3 Things To Watch For In The Stars Season Opener

It’s that time of year again Stars fans! Hockey season is finally here and the Stars face the Chicago Blackhawks in their season opener! Not too much changed for the Stars this offseason except for the additions of Jason Spezza, Ales Hemsky, Patrick Eaves, and Anders Lindback. Spezza was arguably one of the biggest offseason pick ups and he will likely contribute greatly to the Stars offense and power play this season. He will be a free agent after this season so the goal is to convince him to re-sign with the Stars.

Other than that, this Stars team kept its main core. Jamie Benn returns as the Captain and Trevor Daley and Vernon Fiddler were named Assistant Captains for the upcoming season. It’s should be fun to see how much the Stars improve and where they rank as the season moves along however, there are a few things to look for in this big first game against the 2013 Stanley Cup Champions.

Power Play

Last season, the Stars were ranked 23rd in power play percentage and it showed. There were times last year where we would see them go 3 and 4 games without a power play goal, and it was difficult to watch. During the preseason, the Stars unveiled their new power play unit, and it was lethal.

Coach Lindy Ruff lined up Jamie Been and Tyler Seguin with Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky. The results came almost immediately. He alternated Alex Goligoski and Trevor Daley at the defenseman position and during their first few shifts together, they tallied 2 goals and many chances. With those guys being arguably the best players on the Stars roster, it’s not a secret as to why there is so much success on the power play.

Keep an eye during power plays against the Blackhawks because you’ll probably see those same lines and the Stars will get to test it all out against one of the better teams in the league.

Jason Spezza and Ales Hmesky

It’s pretty obvious that everyone will have their eyes on the two big new additions for the Stars but the thing to look for is their chemistry. Late last season in Ottawa, they developed great chemistry and hopefully that carries over to the Stars this season. I want to point out one particular play that I saw twice in the preseason. It starts with the Stars on the attack, a defenseman dishes the puck over to Hemsky on the left side. Hemsky pauses for a moment and slides it to Spezza in the left corner.

The next part is the part that impresses me most. Spezza makes a pass that goes in between the goaltender and a skater at the net all the way over to a Star that nets a goal quite easily. All of that happens in about 10 seconds and I saw it work once with Jordie Benn getting the goal and once with Tyler Seguin getting the goal. Watch for Spezza and Hemsky to really strengthen that second line and make an immediate impact on the Stars offense this season.

Defense

The last thing that will be interesting to watch for is the Stars defense. The Dallas defense was below average last season and many expect it to be like that again this year, but don’t move to fast conclusions. The Stars have two solid lines with Goligoski, Daley, Benn, and Dillon. The last line is where things get interesting. Usually Gonchar would be a for sure starter but he will be out for a few weeks with an ankle injury.

It’s expected that Connauton and Nemeth will make the final cut with Oleksiak just on the outside. Those three players are young and have lots of room to grow but take a look at the minor leaguers who will get their chance in the upcoming years. You have the Stars latest draft pick in Julius Honka and also Jyrki Jokipakka, Cameron Gaunce, and John Klingberg. The depth and amount of potential there is unreal. Keep and eye on the Stars defense and specifically watch the younger guys like Connauton and Nemeth. Those guys are the future of the defensive core.

Overall, I expect this game to be fun. It’s definitely a star-studded matchup and a must watch for fantasy owners. The goaltending should be great and there should be lots of action. There will definitely be a lot of green and it will just be a fun way to welcome back hockey…Dallas Stars style!