September 2018 – December 2018
After rolling through the slow months of the NHL offseason, September arrived and it was finally time for Dallas Stars hockey to return to the ice. Let’s look back on what the last three months have offered.
September
The first two weeks of the month of September saw things start slow but finish fast for the Dallas Stars. While players returned to the metroplex and took part in impromptu skates and Stars prospects competed at the Traverse City Tournament, one thing still loomed over the franchise: signing Tyler Seguin to a long-term deal. Things seemed to be progressing in the right direction at the beginning of the month and eventually came to a climax just before training camp.
Blackhawk Up
On Sep. 13, Seguin agreed to an eight-year contract extension with the Dallas Stars. Seguin put pen to paper just one day before the beginning of training camp, creating plenty of hype to begin the 2018-19 year with.
Following the extension, the Stars wrapped up their first training camp under head coach Jim Montgomery in Boise, Idaho and proceeded to post a 4-2-1 record in preseason play. After that, it was off to opening night.
October
And just like that, after another long offseason filled with change and fine-tuning, the Dallas Stars embarked on their 2018-19 campaign. There were a handful of roster changes before opening night, though. On Oct. 1, the Stars acquired defenseman Connor Carrick in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. One day later, they lost forward Remi Elie to the Buffalo Sabres after waiving him.
But on Oct. 4, they officially kicked off their 2018-19 season. They started things off on a high note on opening night, defeating the Arizona Coyotes 3-0 and giving Montgomery his first NHL coaching win. The Stars would open the season on a 3-1-0 run before dropping three in a row and falling into a bit of an early-season rut.
SenShot
They would end the month of October with a 6-5-0 record. Their special teams looked strong, their goaltending put up solid numbers, and the Stars boasted an impressive 5-2-0 record on home ice. But, their road woes from 2017-18 continued to haunt them. There were some early growing pains, but those were only to be expected with a brand new coaching staff.
November
The month of November brought a fair share of challenges with it, leaving the Dallas Stars to fend for themselves in a tough stretch.
The month started with a season-long six game road trip, in which Dallas posted a 3-2-1 record. Upon returning home with a playoff spot within reach, the Stars were dealt a heavy blow when John Klingberg broke his hand in a game against San Jose on Nov. 8. With their injured reserve list piling up and their star defender out for what would eventually become nearly six weeks, Dallas had to run with a skeleton crew on defense for a few games and heavily relied on various prospects who pulled through and helped in keeping Dallas afloat.
Ben Bishop missed the final five games of the month with an injury, Gavin Bayreuther made his NHL debut, and the Stars finished the month with a thrilling 4-3 overtime win in Calgary to wrap up a 7-5-3 month.
December
Here we are with the most recent month. And as you probably remember, it was the most intriguing one of the season so far.
The Stars started it out on a hot note, winning their first three to build their longest win streak of the season at four games. During this streak, Gemel Smith was waived and claimed by the Boston Bruins. After the fourth win, they immediately followed it up with a winless road trip out west, going 0-4-0 over the second full week of December. They returned home on Dec. 18 and posted an average 2-2-0 mark to keep the team on an average pace going into the NHL Holiday Break.
Upon coming out, they picked up a big 2-0 win in Nashville using a 49-save shutout by Anton Khudobin. The win propelled them back into the playoff picture and gave them a decent outlook. But, that didn’t stop CEO Jim Lites from tearing into Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin in a vulgar tirade on Friday morning. The comments set the Dallas Stars organization in the hockey world spotlight and were unlike anything we’ve seen in the sports world before.
The Stars responded, however, by winning a 5-1 contest against the Detroit Red Wings and capping the month off with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens on New Year’s Eve.
And, here we are on January 1.
It was a pretty eventful and intriguing 2018 calendar year for the Dallas Stars. From early promise to a devastating collapse, an offseason filled with more change, and a new season that is getting more interesting by the game, the Stars have just about seen it all.
Here’s to hoping that 2019 brings more pleasure and excitement than grief and disgrace. Have a Happy New Year, Stars fans. Hope 2019 finds you well.