Dallas Stars Have Opportunity To Start Road Play On Strong Note
The Dallas Stars will open up their road slate on Monday night against the Ottawa Senators. And after a rough time away from home in the 2017-18 season, they seem to be set up nicely to start their road play on a positive note.
Dallas Stars head coach Jim Montgomery has his team in a pretty good spot right now.
Through the first four games of the 2018-19 season, the first-year coach has the Stars at a 3-1-0 record. They are averaging 4.25 goals for and 2.75 goals against per game and own a goal differential of +6. They have shutout the Arizona Coyotes, dominated a Central division rival in the Winnipeg Jets, and put together a furious comeback victory against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night.
There are a few reasons for this. You might point out their electric power play, which has a 54.5 percent success rate (the highest in the NHL) through four games and 11 attempts. You could also point to the hot starts by multiple players on offense, defense, and in net. Or, you might even cite the overall new mentality of the team that comes with more aggression, grit, and determination.
But for Montgomery, a large part of it had to do with the fans.
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“The nerves did come in,” Montgomery said following their win against Arizona on opening night. “But as soon as the game started, I thought our crowd, the way when players got introduced and how excited they were, it gave me confidence that we were going to be in a good place.”
That wasn’t his only praise of the Dallas Stars faithful, though.
“This was a character win,” Montgomery told the media following the Stars’ 5-3 win over Anaheim on Saturday. “They’re playing hard for each other and I just loved how hard they came back. And that building was rocking in the second. I think coach [Rick] Bowness said it best, he goes, ‘Boy, the roof can come off this building when we get rocking.'”
Now might be a good time to remind you that the Dallas Stars have yet to play a road game this season. They opened their year with a four-game homestand and passed with flying colors. On top of that, Stars fans made their presence known and felt.
The Stars averaged 18,265 fans through the first four contests. That’s a 98.6 percent fill rate. The fans definitely played a role in every game that helped keep the team driving forward.
It’s become a common theme for the Stars to enjoy and use home ice advantage. Dallas has not averaged an attendance percentage below 97.7 percent since the 2014-15 season. Last season, the Stars rewarded their fanbase with a 26-12-3 record when at the American Airlines Center. Stars fans show up in full force, get loud and rowdy, and have given their team a significant edge this season.
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But now, the team is entering enemy territory for the first time this year. And if they truly are looking to break free from two years of inconsistency and really take the next step on their way back to a playoff berth, they will have to find a way to win when away from home.
Over the past two seasons, the Dallas Stars are a combined 28-44-10 when playing on the road. That’s a record that should make any hockey team or fan turn their head in disgust.
Last season, an 0-4-2 skid during a six-game road trip in March was a main factor in burying the Stars’ playoff hopes. Through the first two months of the year, they were 5-8-1 when away from home.
To sum it up, Dallas hasn’t seen much success on the road in the last two years and its contributed to their untimely demises. That will have to change if they truly want to be labeled as a different team and a playoff contender. They are showing those signs at the moment, so it’s up to them to follow through.
And by the looks of it, they might have a great opportunity to get off on the right foot.
The Stars will kick off road play on Monday night in Ottawa when they face a Senators team that was picked to finish at the bottom of the NHL pile before the season began. Ottawa parted ways with some of their top talent during the summer and looks to be running a full-scale rebuild at the moment.
But the Senators are 2-2-1 so far, are averaging four goals per game, and did something the Stars were unable to do by defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first week of the year. In other words, they cannot be taken lightly.
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Their defense, however, is offering up 4.20 goals against per game along with 37.4 shots against per game (second-highest in the NHL). Considering the Dallas offense is already clicking at a high speed this season and generating solid numbers, they have a chance to dominate on the offensive side tonight and control the game.
Following the game against Ottawa, they will face off with the only undefeated team remaining in the NHL. The New Jersey Devils are 3-0-0 this year, with all three games being played at the Prudential Center in Newark. They own the highest goal differential in the league with a +10 and are averaging 4.66 goals per game and 1.33 goals against per game.
After defeating the San Jose Sharks 3-2 on Sunday night, the Devils will have Monday off to prepare for a Stars team that will come in tired following a game and flight from Ottawa to NJ. But Dallas did take down a 3-0-1 Anaheim team using four unanswered goals, so don’t count out an upset just yet. On top of that, the Stars are 2-1-1 in their last four contests at the Prudential Center.
To close out the month, the Dallas Stars will go up against the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens. The Red Wings are currently winless with an 0-3-2 record and look to be in for a very rough year while the Canadiens are 2-1-1 but are missing some of their big assets from last season and might be in for a tough battle in a strong division.
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As a result, the Stars have four road games this month that at least give them an opportunity to build some momentum away from home. It’s a crucial element for any contender to be good when playing in an opposing arena, and the Dallas Stars need to learn that skill.
These first few games will offer Jim Montgomery and his revamped squad a chance to do just that.