Dallas Stars: Offense Can Find New Spark In Upcoming Games

Something is wrong with the Dallas Stars offense and must be fixed quickly. They could start this project over the next few games before the schedule gets tougher.

Defense wins championships. The Dallas Stars have learned that lesson the hard way over the past few seasons.

Ever since Jim Nill took over as general manager of the Stars in the 2013 offseason, defense has been the issue. Nill had no problem and made quick work at reviving and surging the Stars offense by adding players like Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, and Patrick Sharp from 2013-2015. As a result, the Stars were one of the best offensive teams in the NHL for a good stretch.

But from the blue line back, it was anyone’s guess as to how successful Dallas would truly be. Nill never really landed any franchise-shaking names through trades or in the free agency market with each passing season. When you mix that with the inability of the Dallas Stars’ coaching staff to develop their young defensemen properly in an educated system, there was a clear gap in progress.

As a result, the Stars have only made the playoffs in two of the past four seasons and have yet to make it past the Western Conference semifinals. They’ve seen some highs like the 109-point season in 15-16, as well as some lows like the humbling 79-point season in 16-17. But the common struggle in all of those seasons is their defensive game.

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But here they are with 13 games to go in a 2017-18 regular season that has so far been filled with anticipation and surprises, and defense is the least of their problems. In fact, the Dallas Stars own one of the best defenses and goaltending tandems in the NHL at the moment. This is a defensive unit that has shown Cup-caliber capabilities.

And yet, the Stars are still struggling to keep themselves in the playoff picture. A large reason for that has to do with their lack of offensive success, particularly over the past month. When it matters most, Dallas cannot seem to find the necessary scoring touch to take over games. That’s starting to hurt them in a way that could knock the Stars out of the playoff race altogether if they aren’t careful.

After tacking on a fifth straight win against the Pittsburgh Penguins in a hot streak to start the month of February, the Dallas Stars offense disappeared. It left no signs of a planned exit and seems to have vanished from the face of the earth altogether.

Dallas went from averaging 3.45 goals per game from mid-December to mid-February to now averaging 2.00 goals per game in the first six games of March. They have scored less than two goals in two of their past three games and have not tallied a goal at 5-on-5 in 10 days. In other words, things are bad.

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The Stars are struggling to find the back of the net and it is costing them dearly. The Dallas defense is still the fourth-best group in the NHL, giving up only 2.58 goals against per game. The defenders are doing well at giving up few quality chances and both Ben Bishop and Kari Lehtonen are buying the team a chance to win in the crease. But you cannot win without at least one goal.

That’s where the problems arise. The Stars are struggling significantly with finding the back of the net, and when they do, it’s on special teams. And there only seems to be a select few forwards who are making an extensive effort to ignite the offense, such as Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov. Other than that, there’s no scoring to be found.

Dallas currently sits in 19th place in the league with a 2.81 goals for average. While it’s not a humiliating spot to be at, it’s not necessarily a playoff-worthy number considering teams like Tampa Bay and Vegas are putting up 3.35+ goals per game. If the Stars want to be a playoff team and actually qualify, it’s clear that there is more work that must be done.

So what can they do? They have already tried a few different things and come up empty-handed. But is there any way that all four lines can begin contributing on a regular basis and sparking the offense forward?

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If there is, it will need to come in these next few games. That’s because the Stars have a great opportunity to find a new offensive groove over the next week or so.

The Stars are in Montreal tonight to take on a struggling Canadiens team that is looking for an end to their horrific 2017-18 campaign. Following that, they head to Toronto for a Wednesday night showdown with the Maple Leafs. They will close the week out on Friday night with a matchup at Ottawa.

While the Canadiens and Senators are near the bottom of the league standings, the Maple Leafs are struggling along in the final stretch of the season, losing four of their past five games.

If Dallas wants a chance to try new things on offense against a real opponent, now is the time to do it. Ottawa and Montreal have among the worst defenses in the NHL, while the Leafs sit just outside the top 10 in goals against average.

Ken Hitchcock is no stranger to shaking things up when something goes wrong. We’ve seen it all year and are likely to continue seeing it until things go right again. The Dallas Stars offense has not been the same since their 4-3 shootout win over the Penguins on Feb. 9. Lines have been juggled, ice time has shifted, but there are still no results. Now is the perfect time to boost their confidence back up and start a new hot streak with a few solid performances before going toe-to-toe with a stretch of the best teams in the league.

There are only 13 games to go in the regular season. The Stars currently possess sole control of the first wild card spot in the West, but one or two losses could push them from the picture entirely. They can thank their offensive woes over the past month for that. But the race isn’t over yet.

Next: Stars Having Trouble Putting All Their Strengths Together

This next month will not only be a time for the Stars to earn a playoff spot, but also to prove that they are playoff worthy. That will all come down to whether their offense can get back in the saddle.

All it takes is a little spark to start the fire, and Dallas has a great chance to find that spark over the next few games. It’s up to the offense to get it done.