Dallas Stars: lack of scoring by top players is cause for concern

The Dallas Stars are using a dated, defense-first formula. It’s working for them–mostly–but it is a source of worry as the playoffs draw nearer.

If you follow the Dallas Stars, then you know it can be an exercise in clutching one’s pearls. These days, they almost alternate between thrilling overtime winners, like Saturday night against the New Jersey Devils, or getting shelled for five goals in a loss against the high-flying Toronto Maple Leafs. in fact, their last five games have mimicked this precise recipe.

It’s not fun to watch at times, but it’s hard to argue with the results, especially when it comes to finding a way to make the postseason. The Stars are well on pace to make the playoffs for the second season in a row, and the last time that happened was thirteen years and eight coaches ago. I know, it surprised me to rediscover that tidbit as well.

Further, when you take the sample size of the last two years, it’s easy to see that the Stars simply are what they are. And that is a defense-first team that can play a pretty boring brand of hockey for long periods. It’s definitely not the outscore-your-problems version that we got to know under former head coach Lindy Ruff. But it is a formula that bodes well for the playoffs.

This also isn’t to say all is rotten in Dallas. In fact, there is a lot to admire about this team. For one, their defense and goaltending have buoyed this bunch yet again. They’ve allowed the fewest goals in the entire NHL, which is actually an improvement on last season. And despite their maddening habit of giving up early leads, they’ve shown a remarkable resiliency in reeling teams back in and somehow finding a way to get points.

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But there’s still that nagging lack of goals, especially when contrasted against the top teams in the respective conferences. Sure, the marquee names like Tyler Seguin, Alexander Radulov, and Jamie Benn lead the Stars in scoring, but it pales in comparison to the output by the top scorers in St. Louis and Washington. There’s no telling how much of a cushion Dallas would’ve have built up by now if they were even a middle-of-the-pack offense. But at this point, a tiger cannot change their stripes. If they’re going to stay successful, then they’re not going to somehow turn into the Capitals overnight. Their identity is to win with defense first.

As “they” say, defense wins championships. It isn’t glitzy and it doesn’t light up the scoreboard. But it does pick up wins, and that is always the objective. So while there will forever be the contingent of fans that lament this style of play, I’d argue that the strong possibility of a second consecutive playoff berth far outweighs the fact that the Stars aren’t the Toronto Maple Leafs in regards to goal scoring.

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The bottom line is, if the playoffs started today, the Dallas Stars would be firmly ensconced in the picture. Sure, the lack of goals comes into focus when they get trounced. But there’s not a lot of fussing when they pull yet another rabbit out of their hat like they did in New Jersey. The voyage continues tonight in Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers. I certainly wouldn’t mind another “boring” 3-2 win.

Published on 02/03/2020 at 17:39 PM
Last updated at 02/03/2020 at 17:39 PM

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