Though they may have been painful to watch, Tuesday and Thursday night’s losses needed to happen to the Dallas Stars. They help give a clear image of just where the team is right now.
“There is still work to do.”
That was the popular theme among postgame answers in the visiting locker room of the Scottrade Center on Thursday. The Dallas Stars had just dropped a 3-0 decision to the St. Louis Blues which tacked on their second straight loss this week.
This newly found losing streak comes on the heels of a five-game win streak that Dallas crafted over the past two weeks. Calgary, Vegas, Chicago, and Colorado were all a part of the win streak that helped catapult Dallas up in the standings.
The Dallas Stars were playing extremely well and owned one of the longest win streaks in the NHL. The entire team was clicking and the wins were rolling in. Dallas was riding the yellow skate laces as a good luck charm that they had adopted to honor Jere Lehtinen with in the game against Calgary. Everything was going the Stars’ way and they were quickly ascending the standings.
Dallas Stars
And then, almost out of nowhere, it all came crashing down. The Stars went back home for a game and received a 5-2 beating from the Nashville Predators. It was another Central Division game at home, where the Stars have been really good, but Dallas couldn’t close it out. They were slow to the puck, didn’t generate much offense, and were leaky on defense. Nashville capitalized early and carried the momentum for the rest of the game.
So shake that off and start up a new win streak, right? The Dallas Stars immediately headed for St. Louis to take on the Blues two nights after their loss to the Predators. It was a chance for Dallas to bounce back and cancel out their loss on Tuesday. They had another chance at knocking off one of the top teams in the division.
But they botched that one, too. The Stars lost 3-0 and now sit at a record of 16-12-1 with 33 points. They had a firm grasp on the first wild card spot, but are now close to losing it altogether. The team has lost two straight contests against some of the best teams in the league and is in danger of coming apart..
So yes, there is still some work to do. Though these losses have been disappointing to watch, they are doing some good. They are painting a picture of just where the Dallas Stars sit right now.
The Dallas Stars are a good team, but they aren’t a great team. They are (hopefully) getting there, but they aren’t there yet. The Stars just aren’t the hockey team that you want them to be… yet.
There is reason to believe they are turning things around. The most recent win streak proved that the Stars can be a very dangerous team whenever they are clicking and play at a consistent rate. They have the tools and necessities to be a good, potentially even great, hockey team.
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But they still aren’t at the top just yet. And when they try and compete with teams at the top, they get beaten and bruised pretty badly. The Stars are 0-6-0 against the top three teams in the Central right now. They have yet to find a way to compete and hang with the best in the division and that is critical in order for Dallas to take the next step. Dallas is good, but they need to be great when they’re on the big stage. There is still work to do.
At this point in the season (29 games in), the Dallas Stars look like a probable wild card team. If they can keep up this level of effort, they should be able to push themselves into the playoffs. But if they make the postseason, their chances of advancing past the first round look bleak due to the competition they would be up against. They have not proven themselves against the top competition just yet.
The Stars are currently working through their early season “crisis.” Dallas started the year on a .500 note, playing just above average and keeping themselves in the thick of the standings. Then they started to break out, as we saw, winning seven of eight and putting the NHL on watch.
And now here they are on a two-game losing streak. There’s a large chasm between “good” and “great,” and the Dallas Stars are learning just what it takes to get from one to the other.
The Stars’ next opportunity at turning their losing misfortunes around comes tonight against a great Vegas team. Dallas had no trouble brewing up the confidence to not only down, but also shut out, the Golden Knights last week.
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Will they be able to do the same tonight, or are they in for a third straight loss and more questioning about the legitimacy of the team? We’ll find out when the puck drops at 7:00 p.m. from the AAC.
Let the work begin.