The first annual Blackout Dallas 2022 holiday wishlist

With the holiday season in full swing, it’s the perfect time to write down a Dallas Stars-themed wishlist. Here are a few dreams and desires on our Blackout Dallas wishlist for the team as we approach the midpoint of the season.

All I want for Miro Heiskanen is… for him to continue to be optimized. Heiskanen has five goals and 25 points in 30 games this season so far. That goal total matches his 2021-2022 total which is over 70 games. And he had 36 points over the 2021-2022 season which is just 11 more than his current total.

Helping your best player helps the team. Heiskanen is one of the best, if not the best, players on the team, and encouraging him to be more active offensively will only benefit the team.

All I want for the forwards is… for scoring to come from all four lines. Pete DeBoer’s new system has done wonders for this team. Putting numbers aside, when you watch them, they feel like a new team. The Bowness-era turtling has transformed into multiple multi-goal deficit comeback wins in the third period.

The resurgence of Jamie Benn has been key. Converting the third line from the checking line of the past to another scoring line often centered by Benn and his 17.6 shooting percentage has taken the pressure off the top line to do all the work.

The top line’s continued elite play, Benn’s resurgence, and new line chemistry development have increased scoring throughout the lineup which will be vital as the season progresses.

All I want for goaltending is… good health. There was a brief stretch where Jake Oettinger was hurt. Even after coming back, he had some shaky performances that were uncharacteristic of him. The team is so much stronger when both Oettinger and Scott Wedgewood are healthy and playing at their best.

Dallas fans have had the privilege of watching many great goaltenders. Oettinger just hit his 100th game in the NHL and will hopefully be the starter for many years to come.

All I want for the team is… to be able to win in all situations. The Stars have been playing a high-scoring version of hockey this season successfully. Even if their offense gets stifled, they need to be able to power through. They showed this ability against the game in Columbus on December 19 with a low scoring 2-1 win.

Looking forward to the playoffs, it will be important that they are able to win games in a scoring frenzy but also in the grinding style of the previous few years.

That’s everything on our list for the first annual Blackout Dallas holiday wishlist. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to our readers and friends. Here’s to another year of Dallas Stars hockey and good memories!