Dallas Stars: What We Learned In First Half Of 2017-18 Season

The Stars Know How To Defend Again

Perhaps we should have changed the title by eliminating the word “again.” That’s simply because the last few years have involved a lack of consistent defensive efficiency.

It got so bad that the Stars missed the playoffs last season largely due to their rugged and porous defense. Dallas had the second-worst defense in terms of goals against in 2016-17, only besting the Colorado Avalanche, who had a historically horrific year.

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The Dallas Stars defense has been a cycle of inconsistency over the past few seasons. Many players, both young and old, have entered and exited the lineup through the years, with no players lasting more than four or five years since 2010.

The summer of 2017 brought about a desperate call for change on the Dallas blue line. After the ugly year they turned in, there was a dire need for the Stars to beef up the blue line and add some consistency.

So obviously, they did very little. The only move they made player-wise was trading for defenseman Marc Methot, who has missed the last eight weeks of the 2017-18 season with a knee injury.

But somehow, the Dallas Stars defensive group is playing impressively well through the first half of the year. As of right now, Dallas finds themselves in the top ten in goals against (on the good side of the rankings) with a 2.77 GAA.

Now, a decent part of this success can be accredited to head coach Ken Hitchcock and assistant coach Rick Wilson. Both coaches are defensive-minded and have seen incredible success on the blue line in the NHL over the past few decades. With them behind the bench, the Dallas defensive effort looks much more focused and fluid. They are back checking with more energy, are making clear breakout passes, are playing smart and in formation, and are giving up very few chances. In addition, the forwards are also contributing in a much larger way than in the recent past.

For the past few weeks, the Stars have used this lineup:

Esa Lindell – John Klingberg

Dan Hamhuis – Greg Pateryn

Stephen Johns – Julius Honka

And for that stretch, the lineup has worked well. They have a certain chemistry about them, and each pairing brings a different strength to the table. Possession, physicality, power play, penalty killing, and overall defensive structure can be found in these three pairings. As a result, the Stars are getting a consistent and, dare we say, aggressive defensive effort with each game.

Through the first half of the season, the blue line seems to become more and more impressive with each passing game. Let’s see if there’s more defensive success to be found in 2018.

There Is Definitely Depth

For a little while there, it seemed as though the Dallas Stars only had three forwards.

As the 2017-18 season got underway, the Stars’ offense was primarily led by Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and Alexander Radulov. The three combined for 32 points through the first ten games of the season and looked dominant. The three made up the first line for the first month or so before Hitchcock broke them up.

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But why would Hitch break up such a dominant trio? Well, he had to make the sacrifice in an attempt to solve another problem: the inherent lack of depth scoring.

Outside the top line, the Stars weren’t getting much production through the first month. Their depth forwards were doing a good job effort-wise, but could not seem to get the puck in the back of the net on a consistent basis.

After splitting up the “big three,” the Dallas Stars seem to have unlocked a new world of potential for their offense.

They are receiving both energy and production from every line now. Even though Hitchcock juggles the lines every few games, the level of competition stays the same.

Names like Tyler Pitlick, Radek Faksa, Mattias Janmark, Devin Shore, Gemel Smith, and even Martin Hanzal and Jason Spezza are all finding the scoring sheet on a more regular basis now. The lines are working well and the forwards seem to be completely interchangeable.

As the first half of the season has gone along, the Dallas Stars’ scoring has not only become more consistent, but has been spread around more throughout the lineup. They now find themselves averaging just under three goals a game (2.98) and have really lit up the scoreboard towards the tail end of December, scoring three or more goals in five of the last six games.

A lot of that offensive help is coming from their depth forwards in the bottom nine, and that bodes well for the team in the second half of the year. The Stars do have depth on offense; it simply just took them a little while to get going.

Alexander Radulov Is Really Good At Hockey

When the Dallas Stars signed Alexander Radulov on July 3, the move received mixed reviews.

On the one hand, people were excited that Dallas signed a right winger that seemed capable of playing first line minutes and running alongside Benn and Seguin. But on the other hand, there was worry about signing a 31-year-old to a five-year deal worth $6.25 million.

All of that worry should be gone by now. Radulov has quickly pieced together a career season for himself, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Union and Blue

So far this season, he has started in all 40 of the Stars’ games. Through those 40 games, he has scored 14 goals and put up 32 points. Those numbers are big enough in themselves, putting him fourth on the team in points.

But it’s not just the stat sheet that is impressive. Radulov’s ability to play big minutes, provide another source of scoring on the power play, and use his size and speed effectively in one-on-one battles and when fighting for puck possession make him a valuable asset to the team. No wonder Montreal fans called him a “snake” for signing with Dallas over the summer. He’s pretty darn good.

Not to mention his energy. There’s a certain significance about a player’s enthusiasm and energy on the ice that cannot be assigned a value, yet is so valuable. Radulov has that energy.

“He’s a big game player and big time player,” said head coach Ken Hitchcock of Radulov. “He’s not afraid of the stage, he’s not afraid of the time, he’s not afraid of the time on the clock. He wants to be the guy, and he was tonight. That’s what we need.”

You can see it every time he scores a goal or helps set up a goal. From tackling Tyler Seguin after assisting him with his goal in Colorado to doing the stick twirl and showing that big, toothless grin every time he finds the back of the net, he’s been an incredible force for the Dallas Stars.

On Sunday night, he exited the game early and remained out with an upper-body injury after being sent into the boards awkwardly. The injury occurred after Radulov got tangled up with Justin Braun and looked pretty scary, But following the game, Hitchcock announced that it was simply precautionary to keep Radulov out and that he would play in the next game.

Not only is Radulov a talented scorer with a fast pace and high energy, but he seems indestructible too. Does his contract still seem a bit too overboard? We thought not.

With the second half of the season dead ahead, Radulov is likely setting up to play another large role in the Dallas lineup.

Let’s Just Stay Home, Shall We?

The American Airlines Center has been incredibly kind to the Dallas Stars this year. After all, it’s nice to play on home ice.

The Stars finished 2017 with an impressive 14-4-1 record at home. That includes winning their last four at the AAC. With the season halfway over and the second half starting up, home ice will likely continue to be a strength for Dallas.

Now of course, the Stars cannot simply choose to play their next 41 games at home. If only it worked like that…

Dallas Stars

But lucky, 21 of the Stars’ final 41 will be on home ice, while 20 will be away from home (where Dallas is a less impressive 8-11-2).

The American Airlines Center is offering the Stars a lot of hope, just as it seems to do every year. Dallas has always been decent at home over the past few years, but seems to struggle when they go on the road.

The Stars have beaten some of their largest foes on home ice this year, including the St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, and two victories over the Chicago Blackhawks. It must be something in the air. Or maybe it is all of the Victory Green surrounding the ice and chanting accordingly.

“It seems that every time you look up, it’s a full building,” Hitchcock said about the team’s relationship with the fans. “They are helping us a lot because they are really into it. I think the players appreciate the support and it works in a good way because the players are feeding off of their energy.”

Home ice has definitely become one of the Dallas Stars’ most significant strengths this year. They seem focused and composed whenever they hit the ice at the AAC, which in turn leads to a better chance at emerging victorious. Considering they play more of their games at home than on the road in the second half, look for the winning to likely continue as Dallas embraces its home roots.

It’s All About Finding An Identity

The Dallas Stars started their 2017-18 season without the one thing that every team needs to succeed: an identity.

Throughout the first few games, it was somewhat relevant. But it eventually became painfully obvious and Dallas needed something to change. Without an identity, a team loses a chance at consistency, chemistry, and overall well-roundedness. And it could go either way, because even bad teams have an identity; it just doesn’t happen to be the identity you would want.

Over the first month or two of the season, the Stars struggled with finding their identity. On some nights, they would show flashes of the team they wanted to be and could be. But those nights would be followed up with subpar efforts against teams they knew they could beat. It’s simply because they didn’t have the strength, consistency, and confidence in their game. That’s what having an identity is all about.

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But as it stands right now, it looks like Dallas may have finally found their identity. It wasn’t easy and it took them nearly half the season, but they look as though they have finally found it.

The Stars spent the first two and a half months of the year forging this identity. After the massive overhaul in the summer of 2017, the team entered the 17-18 season with a significantly different look. With that new look comes an adjustment period and a need to not only learn what your teammates bring to the table, but also what the coaching staff expects of you.

That can be a difficult lesson to learn initially and can even take some time, as it did for the Stars. On the bright side, Dallas didn’t sink their ship entirely when looking for their identity. There were some wins and solid performances mixed into their run that helped keep the team afloat.

But now it seems as though they don’t need “afloat” anymore. The Dallas Stars are playing with as much firepower as they have all season. They are scoring more consistently and with more depth on offense, the defensive effort is structured and focused and, as a result, the lineup is staying the same. And Ben Bishop and Kari Lehtonen are starting to hit a hot streak in the crease.

Overall, the team is beginning to click and buzz. The Stars seem to have found their identity and now have a second half of the season to get ready for. If they have their identity secured, the rest should be relatively painless to get through. Let’s see if they finally know who they are.

Next: Stars Close Out 2017-18 With 6-0 Throttling Of Sharks

It was an interesting first half of the 2017-18 season for sure. There was plenty to like as well as a few things to improve upon. But overall, the Stars proved that they are still rising up and growing stronger.

So let’s see what the second act has in store.