Dallas Stars: Frustrating Loss To Avalanche An Important Lesson In Race

While the effort and energy were there, the two points wasn’t as the Dallas Stars dropped a 3-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. And even though it was a frustrating defeat, it also serves as a necessary reminder for the Stars as they continue their homestretch.

Frustration can be a baffling emotion. Just ask the Dallas Stars.

Just one year ago, the Stars were stuck in the midst of a six-game losing skid. Their playoff hopes had shrunk from “near guarantee” to “possible at best” and they had spent two weeks outside of the win column.

With each loss on that long road trip, the frustration slowly began to build. Their problems seemed obvious, but a proper fix never arose. Injuries continued to slowly suffocate the team’s hopes and abilities. And as the losses built on top of each other, Dallas simply succumbed to the pressure.

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Instead of breaking out, the skid eventually hit eight in a row. The Stars crumbled under their mounting frustrations and watched as their playoff hopes were extinguished one week before the end of the 2017-18 regular season.

It was arguably the most frustrating time period in recent memory for the Dallas Stars. Everything was going well and seemed to be trending upwards through the first 65 games. But then, all of a sudden, things went terribly. And as confusion turned to frustration and eventually led to anger, there was nothing to do but watch the collapse.

Thursday night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche served as another reminder that frustration is still a viable and threatening enemy for the Stars.

It was a game that Dallas didn’t necessarily need in regards to their playoff hopes, but it’s certainly one that they could have used. Meanwhile, Colorado was in full-out desperation mode and needed two points to keep their playoff odds favorable.

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Desperation won. In a low-scoring, defensive battle, the Avalanche emerged with a 3-1 win. Erik Johnson opened the scoring in the second period with a heavy slap shot that snuck between Ben Bishop‘s arm and body to claim a 1-0 lead for Colorado. Early in the third period, Tyson Barrie scored on a wrist shot to push the lead to 2-0 after the Stars made a bad change. And though Tyler Seguin‘s deflection goal finally broke Philipp Grubauer‘s save streak with 5:01 left in the game, the Stars couldn’t find any other scoring.

And so, the Stars dropped just their third regulation loss in the last three weeks. The Avalanche picked up a crucial two points and pushed themselves into a tie with the Arizona Coyotes for the final wild card spot. Dallas, meanwhile, fell to four points back of third place in the Central and still sits four points ahead of the last Western Conference playoff spot.

But you could make the argument that the Dallas Stars didn’t deserve to lose that game in regulation. You could even make an argument that the Stars deserved a win.

Dallas outshot Colorado 45-32 (including a 24-11 advantage in the third period), posted 25 high-danger scoring chances according to NaturalStatTrick.com, went 3/3 on the penalty kill, and held the Avalanche scoreless in the first period. Everything seemed to be working in favor of their defensive game plan.

And yet, they didn’t come away with even one point. The goalie stopped 44/45 shots, including a few quality opportunities from Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. The Dallas power play couldn’t capitalize late in the game, even though they generated some dangerous chances. Bishop, who has played remarkably well this year, probably wants that first goal back considering his positioning was perfect and he had time to react to the shot. And finally, when the Stars shuffled their lines and needed someone to step up and tie the game, they couldn’t find one.

That’s a frustrating game. The Dallas Stars seemed to base their game plan and execution off of their usual winning formula, but their efforts didn’t pan out this time around. And just like that, three weeks of promising progress seem countered by one loss.

That’s what frustration can do. It has a way of masking all of the good and turning the focus solely to the bad.

And that’s where the Stars have to learn and find a way to use Thursday’s game as a reminder.

Dallas wasn’t able to secure a win against a desperate team even though they played to their strengths. That’s bound to happen sometimes, but it can be a difficult pill to swallow when the same philosophy had worked so well in previous games. But that’s where the proper mindset has to come into play.

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The Stars have a tough slate of opponents coming up. They will host the Pittsburgh Penguins to wrap up a five-game homestand on Saturday before hitting the road to start a four-game trip off against the Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames. All three of those teams currently sit in playoff spots, with Winnipeg and Calgary leading their respective divisions.

There’s no time to dwell on a frustrating loss. While the Stars haven’t suffered a defeat like this in a while, it’s the kind of loss that can linger and hang on a team’s conscience. At such a critical point in the 2018-19 campaign, that cannot happen.

Thursday night served as a reminder that not every plan is flawless. Sometimes, you run into a hot goalie. Sometimes, the other team is ready for everything you might have planned and routs you.

But you have to move on. In addition to being a frustrating lesson, it was also a reminder that the Stars aren’t secured in the playoffs just yet. Even though they sit in the first wild card spot and didn’t lose any ground, the Avalanche and Coyotes are both just four points behind. And with at least eight games left on everyone’s schedule, there’s plenty of time for things to shift. The Stars still control their own destiny and own odds of qualifying above 90 percent, but the race got tighter on Thursday.

Tough losses are lessons in a tight playoff race. Frustrating losses are all the more painful and can therefore be more difficult to learn from.

The Dallas Stars did a lot of things right against the Avalanche. But they didn’t get the win. That’s a testament to Colorado’s desperation as well as a reminder that the Stars aren’t in the clear just yet.

Saturday night presents a chance to right the ship and get back on a winning track. But it’s going to take the proper mindset and execution.

Thursday night’s game provided a reality check for Dallas. The game against the Penguins will provide a chance to see if it paid off.