Dallas Stars: After rough road trip, ‘the process’ can provide hope
The past string of away games were defeating for Stars fans, as the Dallas Stars went 0-4 on their most recent road trip. Here’s how the Stars, and the fans, can regain hope for the future.
The past week has been a depressing stretch of time for Dallas Stars fans, as the team dropped all four games on the road trip and picked up zero points to add to their record.
Dallas suffered road losses to Vegas (2-4), Anaheim (3-6), San Jose (2-3), and Colorado (4-6) over the six-day span, giving them a 16-14-3 record, still at the 35 point mark.
Things aren’t as bad as they seem, however. Although the Stars struggled on the road last week, they are still in contention to recapture fourth place in the Central Division from the Minnesota Wild (17-13-2), who have 36 points.
Minnesota has a home game against San Jose on Tuesday and plays in Pittsburgh against the Penguins on Thursday before hosting Dallas on Saturday. Considering that San Jose and Pittsburgh are one of the two toughest teams in their respective divisions, Dallas may have an opportunity to get some points on the board with the upcoming homestand.
And as for the teams below the Stars, its safe to say the Dallas can safely hold onto fifth place in the Central for the foreseeable future.
St. Louis (12-15-4), who is sixth in the division, sits at 28 points, giving Dallas a decent seven-point leeway in the standings.
Finally, there is Chicago, who is last in the division—and second to last in the league, for that matter—who has hit a rough patch as well, posting a 10-19-6 record for 26 points. To make matters worse for the Blackhawks, goaltender Corey Crawford suffered another concussion Sunday night against the Sharks and will be out for a while.
Unless the Stars hit a major skid this season, fans can expect things to improve fairly quickly. Dallas is 10-3-1 while playing on home ice, which is a nearly perfect home record for an NHL team. The Stars will host Calgary, the top team in the West, on Tuesday and Chicago on Thursday before heading to Minnesota on Saturday.
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Even though Calgary boasts an impressive 22-10-2 record, Dallas’ home ice record is certainly not to be overlooked, even when playing against tough opponents.
On the defensive front, Stars’ media reported that John Klingberg returned to practice Monday morning and could return to play soon.
John Klingberg on the ice for practice this morning.
— Mark Stepneski (@StarsInsideEdge) December 17, 2018
The Stars also placed defenseman Joel Hanley on waivers, meaning that Klingberg’s return could be sooner than expected.
Klingberg hasn’t played since Nov. 8, where he suffered a broken hand by blocking a shot.
But it seems like the Stars will just have to rely on ‘the process’ to help them return back on track. Each game matters and the Stars will have to take one game at a time to rise in the standings.
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Having healthy players and staying consistent at home are the key to saving the Dallas Stars’ playoff hopes. Fortunately for fans, both aspects will hopefully resurface to the forefront of this season.
And if the Stars trust ‘the process,’ their season may turn out alright after all, even in the midst of rough road trips and injuries.
- Published on 12/18/2018 at 13:01 PM
- Last updated at 12/18/2018 at 13:01 PM