The next week offers the Dallas Stars yet another chance to get ahead and build themselves up. Their upcoming slate of opponents are playing at an average rate as well, and that gives Dallas a chance to take advantage.
The Dallas Stars are an interesting hockey club this year if you didn’t already know.
The Stars are 10-9-1 here on November 19, 2017 after a month and a half of the 2017-18 regular season. They aren’t doing terrible, but they aren’t doing as great as many expected. All in all, they have been an average club.
Part of that has to do with still finding their identity. Dallas spent the offseason revamping their team and entered the new season with a significantly different looking roster. It takes time to mesh and build chemistry, after all.
Another part of it is their inconsistent efforts. On some nights, the Stars jump on their opponents immediately and take a 5-0 victory. But on other nights, Dallas comes out sluggish and drops a 6-1 decision. It’s a bad cycle to be stuck in, even with the semi-consistent positive results.
Dallas Stars
But that’s what the beginning of the regular season is for. It’s a time for uncertain or new teams to form their identity and make a case for themselves. They have a chance to group together and prepare for the long season ahead.
That’s what Dallas is doing right now. Even though it may not seem like it, the Dallas Stars are getting better with each passing game. The team is figuring out what works and what doesn’t, and that will continue helping in forming their identity.
And though we seem to say it at the beginning of every week, the Stars have yet another chance to get ahead (or back in the fight) over the next seven days. Only this time, it’s not because of their success against a certain conference or on home ice (though they come into play). This time, it’s because of the competition they are up against.
Over the next seven days, the Dallas Stars have three games scheduled, with two being at home and one being on the road. On Tuesday night, the Montreal Canadiens will visit the Stars at the AAC. 24 hours later, Dallas will be in Denver to face the Avalanche. And finally, Dallas will be back home on Friday night to face off against the Calgary Flames. All of these teams are seeing similar struggles to Dallas.
Like the Oilers (7-11-2) yesterday, the teams in the upcoming slate are struggling to find traction of their own. The Canadiens are 8-11-2, the Avalanche are 9-8-1, and the Flames are 11-8-0.
Montreal started the season on a 1-7-0 note before finally finding some sort of consistency. They are missing their starting goaltender in Carey Price and are struggling profusely both with scoring goals (2.38 goals per game) and keeping the puck out of their own net (3.52 goals against per game). Like Dallas, they are a team that was expected to do big things but instead has yet to get fully out of the gate.
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The Avs have already met up with Dallas twice this year, with each team securing one win. After starting the season 4-1-0, Colorado has mellowed out and is now in the thick of the Western Conference standings. They sit last in the Central Division, but things are still lock-tight between spots 3-7.
Finally, the Flames are the only team that Dallas will face this week that is currently sitting in a playoff spot. Calgary has 22 points and is third in the Pacific Division, though things are still tight in their division as well. The Stars are responsible for one of the Flames’ eight losses after beating them 2-1 earlier in the year. It should prove to be a good game on a special night.
But with all of these teams seeing similar struggles to the Stars coming to town, Dallas has a chance to capitalize. They just have to want it more.
Next: Three Reasons To Keep Hoping In The Dallas Stars
Over the next week, we’ll get yet another glimpse at how the Dallas Stars work in pressured situations. These wonderful opportunities will eventually run out, so it’s essential that they take advantage while they can.