Dallas Stars: Examining Just How Good The Team Is Right Now
Sometimes, it’s easy to forget how good a team is doing when they build up an extended streak. Let’s take a step back and realize just how spectacular the Dallas Stars are playing right now.
It’s tough being a team like the Dallas Stars right now. That’s because even when everything seems to be going right, they still can’t seem to take the next step forward.
The Stars are arguably playing their best hockey of the 2017-18 season at the moment. They are hitting their stride in all three areas, winning on a regular basis, and look as though they could compete with any team in the NHL.
But do you realize that in its entirety? Or do you at least acknowledge that the Stars are on a hot streak and arguably playing as well as they did at any point during the 2015-16 season? If you don’t, it’s okay, but you really need to.
It’s easy to forget about the incredible success that the Dallas Stars are having right now, and that’s primarily due to the standings. The Stars sit in the first wild card spot in the Western Conference at the moment. They have bounced around the two wild card spots for the past couple of months. During that time, they haven’t fallen out of the playoff picture, but also haven’t been able to break the top three in the Central Division.
Dallas Stars
It’s a problem that can quickly become aggravating and frustrating. But the Dallas Stars aren’t focusing on that frustration, and neither should you.
Instead, take a quick step back with us and take a look at just how incredible the team is playing right now.
The Stars own a record of 28-17-4 with 60 points. They are only five points out of the top spot in the Central Division, which is currently held by the Winnipeg Jets. While the Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues also sit between the two clubs, there is reason to believe that Dallas is closing the gap quickly. That’s mainly due to their recent play.
Over the past 14 games, the Dallas Stars own a record of 10-3-1. Besides being outdone by a few opposing goaltenders, they have put up a solid performance in every game and fought hard for two points.
And as a result, their team stats are trending in the right direction. They currently sit in eighth in the NHL in goals for at 3.08 goals per game, which is impressive. But their defensive numbers, as surprising as it may seem after so many years of subpar efforts, are the real head-turners. The Stars currently own the sixth-lowest goals against average in the NHL at 2.61 per game. When is the last time you can remember the Stars being in the top ten in GA/GP halfway through a season?
Their individual stats are reaching awesome levels as well. The Stars are one of just two teams that have four players (Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov, John Klingberg) over the 40-point mark right now. They are also one of two teams with three players boasting at least 20 goals this season (Benn, Seguin, Radulov).
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Does that impress you enough? No? Well let’s take a more recent sampling size and look at the past five games. They beat the Bruins, Red Wings, Sabres, and Panthers, and lost in a shootout to the Blue Jackets over that span.
That translates to a record of 4-0-1 (nine of a possible ten points) in their last five games, with three of the wins coming during a four-game road trip. The Stars outscored their competition 21-8 during the stretch. That gives them an average of 4.20 goals per game and 1.60 goals against per game over their last five matchups.
The offense is heating up as the season goes along. Multiple players are hitting their stride, and the Stars’ “big three” forwards (Benn, Seguin, Radulov) are all contributing on a nightly basis at the same time. After a slow start to the year, their depth scorers are coming around and putting in work on each shift.
Their defense, which was largely questioned and doubted in the preseason, is rolling and performing extraordinarily over the past month. Composed primarily of young talent, they have found consistency and structure under Ken Hitchcock and Rick Wilson. It’s starting to pay off in a big way, and the Dallas defense is quickly becoming dangerous.
Ben Bishop and Kari Lehtonen are both buying the team a chance to win on every given night, and neither has been the reason for a Dallas loss in a while.
John Klingberg is gaining significant momentum in the Norris Trophy race after his play over the last few weeks. Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov are both riding an eight-game points streak, John Klingberg is closing in on a point-per-game average for the season, and Kari Lehtonen is 4-1-0 in his last five starts. Pick any Dallas Stars player and you will be able to find something positive to say about their play over the past five or seven games.
All in all, the Stars are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now. They are going pound for pound with every opponent they go up against and are coming out victorious on a regular basis. And more often than not, those victories come in a dominant fashion.
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Though the standings don’t seem to be changing very much, that means next to nothing right now. What matters is that the Stars are firing on all cylinders and keeping pace with the league, which oddly enough has a LOT of hot teams right now (especially in the Central Division).
Just remember to stay focused on the positives, Stars fans. It will only help in the end.