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Cluster of road games may make for a hard month for the Dallas Stars

By Avery Klatsky

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 09: Ben Bishop #30 of the Dallas Stars and Ryan Reaves #75 of the Vegas Golden Knights react after a second-period goal by William Karlsson (not pictured) #71 of the Golden Knights during their game at T-Mobile Arena on December 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 09: Ben Bishop #30 of the Dallas Stars and Ryan Reaves #75 of the Vegas Golden Knights react after a second-period goal by William Karlsson (not pictured) #71 of the Golden Knights during their game at T-Mobile Arena on December 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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The Dallas Stars finished at .500 over the month of January, but recent wins over Winnipeg and Buffalo have allowed them to move into the Western Conference’s first Wild Card spot.

The month of January was average to the Dallas Stars, as they went 5-5 over the span of 10 games. Here is a brief review of how their play went over the past month.

  • Jan. 2 vs. New Jersey: 5-4 W
  • Jan 4. vs. Washington: 2-1 W
  • Jan. 6 @ Winnipeg: 1-5 L
  • Jan. 8 @ St. Louis: 3-1 W
  • Jan. 10 @ Philadelphia: 1-2 L
  • Jan. 12 vs. St. Louis: 1-3 L
  • Jan. 15 vs. Tampa Bay: 0-2 L
  • Jan. 17 vs. Los Angeles: 1-2 L
  • Jan. 19 vs. Winnipeg: 4-2 W
  • Jan. 30 vs. Buffalo: 1-0 W

Month Record, Stats, and more

  • Games against Western Conference (and Central Division) teams: 2-3 (2-2)
  • At Home: 4-3
  • On the Road: 1-2
  • Goals Scored: 19
  • Goals Allowed: 22
  • Team +/-: -3

January, in essence, was a mediocre month, and thus the Stars were fluctuating between the third place in the Central to being out of the playoff picture. After Wednesday night’s win, they were able to recapture the West’s first playoff spot.

Looking at the Stars’ February Games

The Stars will face-off against several Conference and Division opponents in the month of February. First, they will host the Minnesota Wild, who are in third place in the Central Division. Friday’s matchup against the Wild will be the third of five matchups between the two teams this season. Minnesota won the first game 3-1 in the Stars’ 7th game of the season, but Dallas evened the series thanks to an Alexander Radulov OT winner in to win the game on Dec. 22.

Following Friday’s contest against the Wild, Dallas will fly to Nashville to face the Predators, who are in second place in the Division. Dallas has already played Nashville twice and has split the series 1-1, losing 5-4 in overtime in Bridgestone Arena and blanking the Predators 2-0 right after Christmas with the help of Anton Khudobin, who made 49 saves in the game.

Interestingly enough, the Stars will face the Predators three times in the span of 12 games, with the first two being played in Tennessee and the final one in Dallas. The Stars will also play the Predators in the 2020 Winter Classic on Jan. 1, 2020, and the Preds were announced to be the opponent in late January, so maybe a Central Division rivalry is in store for the Stars.

Dallas will also play the Coyotes twice in one week (one at home on Feb. 4, the other at Gila River Arena on Feb. 9). Arizona has struggled this season and is in sixth place in the Pacific Division with 50 points. The Stars played the Yotes in the season opener, where goals from former-Star Devin Shore, Alexander Radulov, and John Klingberg powered Dallas to a 3-0 victory. Although Arizona is not in a playoff spot, they are tied for second (with Nashville) in most road wins among Western Conference teams with 14. Only the Calgary Flames have more than the Predators or Coyotes with 16.

Following the five Western Conference games, Dallas will head east to play the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Carolina Hurricanes. Dallas has only played once against any of the three teams they’ll face on the trip this month: Tampa, where they were shutout 0-2 at home in the middle of January.

When the team returns from the road trip, they’ll host Nashville, St. Louis, and Carolina, and then they’ll finish February’s games with another three-game road trip against Chicago, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.

With nine of the month’s 14 games on the road, Dallas needs to increase their scoring in other team’s arenas. The Stars have recorded 20 points this season on the road, which is second to last in the Conference behind Chicago and Los Angeles, who both have 19.

The Full February Schedule

  • Feb. 1 vs. Minnesota
  • Feb. 2 @ Nashville
  • Feb. 4 vs. Arizona
  • Feb. 7 @ Nashville
  • Feb. 9 @ Arizona
  • Feb. 12 @ Florida
  • Feb. 14 @ Tampa Bay
  • Feb. 16 @ Carolina
  • Feb. 19 vs. Nashville
  • Feb. 21 vs. St. Louis
  • Feb 23 vs. Carolina
  • Feb. 24 @ Chicago
  • Feb. 26 @ Las Vegas
  • Feb. 28 @ Los Angeles

Games against Western Conference teams: 10

Games against Central Division teams: 6

Games against Eastern Conference teams: 4

Home games: 5

Away games: 9

Team Stats (as of Jan. 31)

Leading scorer: C Tyler Seguin, 45

Goals leader: LW Jamie Benn, 19

Assist leader: C Tyler Seguin and RW Alexander Radulov, 27

Plus/minus (+/-) leader: Tyler Seguin, +11

Penalty minutes leader: D Roman Polak, 49

Ice time leader: D John Klingberg, 25:07

Goals Against Average (GAA): G Ben Bishop, 2.29

Save Percentage (Sv%): G Ben Bishop .924

Must Read. This must improve if the Stars want to make the postseason. light

To view the full schedule on the Stars’ website, click here.

What do you think, Stars fans? Will the Dallas Stars increase their road record this month? Will they move out of the Wild Card conversation into the top three teams in the Central Division? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

  • Published on 02/01/2019 at 18:01 PM
  • Last updated at 02/01/2019 at 12:24 PM
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