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Dallas Stars Still Battling Overtime As Main Enemy

By Josh Clark |
Jan 4, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars defenseman Esa Lindell (23) and goalie Kari Lehtonen (32) face the Montreal Canadiens attack during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 4, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Stars defenseman Esa Lindell (23) and goalie Kari Lehtonen (32) face the Montreal Canadiens attack during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Stars have some serious overtime problems. It’s almost like they’re repeatedly slamming their head against a brick wall. They know it hurts, but for some reason they just won’t stop the madness.

When the NHL first brought up the concept of 3-on-3 overtime in the 2015 offseason, people immediately began speculating about which teams would thrive the best under the potential new system.

The Dallas Stars were definitely near the top of the list. With Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and John Klingberg as a potential top line and Jason Spezza and Patrick Sharp as valuable second options, the Stars were looking as though they would become overtime kings.

2015-16 was the first season with 3-on-3 OT in place, and the Stars did not start off with the best showing. After winning their first three, Dallas dropped the next few overtime contests and ended the year with an OT record of 6-7.

What was so wrong? Maybe it was the fact that Dallas typically went with the two forwards-one defender setup. It proved to be a gamble and almost always promised an early end to the overtime period.

Or maybe it was because the Stars were so offensive-minded that they neglected to acknowledge that defense is an absolute necessity in three-on-three.

Whatever it was, the Dallas Stars did not have the best first impression within the new format.

As the 2016-17 season started up, the Stars tried to fix things. But now that they are 39 games into the year, it’s clear that it is still much of the same. After losing yet again in OT on Wednesday night to the Canadiens, the Stars dropped to 2-8 in the extra frame this season.

After an early icing call on the Canadiens, the Stars sent Tyler Seguin, Radek Faksa, and John Klingberg out on the ice in an attempt to end it. Instead, Max Pacioretty snuck past all three Stars’ players and finished the game off on a breakaway.

“The points we’ve lost in overtime is just becoming unacceptable,” Stars head coach Lindy Ruff said following the game. “That’s hard because we need points right now.”

With the overtime loss, Dallas fell to 16-15-8 on the year. 40 points in 39 games. That keeps them on pace for just around 82 points this season, which is well short of the typical point total needed to qualify for a playoff spot.

Some are sticking to their guns and blaming the Dallas Stars’ goaltending as the source of the lingering problem. But this shaky first half of the season isn’t solely on Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi. In fact, they are closer to the bottom on the Stars’ list of problems.

So let’s blame the defense. Well, the blue line has proved over the past month that it is capable of shutting down the opposition and limiting them to two goals or even less per game.

Fine, the offense it is. While the scoring is nowhere near what it was last season, the Stars’ offensive power is still strong and Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, and Jamie Benn are starting to contribute on a more consistent basis. That will only help lift the offense up over the second half of the year.

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To be completely honest, the Dallas Stars could label overtime as their biggest issue this season. They have given away eight total points in the overtime period. They gave away seven during the entirety of the 2015-16 campaign, and the Stars had the benefit of four or five wins around the OT loss to help soften the blow. These Stars don’t have that luxury.

“We’ve lost a lot of points in overtime this year, so we’re going to have to work a little better on that too,” Stars defenseman John Klingberg said.

At this point in the season, there’s no more room for excuses. The standings don’t support it and neither does the schedule. The Stars are halfway through the season and are not currently sitting in a playoff spot. According to a recent graph that was created on January 1, the Stars have a 33.1 percent chance of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Those odds aren’t great.

As much as I hate to play the “what if” game, what if the Stars were undefeated in overtime this season? They would be 24-15-0 with 48 points. Those 48 points would have them securely in third place in the Central Division and only five points out of first. But instead, they are five points out of third. Why oh why couldn’t this Stars team be as good as they looked on paper when it comes to overtime?

Alright, I’m done playing the game. You can come back down to reality now.

The Stars’ biggest enemy right now is the overtime period. How do they counteract that enemy? More goals from Jamie Benn or Tyler Seguin in 3-on-3?

Actually, the best antidote to this disease is winning games in regulation. Though the Stars sometimes make it look like a win in regulation requires an act of God, it really doesn’t. This team is in a crucial point in the season, and their destiny could very well be determined in the next few weeks. That’s just the way it is.

This most recent homestand taught a lot of things both to and about the Dallas Stars. It taught them to never take penalties in the third period, to always score first, and to never trust overtime (unless Esa Lindell spots the opposition changing and goes for a two-on-one).

Next: Stars Need Road Success To Salvage Season

It also taught the NHL that the Dallas Stars can still do damage. When they find consistency, the offense can score on a regular basis, the defense can hold teams to less than two goals a game, and the goaltending can work wonders.

This team is not the 2015-16 Dallas Stars. But they can still make something of themselves. This upcoming road trip will affect the Stars in big ways, so wins will be a necessity. Oh, and no overtime. Avoid that stuff like the plague. If they don’t, they’ll quickly find themselves on the wrong side of the eight ball with little hope remaining. That’s not where they want to be, is it?

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