Dallas Stars: What They Need From Remainder Of Homestand

Round one of the Dallas Stars homestand is almost complete, and so far it’s been only a little above average. What do they need to happen in the coming weeks to help make this the homestand they were hoping for?

With the Christmas season just around the corner, everyone is making sure that their “wish lists” are finalized and ready to go.

Maybe you have the new iPhone or iWatch on your list. Or maybe a diamond bracelet tops it. Maybe you even went for all the marbles and asked for something like a new car (or maybe an autographed Tyler Seguin jersey). Whatever the case may be, everyone has a different list.

For the Dallas Stars, they asked for success on this current holiday homestand so they can get back on track towards hopefully snagging a playoff spot come April.

On December 13, the Stars kicked off a five-game homestand that had “the season hinged on it.” Dallas was 11-13-6 on the year and sitting a handful of points out of the final playoff spot in the West. They had struggled to get through December and were coming off the heels of a two-game road trip that produced two losses.

They needed some sort of kickstart. The 2016-17 Dallas Stars had not lived up to their preseason expectations in any way and were in need of a serious revamping. They rested all of their hopes in the homestand that included powerhouse teams like Anaheim, New York, and Philadelphia. Stars fans did not have a lot of hope, but anything can happen during this magical time of the year, right?

Now fast forward a little over a week and they are four games in. Their record? 2-1-1.

They’ve secured five of a possible eight points (62.5 percent) and have two more up for grabs on Friday against the Los Angeles Kings.

Their play has been nothing short of impressive, but the results have only been moderately enjoyable. They blew the Ducks out of the water (puns are fun), played strong in a hard-fought and narrow loss to the Rangers, snapped the Flyers’ ten-game win streak, and outplayed the Blues in an unnecessary and undeserving overtime loss.

Meanwhile, the teams around them in the standings have been winning, so these points haven’t been helping them gain much ground. But then again, they have three less points than they were hoping to have at this point in the stand.

But this isn’t the only homestand in the near future. After the Kings’ game on Friday, the Dallas Stars will hit the road for a game against the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday. Following that, they will return home for a three-game stretch against the Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, and Montreal Canadiens.

So with four more home games in the next two weeks, what do the Dallas Stars need? Surely they are still planning on fighting their way back into contention, but that’s not going to be easy.

This is only a hypothetical examination, but let’s break it down anyways.

There are eight points on the board with the remaining homestand. Let’s say the Stars can manage to get six points (or more, hopefully) out of it. That’s either three wins and a regulation loss or some combination of wins and overtime losses (which Dallas knows all too well this season).

That’s 11 of a possible 16, which is very respectable. If they can manage to swing that in addition to getting a road win in Arizona on the 27th, the Stars could be in a very good position come January 5th when it’s all said and done. It would have Dallas at 41 points through 39 games, putting them on track for about 84 for the year.

That may seem extremely low, but that’s where the second-half energy comes in, right? Dallas has to turn the ship around here soon, and it all starts with gaining momentum from this homestand.

Now this also depends on what the teams around Dallas in the standings do as well. But as far as controlling their own fate, securing six of eight points is a great way to start.

That’s going to require more efficiency on the power play, better offensive composure and output, and a continued consistency on defense. Antti Niemi can handle everything else, right?

Next: Stars Are Getting What They Need From Defense, But Not Offense

The Stars definitely cannot afford to keep giving away points. It’s getting too late in the season to not worry about that. The rest of this homestand does mean a lot to the Stars’ season, so every game is crucial and a top-notch effort is required.

So hopefully Santa has something special whipped up for the Dallas Stars with the remainder of this homestand. After all, they are home for the holidays. Why not make the most of it?