The Dallas Stars will head into the NHL Olympic break as perhaps the hottest team in the league. Following Wednesday's 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues, the Stars have won six straight games and are 7-1-0 in their last eight. They may sit third in the Central Division of the Western Conference, but they're also third in the entire NHL. And third in the league means only one thing.
Dallas is a Stanley Cup contender
The team's recent run of stellar play has been sparked by solidness throughout the lineup. The Stars' balance, in fact, was the subject of a recent article here at Blackout Dallas. Heading into these three weeks without professional hockey, though, we'd be remiss not to examine the most crucial factor in Dallas' resurgence: the Stars' stars are excellent.
Before the season, if one were to rate the eight most essential skaters on the roster, it might look something like Mikko Rantanen, Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, Matt Duchene, Tyler Seguin, and Jamie Benn. The latter may be the elder skaters, but entered the season as solid middle-six options and, in Duchene's case, a spot-first liner.
And while Seguin hasn't played since Dec. 2 because of a torn ACL, the other seven have lived up to their preseason billing. Especially lately. Check out the statistical lines in the team's current eight-game run.
Goals | Assists | Points | PPG | PPA | |
Robertson | 4 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 3 |
Rantanen | 1 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 3 |
Duchene | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
Benn | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
Hintz | 1 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 3 |
Heiskanen | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 4 |
Harley | 3 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
Dallas' best aren't even killing it on the powerplay (though, yes, they're doing quite fine). They're doing it at even strength. That's bad news for the rest of the league. Benn, for example, put in the game-winner on Wednesday with 22.8 seconds left at 5-on-5. It was the captain's first two-goal game of the season.
Are things perfect in Dallas? Of course not. Each of the Stars' six straight wins has come by a single goal. Three of the six wins were achieved with goals in the final 90 seconds. One came in overtime and another in a shootout. It's a wonder Dallas fans have any fingernails left.
At the end of the night, though, two points have been put in the standings table every game for almost two straight weeks. Teams need their best players playing their best hockey to win a Cup, and maybe Dallas is peaking too soon. But on the other hand, frankly, they're not peaking. They're playing up to expectations. Now, with a big break in front of them, it's time rest, recover, and get ready to rock for the final third of the season.