Ronald Martinez
How have the Stars players performed through a quarter of this shortened season?
We're through the quarter-mile mark of the season and the Dallas Stars appear to be trending in the right direction, although the next two weeks will really tell us what this team is all about. The uneven performances by the Stars this season has come from uneven performances by individual players, making a 12-game analysis of some players a bit difficult.
Starting next Monday, we'll get back to our weekly ups & downs on the Stars roster.
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Jamie BENN |
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| Comments: Had a bit of a slow start after returning with a fresh, new contract but has been the best player on the ice for the Stars during the three-game winning streak. Those two facts are almost certainly related. | |||
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Trevor DALEY |
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| Comments: Daley gets a bump here after scoring his first goal of the season and finally looking like himself again the past few games. He's also made a series of incredible defensive plays on breakaways that certainly won't hurt his score here. | |||
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Brenden DILLON |
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| Comments: Dillon started the season on the bottom pair but is now entrenched as a top pairing defenseman for the Stars and averages more than 20 mins a game. He's physical, he's smart and he's looking more comfortable with the puck. | |||
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Cody EAKIN |
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| Comments: Eakin has impressed with his two-way play and ability to play up and down the lineup. Still no goals, however, and no points in his last four games. | |||
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Loui ERIKSSON |
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| Comments: Tough call for a player who picked up two points against Anaheim, but Eriksson has not looked like himself for most of the season. Hopefully the goal picks him out of his funk moving forward. | |||
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Vernon FIDDLER |
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| Comments: Fiddler has been knocked down to the fourth line as he and Nystrom continue to struggle with actually putting the puck on net. No points in seven games, although Fiddler did have five shots on goal vs. Anaheim. | |||
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Ryan GARBUTT |
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| Comments: Garbutt has lost playing time as the Stars roster has filled out and has, apparently, been passed up by Antoine Roussel for his customary fourth-line energy role. | |||
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Alex GOLIGOSKI |
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| Comments: It's been a rough ride for Goligoski, who has played better than perceived but far from the level needed by the Stars. An unexpected benches appears to have shaken him out of his funk. | |||
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Jaromir JAGR |
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| Comments: Jagr. | |||
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Philip LARSEN |
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| Comments: Tough to score this one as Larsen actually looked decent against Edmonton, but his solid holding on the seat in the press box is not a good sign. | |||
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Brenden MORROW |
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| Comments: Three points in four games since getting put back on the top line. He might not look exactly like the Morrow of old, but he might have found a home on the top six for the time being. | |||
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Eric NYSTROM |
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| Comments: Nystrom, like Fiddler, has been absolutely outstanding on the PK. Yet he has just ten shots on goal this season and continues to struggle with neutral zone turnovers. | |||
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Jamie OLEKSIAK |
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| Comments: Continues to improve in each game and is finally starting to look comfortable out on the ice, appearing remarkably calm for a 20-year old defenseman just one season into his pro career. | |||
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Stephane ROBIDAS |
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| Comments: I know Robidas is the resident whipping-boy for Stars fans, but he's easily been the best defenseman for the team this season. The offense isn't where you'd like it, but he's stood his ground against the top competition on opposing teams. | |||
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Aaron ROME |
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| Comments: Rome has had to work through an injury and the flu this season, but has looked better the past week. He's still uneven when the stick is on his puck but looks strong around the net. Stop whiffing on those big hits, though. | |||
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Antoine ROUSSEL |
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| Comments: For every good thing Roussel does, two mishaps follow. For a team already dealing with penalty issues, useless post-whistle penalties should not be tolerated. | |||
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Derek ROY |
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| Comments: Getting Roy and Benn playing at the same time has had a calming influence on the Stars offense, and Roy's two-way play -- along with increased creativity on the PP -- has added a two-line dynamic the Stars have desperately needed. | |||
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Michael RYDER |
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| Comments: The Stars goal-scoring leader has been hit-and-miss this season, although he's looked a bit better since Roy's return against Colorado. | |||
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Reilly SMITH |
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| Comments: You keep saying "he'll get on fire once that first goal is scored" but the offense just hasn't clicked yet. Only seven shots on goal this season. | |||
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Tomas VINCOUR |
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| Comments: Vincour started the season in the doghouse but quickly pulled himself out and has helped create what appears to be a very solid two-way third line. | |||
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Tom WANDELL |
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| Comments: I'm not certain if we'll ever see Wandell on the ice for Dallas again, or at least not anytime soon. | |||
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Ray WHITNEY |
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| Comments: The Stars are already missing Whitney's creativity with the puck, with the veteran out for at least a month with a broken foot. | |||
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Kari LEHTONEN |
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| Comments: The only reason the Dallas Stars even had a prayer of surviving the start to the season is because of who was in net. | |||
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Richard BACHMAN |
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| Comments: Bachman looked solid in his single game this season, but might not get on the ice much for the rest of the season. | |||
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