Dallas Stars Responding Positively To Losses Out Of Long Breaks

The Dallas Stars have endured a fair share of extensive breaks over the past two months. While they haven’t usually exited the break with a lot of energy and determination, they don’t dwell on their slow starts for too long. That’s a good sign.

Starting off the month of February with a bang is something that the Dallas Stars really needed to do. Luckily enough, they came through.

The Stars started off the second month of 2018 in Glendale, Arizona in a matchup with the Coyotes. Currently sitting in dead last in the Western Conference, the Coyotes were not expected to be a difficult opponent for Dallas to take down by any means.

But there was a silver lining in last night’s game. This silver lining had Stars fans wondering whether their team would actually be able to fend off the worst team in the NHL (12 wins in 51 games). So what was the silver lining?

It all has to do with the Dallas Stars and their inconsistency. But it’s not an inconsistency problem throughout the entire season; it’s more recently.

Dallas Stars

Dallas closed out the month of January with two regulation losses in a row. They came at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings, and the Stars were outscored 7-1 over the span. Considering both games were at home and Dallas hadn’t lost two games in a row in regulation since early December, the odds of them dropping an egg like that seemed near impossible.

But that’s what happened. The Stars dropped two games in a row and looked as though they were quickly approaching the outside of the playoff bubble after spending months in the wild card standings.

Why did they fall out so suddenly to close out January? Well, a large part of it has to do with one of life’s cruelest mistresses: time (specifically time off). Sounds lovely, right?

The Stars probably don’t think so. As we have seen on multiple occasions this year, Dallas struggles significantly in their play and in generating results after an extended break. The Stars defeated the Predators just before Christmas break this past year, but followed the win up with a flat 4-2 loss to the Wild two days after Christmas.

Two of the more recent examples include the game against Colorado and the game against Los Angeles. The Stars ushered in the new year with a record of 2-1-0 over the first six days of 2018. Following those three games, the Stars took on their one-week break, which is mandated by the league and embedded in every team’s schedule.

When the Dallas Stars returned from a long and relaxing vacation, they received a 4-1 beatdown from the Avalanche. Dallas looked slow and unenthused in their first game back from the long break, and that gave Colorado a chance to capitalize.

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And just a few days ago, the NHL hit the All-Star Break, reserving four straight days (Friday-Monday) for the 2018 All-Star Game festivities. Besides John Klingberg and Tyler Seguin who went to the ASG, the rest of the team used their break time.

But in their first game back from the four-day break, the Stars were shut out by the Los Angeles Kings on home ice in a 3-0 skunking.

On the one hand, you would think that teams who get a much-needed rest would come out more energized and focused than before. But on the other hand, there’s a chance that a team can get too comfy and end up hurting themselves out of the gate. The Dallas Stars are the latter

But there is a bright side to this struggle, and it has to do with the Stars’ ability to bounce back from defeat. In other words, they may lose their first game out of a break, but they are quick to turn the ship around.

Right after Christmas break, the Stars lost to the Wild. After that disappointing loss, however, the Stars rattled off two straight wins against the Blues and Sharks.

Dallas also followed up the loss to Colorado after their one-week break with a 3-0-1 road trip against some of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

And finally, the Stars posted an impressive 4-1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes last night after losing to LA two nights prior. In all of these wins, the Stars were quick on the puck, made smart decisions in both zones, and simply outplayed their opponents.

Their ability to effectively respond to these “wake-up call” games gives them an undeniable edge as they enter the final 30-game stretch of their season. The Stars still have a few extensive breaks left in their schedule, and it will be interesting to see how they respond to that down time. If they respond negatively, we will at least know that they know how to bounce back in the second game.

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The Dallas Stars are 29-19-4 with 62 points this season. While that may be enough to get them into the playoffs at the rate they are going, you can never be too sure. With that being said, these bounce back games will come in handy. That much we can count on.