Dallas Stars Continue Using Winning Formula In Victory Over Sabres

Tuesday night marked another win for the Dallas Stars and another step forward in the race to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And, like many other nights this season, they stuck to their winning game plan to get the victory. If they can continue sticking to it, their playoff dream might just become a reality.

The Dallas Stars are not an offensive juggernaut. And while that may irk fans or analysts that want high-scoring and offense-heavy games, they don’t have to be.

When the Stars kicked off a brief two-game road trip in Buffalo on Tuesday evening, they were once again gearing up to endure a critical stretch in their season. That stretch includes four games in six days, three different plane rides, and a desperate need for points in an ever-tightening Western Conference playoff race.

They weren’t entering the trip on the best note, either. After capping off a four-game win streak on Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche, the Stars dropped the final game of their homestand in a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. A win over the Hawks could have helped Dallas take another encouraging lunge ahead in the playoff race, but they couldn’t get it done against a team outside of the playoff race.

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In that game, there was one key factor that stood out: the Stars’ lack of scoring. While going up against the NHL’s worst defense, Dallas allowed Chicago to outshoot them 39-27, generate a majority of the scoring chances, and keep the Stars in check for the entirety of the game. Though their offense isn’t known for consistently scoring, it was ultimately prevalent against the Blackhawks.

Coming up short against a struggling team when you need the two points to gain ground in the playoff race isn’t exactly a motivating strategy.

And yet, it didn’t matter for the Dallas Stars. On Tuesday night, they went into Buffalo and secured an impressive 2-0 victory over the Sabres. The win helped Dallas retain its grip on the first wild card spot in the Western Conference and pushed them ahead to 36-28-5 on the season with 77 points.

So, how did they do it? How did they make the win look so easy and respectable on Tuesday, yet they struggled to do so on Saturday? It’s because they recommitted to their winning formula.

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Throughout the 2018-19 season, we’ve uncovered a handful of things about the Dallas Stars. For starters, they struggle with scoring. But to counter that, they have a top-three defensive unit that limits goals against on a nightly basis and also own two of the NHL’s top-five goaltenders at the moment.

And what should a team do when they know their strengths? It’s pretty simple: play to them.

The Stars did that on Tuesday night. Unlike on Saturday when they were carved up by the Chicago offense and couldn’t generate anything of significance, Dallas took control against a Buffalo team trying to play spoiler while keeping their ever-so-slim playoff hopes alive.

But the Stars took control of the game and held on tight. After going 0/2 on two early power plays, Dallas immediately dropped into the penalty kill formation and killed off two in a row. That momentum carried them into the first intermission in a 0-0 tie and helped them to generate an offensive groove in the middle frame that ultimately decided the game.

Roope Hintz stepped up in a big way, scoring two goals (one EV, one PP) in a span of 5:43 to push the Stars out to a 2-0 lead. It was the first multi-goal performance of the rookie’s NHL career, with both goals coming on stellar shots.

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Finally, Ben Bishop shut the door in the crease for his third consecutive shutout to boost Dallas to a big two points. His last goal allowed came on March 2 in St. Louis and he is currently riding a shutout streak of 204:20. That’s the second-longest streak in franchise history. He can set a new record with a goalless first period in his next start.

But through all of this, the Dallas Stars did one thing right: they played to their game plan.

The Stars’ 2018-19 blueprint to success isn’t like it was a few seasons ago where they scored five goals and hoped to limit the opposition to four or less. It’s not even the same as the blueprint from 2017-18 where Dallas would take their offensive chances as they came and stick back in the defensive zone.

This blueprint to success is one that requires defensive effort first and foremost. It requires solid, almost “next level” goaltending. It also requires a quick transition game and waiting for offensive chances to present themselves.

It’s a daring system and could be poised for failure in today’s fast-paced league unless everything works correctly. Luckily for the Stars, everything is working correctly.

As a result, they are continuing to use their blueprint in the final push to the playoffs.

“Sticking to what we are,” said Stars coach Jim Montgomery about the key to the team’s consistency on defense back on Feb. 1.  “I mean, that’s what we are, right? If you have good defense, you’re always gonna be in every game. And if the goal scoring comes, we’re going to start winning games by a couple of goals to several goals. And it will come, because if you play that way, we were just missing on a couple of odd-man rushes in every period.”

Against the Rangers last Tuesday, the Stars shut the door in the defensive zone and used a John Klingberg goal to win a 1-0 game. Two nights later, Alexander Radulov was the hero with a hat trick while Bishop notched his second consecutive shutout in a 4-0 victory over the Avalanche.

And on Tuesday night, Hintz took the lead on the scoring charge while Bishop once again stood tall in a 2-0 win.

The Dallas Stars know their blueprint to success and are using it as often as possible. As a result, they are picking up valuable wins in a crowded playoff race. Dallas is 5-1-0 in its last six contests and 6-2-0 in its past eight.

And when the Stars don’t play to their blueprint and their identity, they are unable to take the next step. Back in mid-February, Dallas gave up 14 goals in a three-game span and fell into a losing streak that pushed them out of third place in the Central division. Not sticking to their game plan left the team in need of a bounce back.

But when they stick to their winning formula, they can be a tough team to beat. Yes, it requires a few things to go right and when those key elements don’t go right, it causes trouble. But they know what blueprint leads them to victory, and they are using it at the most important time of the year. Tuesday night was another big step in the right direction.

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If they can continue sticking to that blueprint over the final 13 games, their playoff dream might just become a reality.