Dallas Stars fall to Calgary as they implode late once again
The Dallas Stars have again proven that a strong start does not ensure a victory at the end of 60 minutes. Despite an early tally from Wyatt Johnston and a gradual increase in offense to take a definitive lead, the team still managed to fall behind, losing 7-4 to the Calgary Flames. While the Stars have a lot of promise, they need to learn to play a complete game without collapsing in the second half for long-term success.
Dallas Stars: Repeat Offenders
Friday evening’s game wasn’t the first time the Stars have come out of the gate in a big way before dropping a significant lead. They did it just a week ago against the Colorado Avalanche, going up 3-0 in the first and second periods before allowing six unanswered goals in the second and third. It was a horrific performance that the Stars seemed determined to repeat last night.
The Stars exchanged goals with Calgary evenly to begin the evening, took a two-goal lead in the second, but let the Flames run away with five unanswered goals. The Stars’ current goal cap against the Flames seems to be four goals, as that was all they needed to win a couple of weeks ago to open November. Allowing only three goals in their last meeting against Calgary, Dallas seemed unprepared to tackle the last period, which sadly isn’t anything new.
The Stars Need to Reach the Finish Line
During pre-game coverage, Daryl “Razor” Reaugh remarked on the Dallas Stars’ inability to follow through on a full game. This held true last night, as the Stars started strong but couldn’t effectively shut the door on their fiery foes.
It’s particularly frustrating since several players have tallied impressive stats this season. Wyatt Johnston has racked up several points and even held the goal-scoring lead for the team partway through last night’s game, now being tied for the first slot with Joe Pavelski. Pavelski has tallied 19 points in the past 19 games, continuing to produce on the top line.
Jake Oettinger currently ranks in the top half of NHL goalies in terms of save percentage and top ten for wins. But playing a tired goalie isn’t always the best move, and Oettinger deserved a break following the Vegas game.
Nonetheless, by numerous markers, the Stars have had a great start – but they need to finish games as strong as they start them. Too much pressure is being placed on the same players night in and night out. The Stars need a bit more help when it comes to defense, which is quickly becoming an Achilles heel.
The promise and potential of the team’s headline-making rookies and the top-producing veterans will continue to go to waste without much consequence to show for it should this pattern continue. Since it’s still early, the Stars have time to figure things out, but it needs to be done sooner rather than later. Witnessing 5-6 unanswered goals ruin a dominant first half never gets easier, no matter how many times the Stars fall victim to their opponents in that way.