The ebbs and flows of an NHL season are nothing short of expected. Recently, the Dallas Stars have found themselves in a bit of a streaky patch, winning a few games and then losing a few more. This is due, in part, to their lack of confidence in their identity.
Consistency is arguably the hardest thing to achieve in hockey. It’s complicated playing so many different teams with so many different styles on such a regular basis.
The Dallas Stars are on the hunt for the team’s identity and each player’s individual role, which is made more difficult when you consider the extraordinary number of injuries they’ve sustained. However, once a few things are sorted out, they’ll be on the path to a more smooth-sailing season.
Making The Calls
A major obstacle for the Stars is the revolving door of coaches and seemingly everchanging systems they have to adjust to in a short period of time.
Sometimes, it’s hard to keep track of who all has stood behind the team: Dave Tippett, Mark Crawford, Glen Gulutzen, Lindy Ruff, Ken Hitchcock and now, Jim Montgomery. And that’s just in the last decade or so.
More from Analysis
- Dallas Stars Traverse City Tournament: Who had great performances?
- Taking a look at the teams the Dallas Stars will be playing in the preseason
- Should the Dallas Stars revisit signing Patrick Kane this season?
- Realistic regular season stats for Dallas Stars Roope Hintz
- Realistic regular season stats for Dallas Stars Joe Pavelski
Until Montgomery takes full grasp of what he wants and needs from this team, everything from positioning to how different line combinations and defensive pairs work in tandem, the Stars will likely continue to have fluctuating success.
Health
At the end of the day, the Stars’ injuries are catching up to them. It’s hard enough to play in the NHL, but to play with less than a full arsenal of players is a whole different beast.
Defensively, it’s proven especially challenging. Players are in and out of the lineup, but guys with fewer games under their belt than fingers on their hands have found a way to stick it out and play against some of the biggest names in hockey.
Of course, the dedication and effort from these young guns doesn’t go unnoticed. It’s honestly quite impressive that they’ve been able to keep up as well as they have. But even they would tell you that having guys like John Klingberg back on the ice is only going to make life a lot easier.
Down The Stretch
Although the points are the same at the beginning of the season as at the end, any hockey fan or player will tell you that the ones earned down the stretch are that much more valuable. With teams well-settled into the 2018-19 season, it’s only going to get harder in the second half of the season.
Wear and tear on bodies will start to creep in because of the demand playing at this level requires. Small, nagging injuries will likely grow into something much less manageable. What once were little issues in a system will multiply and be exposed.
It’s an uphill battle and one that the Dallas Stars can’t afford to take lightly. If they learned anything from their complete collapse last season, it’s that nothing is guaranteed. Being in the mix can turn into chasing the pack in less time than anyone would like to admit.
Forward Focus
The real thing to key-in on is to keep the foot on the gas pedal. There’s no use in doing anything else because the other 14 teams in the Western Conference certainly have no intention of doing otherwise.