Dallas Stars: Five Things We Learned In November 2017
There were some highs and there were some lows, but November 2017 was a good one for the Dallas Stars. Here are three things in particular that we learned about the team over the past 30 days.
November is a time for many things. The leaves begin falling off the trees, the temperature slowly begins to drop (even if it doesn’t seem like it), and the Thanksgiving holiday comes into play. Oh, and Dallas Stars hockey gets into full swing.
This time of year can bring plenty of stress, excitement, and craziness to your personal life. But how do you make it peaceful? Well, it all depends on how you manage it. If you can find a way to balance it all out, the results will be bearable and even enjoyable.
The Dallas Stars are trying to balance out all of the craziness right now. The month of November was their first full month of regular season play. After starting the season on October 6, the Stars are now 25 games into their 2017-18 campaign.
Dallas sits at a record of 14-10-1 with 29 points. They sit in sole control of the first wild card spot and are applying pressure to force their way into the top three in the Central Division. This image is a far cry from what the Stars looked like one month ago.
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At the end of October, Dallas sat at a mark of 7-5-0. They were playing inconsistent hockey, were struggling to find their identity, and followed a “win-loss” pattern that was keeping them buried in the Western Conference standings.
There were plenty of glaring problems within the team. The Stars had almost no production from their depth players, could not get their goaltenders to play at a consistent rate, and their defensive lineup was a mess. The wins would come in ones and would be by a large, dominating deficit. The only problem is that the losses followed the same pattern.
No one knew what to think of the Dallas Stars after October. They had not lived up to their preseason expectations, but they also were not failing like they had in 2016-17. They were just, well, average.
Though the Stars posted a 7-5-1 record in November, their play at the tail end of the month is encouraging for what might lie ahead as they close out 2017. They are starting to come together and learn just what it takes to win and be consistent in doing so. As a result, they showed some good things in the month of November as well as some things that they can still improve upon.
Here are a few things that we learned about the Dallas Stars as the eleventh month of 2017 progressed.
The Depth Scoring Is Coming Around
One of the Dallas Stars’ biggest problems in the first month of the season was getting someone not on their top line to score. For the longest while, it seemed as though every Stars’ goal was scored by someone named Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, or Alexander Radulov.
It was getting to be a problem for the Stars. If their first line didn’t show up on the offensive side of the puck on a given night, the chances of winning seemed slim to none.
Dallas Stars
This issue even carried over into the first part of the month of November. Dallas was lacking an offensive presence from lines 2-4 and, as a result, their offense was becoming predictable. While the top three were cashing in at even strength and on the power play, when they went up against a capable defense, the production stalled altogether.
At the 11-game mark in the season, 16 of the 24 goals scored by Dallas forwards had been tallied by either 14, 91, or 47.
But throughout a good majority of November, that was not the case. The Dallas offense had a changed approach and finally started clicking on all four lines.
Dallas Stars head coach Ken Hitchcock was forced to juggle his lines a few times and even broke the top line apart at one point during the month. That lasted for a few weeks and ended up having a positive effect on the team as a whole.
Names like Devin Shore, Mattias Janmark, Gemel Smith, and Antoine Roussel began finding their way onto the scoresheet more often. But perhaps the largest performance of the month from a depth player was Radek Faksa’s showing. Faksa tallied seven goals and nine points throughout the November, including a hat trick against Vegas on Tuesday night.
The Stars had multiple games where each line tallied at least one goal. Those games would turn into offensive assaults for Dallas, giving them a rather hefty goal total.
All in all, the Dallas offense began playing as a complete unit. They included more than just three players in the scoring and were more dangerous as a result.
The Dallas Stars are by no means a team lacking depth. They have the capability to put together four competent and effective lines with the tools they currently have.
If the depth scoring can continue for Dallas both at home and on the road, the Stars should be in good shape moving forward, especially on offense.
Alexander Radulov Is Really Good At Hockey
Now that we are almost two months into the regular season, one thing is clear: that Russian guy is really good at hockey. Not just hockey, but specifically putting the puck in the back of the net.
When the Dallas Stars signed Alexander Radulov to a five-year deal during this past summer, they were doing it simply to fill a hole. The Stars needed a competent right winger to play on the top pairing and also contribute on the power play.
The problem was that all of their “in-house” solutions would not end up being solutions. Patrick Sharp was growing old and desired a return to Chicago. Ales Hemsky had not completed a healthy season with the Stars since signing with the team in 2014 and had not panned out as the right wing that Dallas was looking for.
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So they went with Radulov. Some were concerned about the price and others were concerned about his reputation (considering he left the NHL for the KHL during his first stint in pro hockey).
But after the numbers he posted with the Montreal Canadiens in 2016-17, it was hard not to get excited.
And though Radulov’s statistics started out on a slow note, he beefed them up considerably in the month of November. Radulov led the Dallas Stars in scoring in the month of November with 12 points (4G, 8A) in 12 games.
He paced the Stars’ offensive attack throughout the month, contributing a nine-game point streak. His presence at even strength and on the power play are being felt and used by the team.
But it’s not just his point production that is giving Dallas an extra boost. His leadership, his energy, and his overall ruggedness give him a unique personality on the ice.
Whenever there is a critical moment in a game, Radulov seems to be the one on the ice, scoring the big goal, making the big hit, or finding a way to give the Stars the edge. He could be defined as the primary heart and soul of the team right now due to his energy and passion when skating. Just take a look at the picture on the front page of this slideshow. Now THAT’S a guy who enjoys himself some hockey.
He’s learning how to adapt to a variety of in-game settings, including line juggling. Radulov seems to have a knack for creating instant chemistry with his line mates, whoever they might be in a given game.
The Dallas Stars are in good shape so far with no. 47 on the top line, and he’s looking to be one of their best offseason acquisitions so far. If he keeps it up, things will continue looking bright for the Dallas scoring attack.
Stars’ Beginning To Figure Out Their Biggest Enemies
The two biggest enemies of the Dallas Stars this season are the Central Division and games on the road. There’s no other way around it.
For the larger part of last season, these were the Stars’ two biggest enemies as well. Now of course there are some other issues that are holding Dallas back from being a truly great hockey team, but these are the most evident and are causing the team the most grief.
Dallas Stars
First, let’s talk about the road. The Stars entered the month of November with a record of 3-4-0 when away from the AAC. That record got worse before it got better.
Dallas proceeded to lose the first five away games of the month by a combined score of 23-7. They were blown out of the water in every single one of those games by the opposition except for an overtime loss to Florida.
If a team cannot win on the road, it doesn’t matter how good their play is at home. Either way, they end up being average.
But the Stars might have finally figured out what is killing them away from home. And if they haven’t figured it out, they at least found a spark of greatness. Dallas closed out the month with two straight road victories, being against Vegas on Tuesday and Chicago last night. The fact that the Stars took on two tough Western Conference opponents in their own barns and emerged victorious is impressive for a team with a sizable share of road struggles.
Next, we’ll talk about the Central Division. The Dallas Stars started November with a 1-3-0 record in Central Division play, and everyone thought it was the end of the world. Boy, were they foolish.
The Stars lost three of their four divisional matchups this past month, pushing their number in the loss column to six. But they also secured a win.
Dallas claimed an exciting 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night in Chicago. The Stars defeated one of the best teams in the Central and did it by controlling a majority of the game in terms of possession and tempo. Staying in the Central, this game came on the heels of a 3-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Even though they didn’t come out on top, the Stars played a solid game and keep themselves in it with their energy and drive.
Dallas proved that they can win the big Central games when they put forth the required level of energy and focus. They bested the Hawks pretty handily for just their second divisional win of the season, but claimed sole control of fourth in the Central standings.
The Dallas Stars are learning how to roll against both the Central Division competition AND facing opponents on the road. Once they can take on these with ease, the NHL better be on watch.
The Jere Effect Is Still Working
Superstition can very easily get you far in life or drag you down hard. It all depends how you handle it.
The Dallas Stars are running with superstition right now in an effort to find some sort of consistency in their game. But this superstition isn’t necessarily what song they listen to before the game or how they enter the rink itself. This superstition involves how they tie up their skates and specifically with which material they use.
On Friday, November 24, the Stars organization honored longtime Star Jere Lehtinen in a pregame ceremony by retiring his number 26 into the rafters. Lehtinen is a 14-year veteran of the NHL and spent every season with the Dallas Stars organization, making him a Star for life. He had a significant impact on the Stars from 1995-2010, so it’s only right that Dallas rewarded him with the retirement honor.
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After the retirement ceremony, the Dallas Stars took the ice for warmups before their game against the Calgary Flames. Besides wearing Lehtinen’s throwback jersey during the pregame skate, there was something else different about the Dallas uniform. The Stars were wearing bright yellow skate laces.
The laces were a tribute to Lehtinen, who wore them in each game. But this simple tribute to tradition quickly turned into a good luck charm (at least for now).
After defeating the Flames in dramatic fashion that night, the Stars decided to keep their yellow laces intact instead of switching back to the white laces.
And now they are 3-0-0 with the bright yellow stands. Coincidence? We think not.
With the yellow laces, not only are the Stars undefeated, but they have also won two road games and one against a Central Division opponent. It’s obviously because the laces have a powerful effect that allows the Stars to channel their inner Jere on the way to victory.
It’s becoming known as “The Jere Effect” and seems to be legit. Heck, the Dallas Stars Twitter page even changed their profile picture to a pair of yellow laces.
The Dallas Stars are planning to roll with these yellow laces for as long as they continue to “work.” This could just be mere superstition, but if we are talking in one month about how the Stars are on an 18-game win streak, you will know exactly why.
After all, a little superstition never hurt anyone right?
The Stars Are Trying Their Best To Make A Name For Themselves
One of the hardest things a team can do after a big offseason is create an image for themselves. This image has to be consistent with their level of play and serve as a measuring stick for how other teams view them.
Through the first month of the season, the Dallas Stars struggled heavily with creating their image. More than that, they struggled with putting last year’s image to rest.
In 2016-17, the Stars’ image went from one of dominance to one of severe struggle. Dallas fell from winning the Central Division to being in the bottom four of the West in a span of just one season. They entered the offseason with plenty of confusion, a touch of humiliation, and a desire to change.
After significant offseason additions, the Stars were expected to rebound quickly. The first month of the season did not necessarily show that. Dallas went 7-5-0 and had plenty of obvious problems in their play that have already been listed earlier in this article.
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So why didn’t they immediately have their new image crafted by the season opener? It’s because making an image takes time, especially when the makeup of the team is new.
The Stars had to find chemistry on both offense, defense, and in net at the start of the year. That’s not a simple overnight process and takes time to find. They worked through the tough times, found what worked and what didn’t, and crafted their scheme accordingly.
It was supposed to take some time, even though some fans expected an immediate transition. But throughout November, it was becoming more and more prevalent that the Dallas Stars were finding their identity. They were making a name for themselves in their play and putting their best foot forward on each occasion.
As the schedule rolled on into the latter part of the month, the Stars’ performances became stronger and much more consistent. They seemed to give their best effort in every win and still put up a solid fight in each loss.
The Stars have now won five of their past six contests and are beginning to catch fire.
Through it all, the team proved that they are finding themselves and their new identity. They went through a small soul-searching process to start the year, but that process is coming to an end. The 2017-18 Dallas Stars are one of the best teams in the NHL on paper. But until that success is translated to the ice, it’s useless. The Stars are quickly learning to translate all of it. Let’s hope they continue finding their identity as the games keep rolling into December. Once they find it, be ready for a breakout.
Next: Playoff Caliber Games Will Help Stars Build Character
The month of November brought a lot of good to the Dallas Stars organization. Though their record may not say it, their play and performance (especially towards the end of the month) does. Let’s see if December is just as big of a month.