Matt Duchene has been in the NHL long enough to know how things go. Now in his 17th season, the 35-year-old Stars center has seen just about everything there is to see. Unfortunately, he’s not seen a season that’s been this much of a struggle.
Perhaps both may be snapping out of their month-long funk. Duchene scored Dallas’ first two goals in Tuesday’s win over St. Louis, providing the Stars with their third win in the last four games. While 5-4-1 in its previous 10 is not the recipe Dallas wants, signs are trending positively.
Matt Duchene Resurgence: Starting to round into form
Duchene returned from a 24-game absence on Dec. 7 following an upper-body injury, but didn’t look right through the rest of the month. He took only 13 shots in 11 games and scored in just two. But January has been closer to his standard. Duchene has nine points, with five goals on 25 shots in 13 games. And that’s with a miniature four-game pointless streak from Jan. 15 to Jan. 22.
The reality is that the Stars have to have him playing at that pace, or better, if they want home-ice advantage in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs. Considering how his personal season has gone, Duchene figures the time is now with three goals in his last couple of games.
“It’s nice to get a little bit of traction here, and hopefully you just want to ride the wave and keep feeling good,” he said after Tuesday’s win in a postgame interview. “There’s not much flow and rhythm, so you’ve got to try to grab it when you can.”
2 goals in 40 seconds for Dutchy 🤠 pic.twitter.com/8KFWByCT8U
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) January 28, 2026
Matt Duchene Resurgence: Stars will need more from Duchene, Benn, and the elderly
Flow and rhythm have been complex to come by for the whole roster. A blazing start saw the Stars 25-7-5 through their first 37 games, just four points behind Central Division-leading Colorado, and their 26-2-7. Now, five weeks later, Dallas sits 10 points behind the Avalanche and one point behind the Wild, third in the division. But after back-to-back wins against the Blues, the club is above NHL .500 in its last 10 games for the first time since Jan. 1.
As for Duchene himself, he’s repeatedly said that he’s felt good the whole time since returning from injury. His numbers this season, though, are career lows nearly across the board. He’s getting the least amount of ice time (15:45) per game, throwing fewer shots per 60 minutes (5.6), carrying the worst Corsi Against (61.1) and the worst Corsi For (52.7) in his career.
Whether it’s a slump, injury, or age - or, most likely, some combination of those factors - it doesn’t matter for the Stars’ playoff hopes. They’ll almost certainly make it, barring a massive collapse (as opposed to this current slump), but a lack of home-ice advantage in the playoffs, however long they may last, is less than ideal.
On Tuesday, Duchene and fellow elder statesman Jamie Benn turned back the clock. Given the constraints the general manager, Jim Nill, faces under the salary cap, that pair will have to play like it’s the 2010s again for the Stars to avoid slipping.
“It’s just I’ve been in a lot of different situations and just trying to find that consistency,” Duchene said. “There’s been nothing predictable for me all season.”