Dallas Stars: Observations From First Half Of 2018 Preseason Play

The Dallas Stars are over halfway home in their 2018 preseason campaign. And through the first four games, we’ve seen a lot from certain players and the team as a whole. Here are some observations.

The preseason provides a perfect opportunity for a team like the Dallas Stars, especially considering their current situation.

While some may consider the preseason as predominantly insignificant or a waste of valuable time that could be used on the regular season, it’s a time to adapt and prepare. The Stars are a team in desperate need of that time right now.

After another offseason of significant change involving the coaching staff as well as the organizational depth chart, Dallas is using every bit of prep time to get their team in order for another tough regular season push.

In 2017-18, the Stars had it until, all of a sudden, they didn’t. Dallas entered the month of March as a top three team in the loaded Central division and looked to be a serious contender for a playoff spot. Their offense was clicking, their defense was phenomenal, and the goaltending tandem was firing on all cylinders.

More from Blackout Dallas

• Dallas Stars Traverse City Tournament: Who had great performances?
• Grushnikov and Stankoven lead Dallas Stars to 6-3 win over Columbus
• Dallas Stars prospects look to wrap up tournament with a win
• Burn the tapes: Dallas Stars prospects lose 5-1 to Toronto Maple Leafs
• Dallas Stars look to continue success today against the Maple Leafs

But after a catastrophic collapse through March that involved injuries, the disappearance of depth scoring, and an eight-game losing streak, the Stars removed themselves from playoff contention and entered the offseason early for the second year in a row. And with that came the need for more change.

Stars fans know the story and have probably heard it more times than they would like to, but that’s now in the past. The necessary changes supposedly happened over the summer and the Dallas Stars are ready to get back to work.

The preseason is a great way to jumpstart that excitement while also building preparedness.

Dallas is already over halfway done with their 2018 preseason schedule. After wrapping up training camp on Sunday, Sep. 16, the Stars have spent the past week digging into preseason action. And so far, they are showing sincere signs of promise.

The Dallas Stars are 3-0-1 in the preseason so far. They defeated the Minnesota Wild twice and the St. Louis Blues once and lost to the Florida Panthers in overtime over the seven-day span.

Through those four games, they’ve tried a little bit of everything. They have substituted players in and out of the lineup, crafted a mass of new lines and defensive pairings, and spent each passing game trying to assimilate to Jim Montgomery‘s style.

It’s a growing process and is something that will only help the Dallas Stars get ready for their opening night contest against the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 4. The fact that they are building confidence through their record and performances is simply an added bonus.

But through these four games, the Stars have seen a lot of positive aspects in their game. Certain players have stood out and the team is taking positive steps forward as a complete unit in several areas.

So, with the preseason halfway over, let’s take a look at some of those observations.

Live Feed

SenShot

The goaltending has been rock solid

Through the first four games of the preseason, the Dallas Stars own a goals against average of 2.75. While that may not look incredibly ideal, let’s take a deeper look.

The Stars’ goaltending has been an issue for some time now. The crease has seen the most consistent and excessive changes of any area in the Stars’ organization over the past decade. And it’s not been just an NHL problem; it’s lingered throughout the entire system.

That’s why Dallas is currently in the midst of taking steps to fix it with a full-scale rebuild. Their NHL crease seems to be set in stone for the next two years with Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin. Just below them, young players like Landon Bow, Colton Point, Philippe Desrosiers, and Jake Oettinger are also working their way up in the system and showing signs of promise.

In these first four preseason games, that promise has shone through.

Bishop’s only preseason action so far came in the first half of the first contest against St. Louis. But he put on a stellar showing, stopping all 16 shots faced. Khudobin played in the first half of the Stars’ second game and followed it up with a full game on Tuesday night against Minnesota. All in all, he’s stopped 41-44 for a .931 save percentage. And of the three goals he’s given up, only one of them has come at even strength.

Point was sent to the Texas Stars (AHL) in the most recent roster cut, but stopped 30-33 in his first two NHL contests. Bow followed him up with 26 saves on 31 shots in two separate games.

Live Feed

Da Windy City

Montgomery cycled through the goaltenders and gave each one a solid amount of playing time through the first half of the preseason. Each goalie got a chance to prove themselves and show off their skills as a result.

With Point already down in the AHL and Bow likely heading there in the next roster cut, Bishop and Khudobin should be given the reins for the final two or three games of the preseason. Will this be the year that the Dallas Stars finally find the right goalie tandem?

Roope Hintz wants a spot in the NHL

As the Dallas Stars entered training camp, one of the top questions revolved around their fourth line and which players would help make it up. While the top nine looked all but set in terms of players, there were six or seven candidates vying for a spot on the bottom line. On top of that, there were one or two healthy scratch spots open on the roster.

And of those players, only one had yet to make his NHL debut. As a result, there was a reason to believe that Roope Hintz would be one of the odd men out when all the decisions were made.

But Hintz didn’t look at reason. Instead, he dug in his heels and now looks to be a prime fourth line option for Dallas.

Hintz has skated in each of the Stars’ three wins this preseason, tallying two goals and three points as well as a +2 rating. He also won 53 percent of his face-offs in the first game, 58 percent in the second game, and 64 percent in the third game.

Montgomery has given him a chance to succeed and he’s fully grasped it. On Tuesday night, he skated on the top line with Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov and was easily one of the most consistent and well-rounded forwards on the ice.

More from Editorials

• Dallas Stars hockey is about to be the main attraction in Dallas this year
• Age Before Beauty: The impact of Benn’s new role on his Dallas legacy
• Dallas Stars hockey is the light at the end of the tunnel
• Dallas Stars coverage is lacking and it’s very concerning to be honest
• Sit back, relax and watch Jim Nill and the Dallas Stars draft scouts cook

Hintz has definitely wedged his way into the race for a fourth line spot. At this rate, don’t be surprised if you see the 21-year-old center in the lineup on opening night to make his NHL debut.

So far in the preseason, he’s definitely earned a look.

The big names look ready to go

Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov have been two of the Stars’ primary spark plugs on offense through the first four games. Both players have skated in three of the four contests, with Benn posting two goals and four points and Radulov logging two goals and three points.

Other big names like Radek Faksa, Valeri Nichushkin, John Klingberg, and Esa Lindell are also finding the spotlight with their play on the ice.

While the NHL players don’t necessarily get a large role until the tail end of the preseason, it’s good to see certain players already picking up where they left off last season in preparation for the year ahead.

Live Feed

Sports Dallas Fort-Worth

Heiskanen is the real deal

It’s hard to not love a player like Miro Heiskanen. He’s a 19-year-old defenseman brimming with talent and is expected to be a cornerstone of the Dallas Stars franchise for years to come.

So far, he’s living up to expectations. And though the preseason is yet another small sampling size, Heiskanen is leaving very few reasons to doubt the hype that he’s built up over the past year.

Heiskanen has played in all but one of the Stars’ contests so far, only missing out on the neutral-site match against Florida this past weekend. That means that he has gone up against Central division foes in each of his first three NHL games.

And in those three games, he’s tallied a goal, an assist, and a +4 rating. He’s skated over 22 minutes in each contest and has yet to pick up a penalty.

He seems to be making a quick and smooth transition to NHL play and continues to impress in his effort and decision-making on the ice. If he can keep this up, it could be a very special year for the rookie defender.

A step-by-step process

Jim Montgomery wasn’t necessarily impressed with the Dallas Stars’ effort following their first preseason game against the Blues. Even though Dallas won the game 5-3, Montgomery expressed his disappointment in their lack of energy and focus on little details.

But since that game, there’s been a new sense of optimism. The players seem to be adjusting properly, the team is building on their confidence, and the entire team seems to be shifting towards playing a more concise and focused game. And as a result, the mistakes are beginning to lessen and become more inconsistent.

With three preseason games left to be played, the Dallas Stars have a little time left to get fully on-board with Montgomery’s scheme and style. It may not fully happen before the regular season starts, but the promising strides that have already been taken will definitely pay off in the long run.

So far, it’s been an intriguing preseason filled with growth, promise, and tough decisions. Those factors should only continue to intensify as the preseason wraps up over the next week.

But as of right now, 3-0-1 looks pretty good.