Dallas Stars Go Flat On Road Trip, Begin Raising Questions

After finishing the first week of the regular season with promise and hype, the Dallas Stars went flat in week two. As a result, both old and new questions have arisen about the team’s potential and future.

Let’s start this article off by putting out a disclaimer: the Dallas Stars still have 76 games remaining in their 2018-19 regular season campaign.

They are only two weeks into the new year, have only competed in six games, and have a lot of time left for things to either go really good, really bad, or somewhere in-between. But with that being said, there is now reason for doubt within the Stars organization.

Now, there might have always been a certain level of doubt. After all, they entered the season with a new coach, new system, and new players to adapt and assimilate with. It was a risky endeavor, but one that Dallas needed to take on and one that potentially had them set up for immediate success.

That success looked present through the first nine days of the Dallas Stars’ season. In their first four games, the Stars went 3-1-0. They shutout the Arizona Coyotes, dominated the Winnipeg Jets, and made a furious and almost unbelievable comeback against the Anaheim Ducks. Even in their one loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs, they put up four goals but simply couldn’t hold down the high-flying Toronto offense.

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Everything seemed to be falling into place. The Stars looked energized, relentless, and productive in all three areas. They put on impressive showings for their home crowd and approached their first road trip with plenty of excitement.

But then, it all disappeared in a short period of time. Dallas began this week playing out a short two-game road trip. They visited the Ottawa Senators on Monday night before boarding a flight to New Jersey to prepare for a matchup with the Devils on Tuesday night.

The Stars owned a poor 28-44-10 record when away from home over the past two seasons. Their road play was a major product in the team missing the playoffs last year and left people wondering if the team could turn things around on the road this season. After all, it’s a problem that the Stars have to fix if they want to take the next step.

But in their first two games, they got off to a below average start. Dallas lost 4-1 to the Senators on Monday and followed it up with a 3-0 loss to the Devils on Tuesday. They were outscored 7-1 over a span of 30 hours, with their only goal coming from defenseman John Klingberg on the power play.

For the majority of the short trip out east, the Stars looked unenergized, sloppy, and lacking the necessary emotion that they had possessed in the first four games. As a result, their opponents capitalized and turned both games into blowouts.

And here we are, once again questioning the status and direction of this team.

Is this team any different from last year? Is there something about playing on the road that they just cannot get right? Is the depth scoring really upgraded, or will the Stars once again try to rely on their “big four” for scoring? And what happened to the defense that is now giving up 3.00 goals per game over the first six contests?