There’s been a lingering problem with the Dallas Stars over the past few years. No matter what the team does in the offseason and regular season, they can never seem to handle big moments. Is that destined to change in 2018-19?
For once, it seems that the Washington Capitals have thoroughly bested the Dallas Stars. Allow me to explain.
From the 2013-14 season through the 2016-17 season, the Stars owned an undeniably impressive record against Washington. In their eight meetings, Dallas hoisted a 7-0-1 record. What’s more impressive is that the Caps owned an exact opposite mark of 1-7-0. In other words, out of a possible 16 points through four seasons between the franchises, the Stars picked up 15. Meanwhile, the Capitals struggled to snag two, with their only win coming in overtime.
But this season, things look incredibly different. Not only did the Dallas Stars finish the season 0-1-1 against Washington, but the Capitals are now four wins from their first ever Stanley Cup. The Caps seemed to have little trouble handling the Stars this past season and are now rocking in the postseason.
And while the Capitals are making waves and setting their focus on the championship, the Stars are at home. In fact, Dallas will be celebrating their seven-week anniversary since playing their last game of the 2017-18 season on Saturday. Seven weeks without hockey and a second straight season of no playoff action. Bummer.
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What was it that the Capitals did so well in one season, though? After all, the past few years have not been well to the hockey team from the U.S. capital. They have largely been filled with winning the President’s Trophy and swiftly being eliminated in the second round. It’s been a constant cycle that has begun to agitate and bore Capitals fans. In that way, the Stars and Caps are alike.
The Dallas Stars are known in the recent past for winning summers by reeling in high-grade talent but quickly sinking well below expectations. While Dallas doesn’t have the playoff appearances to match Washington, that makes it all the more frustrating. They are a great team on paper and cannot seem to figure it out. As a result, the Stars cannot even get a taste of playoff action.
Frustrating? Yes. Aggravating? Absolutely. Just disappointingly pathetic? You betcha.
So how did Washington get out of the slump? Well, they won when it mattered most. After another successful season and divisional win, they advanced to the postseason as the Metropolitan one seed. And when they were in a 2-0 hole to the wild card Columbus Blue Jackets, they won when it mattered and dug themselves out. When they faced off with a Pittsburgh Penguins team well known for eliminating the Caps in round two, Washington fought harder. They won the series in six and advanced, and they weren’t ready to stop, either.
The Capitals moved on to the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning. After winning the first two games on the road, lost three in a row. All hope seemed lost and the dream seemed to have finally died out. But Washington regrouped, turned the tide, and won the final two games, including a game seven clincher in Tampa.
They won when it mattered and answered the call at the biggest moments of the season. The Dallas Stars haven’t been able to do that in the past few seasons. And that’s where they are different.
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Over the last seven to nine seasons, the Dallas Stars haven’t been one for answering when a big moment comes along. Maybe it was sitting in first place in the Pacific Division with a record of 30-15-5 at the All-Star Break in 2010-11 only to end up missing the playoffs that same year with a 12-14-6 finish.
Or maybe you want to talk about holding the eighth seed with less than two weeks to go in the 2013 lockout season? The Stars found a way to lose six of their final seven games and miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season.
Then there was the 2015-16 season in which the Dallas Stars came out of nowhere, at least in the regular season. Dallas claimed the Central Division title with an incredible 50-win effort. They entered the playoffs as the no. 1 seed and managed to make it to game seven of the second round. And that’s where they crumbled against the St. Louis Blues in front of their home fans only to enter the offseason with more frustration.
And who could forget this past year’s 0-6-2 slide in March that set a new winless record for the Dallas franchise. The slide singlehandedly removed the Stars from a comfortable playoff spot as the rest of the Western Conference passed them up.
But the worst part is that these unfortunately-timed moments of inadequacy have not been due to a lack of talent; they have simply had to do with an inability to execute. At least the lack of talent provides a scapegoat.
Causeway Crowd
These moments continue to pile on and the Dallas Stars simply cannot square them up. It’s a vicious cycle that is only further frustrating and punishing the franchise. And it finally seems as though they are preparing to take the next step. Perhaps the 2017-18 season was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
After missing the playoffs for yet another year, Dallas is already off and running with changes. They hired college coach Jim Montgomery as their newest bench boss. It looks as though young players will get a more extensive and in-depth opportunity to contribute next year. The Stars are building their team in hopes of taking it in a new direction for the future. And it’s anyone’s guess as to how GM Jim Nill takes on the draft and free agency.
Now, these new investments and abandoning of the status quo may not pay off. In fact, this may be a worse idea than playing it safe. But the Stars will not know until they try it out. And that’s just what makes this team ready to take a step in a new direction: they are ready to try anything. The first step in breaking a habit is admitting you have a problem, after all. Now they can go about trying to fix it so the next time they are presented with a grand opportunity, they don’t let it slip away. It’s a step-by-step process.
The Dallas Stars have a lot to do in order to improve their franchise. But one of the biggest necessities is breaking out of the frustrating slump that has haunted the team for so long. Not showing up in big games or chunks of the season has always been a side-effect of this team. It’s time for a change and a new direction.
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It may not be as easy of a transition as Washington simply winning in the big moments, but it’s a step in the right direction. And who knows where that step will lead.