Dallas Stars: Average Start To Season Putting Halt On Great Expectations

It’s November 16, 2017, and the Dallas Stars have yet to hit the gas on their 2017-18 season. They are playing well, but their record (which carries the most weight) is just average. At this point, them actually taking off with their season is starting to become a question of “if” instead of “when.”

The Dallas Stars are like an okay movie right now.

The summer of 2016 was a high time in the movie industry. Captain America: Civil War, X-Men: Apocalypse, Star Trek: Beyond, and Finding Dory were just a few of the titles holding plenty of fan anticipation.

But there was one movie that seemed to stick out among the rest as the most awaited flick. That was Suicide Squad. If you don’t remember or never saw it, the plot focuses on various bad guys from comic books being recruited by the government to stop a paranormal evil force from destroying the world. Sounds fun, right?

For months and months leading up to the release date in early August, the anticipation heightened. New trailers would come out, appearances by the cast on TV would air, and the selling of merchandise was seeing a significant uptick. In short, just about everyone seemed to be waiting for the movie to come out. On top of that, many were expecting it to be the “movie of the year.”

Dallas Stars

I was one of those people eagerly awaiting and even bought a ticket to an early showing. But upon exiting the theater after the show, it was clear that maybe my expectations were a little too high. Sure, there were some exciting parts to the movie that brought out the enthusiasm of my inner child. But overall, it just didn’t click. As a whole, it was a decent flick, but nowhere near a breathtaking masterpiece.

The 2017-18 Dallas Stars are a lot like Suicide Squad. You could probably compare them to a bunch of different movies that fit these parameters, but we’ll stick with Suicide Squad.

The two are similar in the fact that they are both just alright even in light of the high expectations set for them pre-release. There are some high points, sure, but as a whole they are just alright.

Going into Thursday night’s game, the Dallas Stars boast a record of 9-8-1 with 19 points. That’s 19 points in 18 games. In other words, they are just slightly above average.

But to many, it seems as though the Stars are going down in flames. That’s because of the lofty expectations set before them in the preseason. After an offseason filled with stacking the roster with talent, Dallas was expected to have a large bounce-back season.

And now it seems like the world is burning in Big D. What many don’t understand is that Dallas isn’t doing as bad as they think. The Stars are doing okay and holding their own for the most part through the first 1/5 of the regular season. That inconsistency is a stinger, though.

But as we know, okay is not good enough for Dallas. Not when you have a roster and coaching staff like they do. It’s the best or bust, right? That’s what happens both when you spend a year waiting for a superhero movie with an all-star cast AND when you wait an entire summer to see a new hockey team bud and potentially prosper. The judging scale is very two-dimensional.

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It has been a season of highs and lows for the Dallas Stars so far this year. They started out by losing three of their first four games, followed it up with a four-game win streak, and have been hot and cold ever since. Their past ten games look something like this: L, L, W, W, L, W, L, W, L, OTL. Hot, cold, hot, cold.

And that is what has helped contribute to their average first act (back to the movie references). On some nights, the Dallas Stars look like the best team in the league. In other games, a clear lack of motivation and effort is evident. And most recently, a strong effort met by some lucky bounces in favor of the opposition have done the Stars in.

It’s been a combination of misery, bewilderment, and excitement over the first five weeks of the regular season. But the Stars have emerged from all of these emotions with a rather mediocre mark. Considering the great expectations set for them in the beginning, this is not an ideal spot to be in.

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If things had looked bleak entering the 2017-18 season, this would be a fine spot. Dallas is currently just one point out of a playoff spot and has a chance to earn that point tonight in Tampa Bay.

But that’s not how this story goes. People are expecting big things from this season, and so far all they’ve received is a 5.5/10 star performance. While it’s nice to see the Stars not completely imploding like they did in 2016-17, there is still cause for concern.

The Stars need to do something and do it fast. The regular season is starting to approach its thickest portion and Dallas has to capitalize on as many opportunities as possible.

So far, you probably walk out of this Dallas Stars performance and just feel alright about it. There’s plenty of inconsistency in their game and plenty that they must fix, but things are looking okay as of now.

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But Stars fans don’t want okay. They want terrific. That’s what they inadvertently promised themselves during the offseason of change. With great changes comes great expectations.

Suicide Squad still succeeded and made a promising run after its release from theaters. The Dallas Stars can do the same thing. But wouldn’t it be nice for them to fix it while they are still in the box office? It’s up to them to make the changes. We’ll see if they eventually decide to make it happen.