The Dallas Stars Ability To Come Back From Big Deficits

We saw it again this past Tuesday. The Dallas Stars once again charged back after going down early. It’s happened many times this season and although they don’t win every time, the Stars are a team that you can never feel comfortable having a lead around.

In the first period on Tuesday, the Stars went down 2-0 to the Senators relatively fast in what led to a 3-1 lead entering the 2nd period. Anders Lindback had already replaced Kari Lehtonen about halfway through the first so the Stars had a back up operating in between the pipes. Then we saw the Stars rattle off 4 straight goals in the 2nd en route to an eventual 5-4 victory. Comeback complete.

So how are the Stars so good at erasing deficits? It has everything to do with the offense. Through 42 games this season, the Stars have scored less than 3 goals only 16 times. Let’s face it, this team has an elite offense. The Stars currently have the 3rd best offense in the league averaging about 3 goals per game and around 30 shots per game.

Their lines are set up to score in bunches and that’s what we’ve seen this season. The scoring isn’t limited to one or two lines. Every line pitches in. There’s been 3 specific games this season, besides the one that was played on Tuesday night, in which the Stars have used their scoring capability to make games interesting.

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November 11th – Stars vs. Coyotes

The Stars entered this game on a season-worst 7 game losing streak. Things could not get much worse at this point early on in the season and the Stars were just looking for answers. During the 2nd period the Coyotes built a 2-0 lead on the Stars and things were beginning to look just as bad as the last 7 games. The Stars then went to their best player, Tyler Seguin, who had tied the game within a minute off of two quick goals. Each team traded goals late in the game but Ryan Garbutt scored the game winner in the final 2 minutes that led the Stars to victory.

We can see here that even in the Stars worst stretch of the season, they relied on their offense and good things came out of it. It’s not only the fact that the Stars are lethal at scoring but how fast they can score. Once they get one, more can continue to pour in at a fast rate.

November 28th – Stars vs. Wild

This game began much like the last except the Wild had gone up 3-0. That was when the offense unloaded. Just 5 minutes later, the Stars scored 3 goals in about 3 and a half minutes and despite a 4-3 lead in the 3rd, the Stars went on to lose in OT. However, each goal was scored by a different player showing the Stars flexibility when it comes to goal scoring.

One more aspect of the offense that showed in this game is assists from Horcoff, Benn, Seguin, Daley, Jokipakka, and Demers. Literally every part of this team pitches in on the offense which is a bright spot. On some teams you might see a more forward-dominated section of the offense, but not with this Stars team.

December 21st – Stars vs. Oilers

Before you start to say “It was the Oilers” hear me out. This may have been one of the best wins of the season, despite it being the Oilers, just because of the way the Stars were able to get it done. The game started off fast and just 11 seconds into the 2nd period, Teddy Purcell of the Oilers tied the game up at 2. Over the next 13 minutes, the Oilers extended a 5-2 lead with 2 goals from Arcobello and one from Hall. This game called for a more conventional type of offense when the Stars just simply went with their two best players. Jamie Benn got one in the final minute of the 2nd which sparked 2 from Tyler Seguin in the 3rd.

The Stars eventually won the game in the shootout. It wasn’t the prettiest of wins but it showed that the Stars can depend on their 2 best players to get the job done, even if the team is losing by 3 goals without much time left. Anyone watching that game would’ve never even considered a comeback but the Stars have a special offense that is capable of things like that.

There were a few more games this season in which the Stars were able to erase leads but the 3 above seemed to have the most impact and proved even further that despite a terrible defense, the Stars are able to get things done by relying on their stacked lineup of forwards. Tonight, the Stars face off with the Jets in a very important game that could inch the Stars even closer to that final wildcard playoff spot. Watch tonight for scoring and look at how many different lines score for the Stars!