Let's Take a Chill Pill: Stars need to be cleaner on passing the puck

The Dallas Stars sometimes frustrate me with their transition game. One major thing that stuck out in the loss against the Anaheim Ducks was poor passing. It led to both goals for the Ducks and allowed them to win 2-1 against the Stars. If the Stars were cleaner with the puck, they could have won that game to kick off their road trip. Sometimes, if the Stars settle down, they can be a lethal team. Let's see where the Stars went wrong against the Ducks on Tuesday night.

Let's look at the first Anaheim goal in the first period. It's hard to tell from the highlight the Ducks posted on X, but Colin Blackwell got knocked down and was stripped of the puck. He wanted to get it out of the zone but hung on to the puck too long.

It sounds like the complete opposite of what I'm trying to convey. However, he could have passed the puck along the boards to another player. While no one was there to get the puck, the Stars still could have cleared it by one of the players near the front of the net. All he had to do was take his time instead of panicking. He made up for it later in the game with a goal, but his mistake gave the Ducks momentum.

The second Anaheim goal was a bit different. The Stars were trying to transition up the ice with the puck before the puck got intercepted. Trevor Zegras was left alone near Jake Oettinger and deflected the puck into the net. If you watch the replay, the Stars weretoo aggressive with the puck. It's another example of how they can be a great hockey team if they settle down with the puck, they can be a great hockey team. However, mistakes like they made against the Ducks could be their downfall.

I'm not trying to be a Debbie-downer, but little mistakes like this could hurt the Stars in the playoffs. All it takes is a goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to send a team into a scoring frenzy. We are past the halfway mark this season and the Stars are still making little mistake like this on the ice. They don't need to win the entire game in the first period. They can still win the game in the second or third period. All they need to do is take a deep breath and take their time to make a accurate pass.

With two more games until the Four Nations Faceoff tournament, the Stars can't afford these small mistakes against the San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings. I know they will be exhausted for Saturday's game in San Jose, but that team will make you pay if you turn the puck over to them. I would like to see the Stars be more relaxed on the ice than Tuesday against the Ducks. A relaxed Stars team is the most challenging team to face.

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