A quarter into the season, Stars trying to find their footing
On Wednesday night, the Dallas Stars lost 5-2 in Nashville. That loss came in Dallas’ 21st game of the season, putting the Stars more than one-quarter through a grueling 82-game regular season. They defeated Vancouver 2-1 late Friday night. So, with the Stars already in the second quadrant of the season, here are several pressing questions.
Goals-against watch
Through 21 games last season, Dallas was 17-4-0 and had scored 74 goals while allowing 50, a plus-24 goal differential. However, after 21 games this season, the Stars are 8-8-5, have scored 55 goals while allowing 71, second-most in the NHL, a minus-16 differential. Last season, Dallas’ strong start was a big reason why the Stars returned to the playoffs and finished atop the Western Conference. However, this season’s start resembles where the 2014-15 Stars stood after 21 games: 8-9-4, 61 goals for, 72 goals allowed, and a minus-11 differential. The 2014-15 Stars missed the playoffs, a huge disappointment after Dallas had ended a six-year playoff drought the season before. Is this year’s team headed for a similar fall?
Tape and wire
Injuries have been the big elephant in the room during the Stars’ first 21 games of the season. Eight players have played every game thus far, but only one member of that group, captain Jamie Benn, played all 82 regular-season games last season. Dallas currently has four players on injured reserve with veteran forward Ales Hemsky (hip) and young center Mattias Janmark (knee) likely done for the season. But the hope is that other players on injured reserve such as Jiri Hudler (illness) and Johnny Oduya (lower body), who landed on IR last weekend, will return soon and that the Stars can put all these injury issues behind them.
Eaves encore?
As expected, Tyler Seguin (22 points) and Benn (16 points) are leading the way offensively, but seeing Patrick Eaves tied with Benn for second in points is a surprise. It’s not that Eaves, a great glue guy who has battled injuries throughout his career, is incapable of posting such numbers, it’s just that his injuries have precluded him from being able to show that ability in the past. But Eaves has played all but one game for Dallas this season and leads the team with nine goals and five power-play goals. Eaves’ career high for points is 32 set in 2006-07 with Ottawa, when he played 73 of a possible 82 games. Could the heavily-bearded veteran eclipse both numbers this season? Quite possibly.
Klingberg update
Last season, defenseman John Klingberg had a breakout season, ranking fourth on the Stars and fifth among NHL defensemen with 58 points. However, through 21 games this season, Klingberg has 10 points, but his lower production isn’t the only area of concern. Klingberg now appears hesitant to shoot the puck and his defensive game has also been shaky through the first 21 games. Last season, Klingberg was a plus-22 player. However, so far this season, which includes a healthy scratch on Monday after missing a meeting prior to morning skate, Klingberg is minus-10.
Special teams work
Last season, the Stars had the NHL’s fourth-best power play (22.1 percent) and the league’s 10th-best penalty kill (82.3 percent). However, through 21 games this season, Dallas has the league’s 14th-best power play at 18.3 percent and ranks 27th in penalty killing at 78.1 percent. The Stars have also allowed four shorthanded goals so far this season, tying them for second-most in the NHL. Of course, this trend is nothing new as Dallas led the league in that category last season, conceding a whopping 15 goals while shorthanded. The hope is that as the Stars start becoming healthier and getting a few more regulars back on the ice that both numbers will adjust accordingly.
This story was originally published November 26, 2016 at 9:06 PM with the headline "A quarter into the season, Stars trying to find their footing."