Dallas Stars: Hunt For Valuable Points Still On

The Dallas Stars are headed into their third game of the season and have still yet to acquire any points. Maybe the tables will turn tonight in Dallas.

Stars fans are in various states of disappointment after they dropped two games back to back to open up their season. While it’s not quite time to panic yet, no one can deny that we wished for a little bit of a different outcome.

Many factors have contributed to the unexpected season start, but most of them are expected. The Dallas Stars are adjusting to a new system corporately, and many players are adjusting to a totally new environment individually as well.

As the Stars take on the Detroit Red Wings tonight, who are 2-0-0 on their still young season, there are some important things to remember that could help take a bit of the pressure off.

I think we’ll all say it until we’re blue in the face, but two lost games cannot lay an entire season to waste. If the pattern continues, we may be telling a totally different story. But for now, there is no cause for panic. A lot of our expectations regarding the changes made in the offseason haven’t been met, but it doesn’t mean that their fulfillment isn’t on its way.

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It’s important to keep in mind that even the best teams are still encountering some roadblocks this season. Clearly a prime example is the Penguins’10-1 loss in Chicago- a defeat that Pittsburgh has equaled only once in 1996. But then again, we’re no strangers to drastically changing tides of fortune.

Another interesting change league-wide has been the cracking down on slashing calls and faceoff standards. Despite a win streak to start their season, the Red Wings have cited the change in penalty standards to be difficult to adjust to.

Former Star Trevor Daley, now a Red Wing, spoke on the difficulty of taking so many unexpected penalties due to unclear new rules, lamenting that “it’s tough to get rhythm in the game when all you’re doing is killing penalties or on the power play.”

While the Stars have experienced similar penalty-heavy periods, it’s had a bit of an opposite effect on them. Jason Spezza admitted that the Dallas Stars’ full-strength playing needs some tuning up, as they can get too into the special-teams state of mind.

That issue has come out to play even further in the Stars’ lack of true depth. The first line (and coincidentally the majority of first power play unit) has been the main rainmaker for the Stars so far. The Stars have the ability and the talent to generate greater scoring depth in their other lines, but it hasn’t shown up just yet.

So as the Stars take on the Red Wings at home tonight in their third game of the season, keep in mind that they are still a work in progress, and they are not the only team finding it difficult to adjust to a new season.

Next: Stars' Success Will Take Time And Positivity

Thankfully, Hitchcock and the coaching staff are perceptive of what Dallas needs to work on in order to change the trajectory of their season’s start. If the Stars can shorten their learning curve, look for multiple-line scoring involvement and increased penalty consciousness.

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