Dallas Stars Show That Playing With Speed Makes Team More Successful

Speed is an element that the Dallas Stars haven’t used much of through the first half of the 2018-19 season. They used it on Saturday night, though, and it led to a dominant win. It just goes to show that an uptempo style of play can lead the Stars to consistent success.

The Dallas Stars were arguably the most fun team to watch during the 2015-16 regular season. Why was that?

Maybe it was due to the fact that they were the highest scoring team in the NHL, rattling off 3.23 goals per game. Or perhaps you point to the excitement that the top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Patrick Sharp generated. Maybe you even point to the fact that Dallas found a way to lead the pack in a loaded Central division race that included the Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues.

All of those factors were important in the grand scheme, but there was one key element in their play that made them one of the most exhilarating clubs to follow: their speed.

When Lindy Ruff led the Stars to 50 wins and 109 points, he did so by implementing relentless speed and hustle in his game plan. The Stars were high-powered in their offensive attack and quick in their transition game. They spent a majority of their time in the offensive zone, pouring shots on net and cycling the puck around as the opposition played chase. John Klingberg and other defenders had a chance to play up and contribute, every line put forth a certain level of consistent pressure, and they had enough defenders to clean up the mess when things broke down.

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All in all, they were an exhilarating team to watch simply because it was hard for the camera to keep up with them sometimes. It ended up leading them to the division title and the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs before they were outdone by the St. Louis Blues in a goaltending battle. But still, the success was there.

But after 2015-16, that speed seemed to disappear. In 2016-17, injuries and age started to catch up with the Stars as they turned in one of their worst seasons in franchise history. In 2017-18, Ken Hitchcock turned Dallas into a “defense first” team and only had one line that functioned properly for a majority of the season.

Speed is key in today’s NHL, and the Dallas Stars have struggled in its absence from their game.

So, in the summer of 2018, GM Jim Nill searched for a solution. After Hitchcock announced his retirement from NHL coaching, Nill began the process of finding a new head coach that would complement his roster as well as bring that necessary speed element back to the game plan.

His eventual answer? Head coach Jim Montgomery.

Aside from his winning pedigree at the college level and his ability to get the best out of young players, the Stars brought him in because of his relentless offensive style. During his time at the University of Denver, the Pioneers were known for their aggressive play in the offensive zone that used long possessions, plenty of puck movement, and high-danger chances.

It seemed like a perfect fit for a young Dallas Stars lineup that needed more consistent offensive pressure from top to bottom.

But through the first 48 games of the year, that speed wasn’t present, at least not on a consistent basis. Through the first half of the regular season, the Stars boasted one of the worst scoring offenses in the league, sat in the bottom-ten in the NHL in terms of shots per game, and couldn’t break out of a plague of inconsistency.

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There were certainly a handful of problems holding them back, but one of the primary ones was their lack of speed. The explosive style that Montgomery had preached in May and throughout the offseason had yet to take effect.

But on Saturday night, that style took center stage as the Dallas Stars met up with the Winnipeg Jets. It was their final contest before a 10-day break and gave the Stars a chance to solidify their playoff position going into the break.

They did so in impressive fashion, defeating the Jets 4-2 and picking up their 24th win of the year. But how on earth did a Stars team that had lost four in a row dominate a Jets team that had won four in a row and sat at the top of the Central division?

One word: speed.

Simply put, the Stars outdid the Jets in every area because they were the faster team. You could tell by their transitions, the multiple odd-man rushes that they formed, and the amount of time they spent in the offensive zone.

Roman Polak and Jason Spezza were the only Stars skaters that didn’t record a shot throughout the contest. Tyler Seguin paced the team with six, while Jamie Benn posted five and Roope Hintz posted four. As a result, the Stars outshot the Jets 39-29.

One of the more intriguing parts about the win was the lineup that Dallas used. While Montgomery has been keen to run with the top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Alexander Radulov while constantly shuffling the bottom nine, he made an intriguing change for Saturday’s game. Here’s the lineup he ran with:

Mattias Janmark – Tyler Seguin – Alexander Radulov

Jamie Benn – Radek Faksa – Blake Comeau

Andrew Cogliano – Jason Dickinson – Jason Spezza

Denis Gurianov – Roope Hintz – Brett Ritchie

Janmark isn’t a first-line forward and has struggled to put up scoring for most of the 2018-19 season. Benn being moved to a checking line with Faksa and Comeau seemed odd. Spezza was moved to the wing on the third line. Ritchie has been the team’s most consistent scratch this season and was paired with two rookies.

The combinations were definitely questionable, but they paid off in a big way.

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Janmark, Hintz, and Gurianov were arguably the fastest Dallas forwards on the ice. They were explosive when entering the zone and posted a combined eight shots as well as a multitude of chances. Gurianov had some of the best scoring chances in the game and even outraced Miro Heiskanen to a puck. Janmark, a player known for his speed, was highly noticeable coming down the left boards in the offensive zone and creating space. And Hintz tied a career-high in SOG while playing just above 10 minutes.

The Stars’ speed also led to seven different penalties called against the Jets, with a handful being due to nothing more than the Jets being a step behind. Those penalties kept Winnipeg at bay while Dallas continued building on its attack.

Their fast style seemed to solve some of their various problems as well. All four lines contributed various offensive chances. The Dallas depth scoring clicked, with Brett Ritchie (PP), Blake Comeau, and Radek Faksa scoring three of the Stars’ four goals. Andrew Cogliano put his value on full display in his third game with the team. The four lines had a more even distribution of minutes instead of the top line being overtaxed like they often are, with Comeau and Faksa playing nearly 18 minutes and Dickinson almost hitting 14.

It also helped Dallas play with more physicality. With players always hunting the puck and closing in on it quickly, the Stars were stingy on the forecheck and back check. They logged 14 hits in the first period, including one from Comeau early on that led to a Stars power play and a Ritchie goal.

They ended the first period with a 1-0 lead. For a team that had a -8 goal differential in the opening frame going into the game, getting the lone goal from a guy that hadn’t scored since December is pretty impressive.

The Dallas Stars found a way to bring speed, opportunity, and creativity to their game plan and it left them looking like a brand new team.

So, why is all of this important?

It’s important because if the Stars can play like they did against the Jets on a nightly basis, their playoff path could pave itself. Their speed and creativity gave them an ultimate edge over the best team in their division and helped carry them to a win and an important two points.

Now, was it a flawless win? No. The Stars saw their dominant 3-0 lead turn into a narrow 3-2 lead in a matter of 21 seconds in the third period. They looked a little shaky down the stretch, but were able to combat it with a penalty drawn by Janmark that led to a Seguin power play goal.

But it just goes to show that speed is a necessity in today’s NHL. When you have it, it makes the entire team better. Speed can help in fixing a team’s flaws and can bolster the lineup in a new way.

If the Dallas Stars can access that speed more often, their playoff push will look much more encouraging. And after a rather inconsistent first 49 games of the year, that’s something that they could definitely use.

Speed kills, and the Stars saw the kind of damage that they can inflict with it on Saturday night. The only question now is whether they can keep that style on display in the final 33 contests.

After all, the 2015-16 Dallas Stars were a really fun team.