central play against the Avs last night in a 6-5 loss.
Between today (October 16) and November 17, the Dallas Stars have 16 games slated on their schedule. Nine of those games are against Central teams (one vs. NSH, one vs. MIN, one vs. COL, one vs. STL, two vs. CHI, three vs. WPG).
It will be imperative that Dallas shows up and wins at least a decent majority of these games. Injuries to Cody Eakin and Mattias Janmark may have them in a bind, but they have to find ways to overcome it. Their execution may still be slightly off with the young defense and inconsistent goaltending, but they must be able to immediately adapt.
Next: Stars Take First Central Division Loss vs. Colorado
This next month is truly going to be the ultimate test for the Dallas Stars. Can they mold together and get off on the right foot? Will their performance meet the caliber of last season and get them to the top of the division and possibly conference?
It’s all up to how they produce and execute over this critical first month. After all, legends never die. Are they up for it? Let’s just wait and see.