Dallas Stars: Recent Adversity Is A Blessing In Disguise
By Cole Mentzel
The Dallas Stars are facing the first troubling part of their 2015-16 campaign but it’s something that is going to help them in the long run.
The Dallas Stars had one of the best starts in franchise history when they opened up their first 39 games with a record of 28-8-3. That was Dec. 31 and the Stars had 59 points, the most in the entire NHL.
However, since the start of 2016, the Stars have lost a lot of their momentum. They have lost seven out of eight games and the one game that they did win was a slow, grind-it-out contest that took a shootout to determine a winner.
In the span of a few weeks, the Stars have fallen down to second in the Central Division and third in the league, in terms of total points. In terms of individual player success, their fall has been ugly.
Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin have both been off, compared to how they started the season. During the eight-game stretch, they have each scored just two goals and they’ve combined for just seven points. There was even a three-game stretch (NJD, NYI, NYR) where the duo never had a single point. Also, the Stars’ goaltending has been subpar, holding an opponent to less than three goals on only two separate occasions.
So by taking all of this into account, it’s hard to think about such a bad streak in the middle of the season being a “blessing in disguise” but that’s exactly what this is.
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The current core of the Stars, with the exception of Patrick Sharp, Johnny Oduya and Antti Niemi, has been together for at least a year, and other players like Jamie Benn, Kari Lehtonen and Vernon Fiddler have been together for at least five years. Since the pieces of the puzzle began coming together, the Stars have never really had a season where they were a team to beat in the league.
They did not lose back-to-back games until the New Jersey Devils/New York Islanders losses and since then, they have been off of their game. Every great team goes through a stretch like that at least one time in the season and, for the Stars, it’s simply a sign that they still have issues to fix.
This Stars team is not exactly used to playing in the spotlight and they definitely aren’t used to playing Playoff hockey. Tough stretches like these help to prepare a team for the postseason.
Sure, certain players like Patrick Sharp and Tyler Seguin have experience but as a relatively new and young team on the scene, it’s important that the Stars are mentally prepared for what is to come after the regular season. Back in 2013-14, it was obvious that they just weren’t ready yet, especially after their late-game collapse against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 6 of the Playoffs.
On the subject of getting past the struggles and returning to their high-intensity style of hockey, the Stars are going to have to rely on their veteran players like Alex Goligoski, Jason Spezza and Vernon Fiddler. Lindy Ruff recently made this comment:
"“It’s usually your veteran players that pull you through and make a difference.”"
The point he made is further validated by the fact that 14 of the Stars’ 24 total players on the active roster are at the age of 28 or below. Youth can be a great thing because of how much upside a team can have but there’s always a drawback and it will be up to the Stars’ veterans to take over during tough times.
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To sum everything up, it may be hard to watch the Stars struggle as a fan, but it is going to pay off in the end. Trials eventually lead to greater triumphs and after seeing how electric this Stars team can be, there’s no way they will stay in this funk for too much longer. Every great team endures a sluggish stretch that ultimately leads them back to their dominance.