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Dallas Stars Must Avoid Typical New Year’s Hangover

By Josh Clark |
DALLAS, TX - DECEMBER 29: Tyler Seguin
DALLAS, TX - DECEMBER 29: Tyler Seguin

2018 is here, and that could mean bad news for the Dallas Stars. In the past few years, the team has started slow and sluggish in the New Year. And at the current point in time, a sluggish start will definitely hurt them.

Welcome to the first day of 2018, Dallas Stars fans. Did everyone (or at least most of you) survive the night and the probable partying? After all, there was a lot to celebrate.

Last night, the Stars capped off a successful first half of their 2017-18 season by blasting the San Jose Sharks 6-0. Dallas was faster, smarter, more precise, and more aggressive and it showed in a game between two playoff picture teams.

The win bumped the Stars up to a record of 22-15-3 this year. Dallas is one game away from hitting the halfway point in their regular season campaign, so 47 points is a pretty good place to be at right now.

But with 2017 now in the rearview mirror and 2018 coming in hot, the Dallas Stars could be in for some tough times. At least that’s what history says.

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Over the past few seasons, the New Year has not treated the Stars with much dignity or mercy. And it doesn’t seem to matter what state the Dallas team is in when they hit January 1. Things always seem to go wrong.

Take a quick look at how the Dallas Stars have opened up the past few years in early January. The results are rather telling.

2016-17: 2-4-1

2015-16: 1-5-2

2014-15: 2-3-2

2013-14: 0-6-0

They have yet to post a record above .500 in the first 6-8 games of a given New Year in the Jim Nill era. Maybe it’s because of too much partying on New Year’s Eve? Or maybe there’s just something about a New Year that jars the Stars out of focus. It gets even more confusing when you realize that Dallas has closed out each of the past few years with some impressive results. Let’s take a look at how each Stars team closed out their respective years in the final days of December.

2016-17: 3-1-0

2015-16: 5-1-1

2014-15: 7-1-0

2013-14: 5-0-2

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It’s not a promising tradition for a Dallas Stars team that needs to keep all of the momentum they can at the moment. The standings are airtight and Dallas has very little room for error, even after closing December out with a 4-1-0 record.

“We can’t let go of the rope,” said Stars head coach Ken Hitchcock after the Stars’ 6-0 win last night. “We’ve had a little bit of a run here and we’ve made a little bit of ground, but we’ve created no separation. This is the way it’s going to be for the rest of the year. There’s no room. You can’t have a dip.”

The Dallas Stars must avoid a potential dip over the next few weeks, and it’s not going to be easy. Dallas has just three more games before their one-week break kicks in. Each of the three games will take place at the American Airlines Center, but the opposition isn’t going to be easy.

The Stars play the Columbus Blue Jackets tomorrow, the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night, and the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday afternoon. It’s a three-game slate against both some playoff-bound teams and some teams trying to dig their way back into the race.

The Dallas Stars are already in an 0-1-0 hole against New Jersey and have split the season series so far with Edmonton. It’s not going to be an easy stretch by any means.

Next: December Power Rankings For Stars Players

And so Dallas will start their 2018 slate off with three tough opponents and try to rid themselves of the ghosts of New Year’s past. Will this be the year that the team starts off the New Year on a high note?

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