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In this weekly feature, I look at where individuals are trending to in this handy-dandy table format. The analysis of each person is done solely by me and my observations -- sometimes I do it by committee with other writers, but I've got the ultimate say. So if you disagree on any of these, feel free to tell me in the comments! Who doesn't like a good ol' hockey debate?
This week saw the Dallas Stars go 1-2-0 against their new Central division opponents. How'd the individuals look in those efforts?
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Jamie BENN |
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| Comments: Nice to see the offense from Jamie Benn get going. The bulk of the points came in the win over the Winnipeg Jets, but his all around game looked fantastic against the Colorado Avalanche. | |||
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Jordie BENN |
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| Comments: Jordie Benn continues to look solid defensively when he's out on the ice, and was one of the better defensemen in the past week as well on the team. | |||
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Alex CHIASSON |
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| Comments: Even with his point streak being broken in Colorado, he continues to impress in the points column so far. He also had one heck of a chance at the end of regulation to tie the game in Colorado. | |||
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Erik COLE |
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| Comments: Erik Cole hasn't looked himself these past three games, and saw his ice time reduced by being dropped out of the top six forward group. He'll need to rebound and provide some scoring depth of the Stars hope to take down the unbeaten San Jose Sharks tonight. | |||
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Kevin CONNAUTON |
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| Comments: Still hasn't cracked the lineup in these first five games, but will Kevin Connauton get a chance if the defense continues to struggle keeping pucks out of their own net? | |||
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Trevor DALEY |
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| Comments: Paired with Benn, Trevor Daley has been pretty decent defensively. It's very apparent when you compare them to the struggling Goligoski/Gonchar pairing. | |||
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Brenden DILLON |
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| Comments: Rough week to be Brenden Dillon. Two very costly turnovers in his own zone led directly to goals against. The first of which was just twelve seconds into the game versus the Minnesota Wild. Hopefully he tosses this last week out the window and gets back to his usual game. | |||
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Cody EAKIN |
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| Comments: While it was good to see Cody Eakin get on the scoreboard, his line continues to get torched defensively. He's been working really hard on that these past few games but he's been caught for long shifts in his own end that's leading to part of the defensive issues. | |||
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Dan ELLIS |
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| Comments: With Kari Lehtonen injured, Dan Ellis has stepped in to start the last two games. He has let in some softer goals, but his defense hasn't really been helping him out in front either. His save percentage is buoyed by a nice .957 SV% in relief against Winnipeg -- his two starts have seen a save percentage sub-.890 SV%. | |||
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Vernon FIDDLER |
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| Comments: Vernon Fiddler continues to do well on the faceoff dot and on the penalty kill. His even strength play is about where you would expect it to be playing on the bottom six. | |||
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Ryan GARBUTT |
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| Comments: Ryan Garbutt hasn't been a defensive liability, which is what you want out of more of a checking role. His ice time was reduced in the Minnesota game to less than ten minutes, one of the first times Lindy Ruff didn't roll all four lines like we'd seen. | |||
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Alex GOLIGOSKI |
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| Comments: I have to start wondering how many odd man rushes against and neutral zone turnovers the Alex Goligoski/Sergei Gonchar pairing sees before their breakout passes and offensive potential is outweighed being paired together. | |||
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Sergei GONCHAR |
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| Comments: Scored his first point as a Dallas Star in the win over Winnipeg. He had moments of absolute brilliance on defense versus Minnesota, but his miscues were magnified as they tended to lead to a lot of quality chances (and goals) against. | |||
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Shawn HORCOFF |
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| Comments:I think maybe Shawn Horcoff likes sitting in the penalty box at least once a game. | |||
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Kari LEHTONEN |
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| Comments: Lehtonen was looking spectacular against Winnipeg before going out with an injury. Let's hope the big Finn is back in his home between the pipes here soon. | |||
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Lane MACDERMID |
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| Comments: Lane MacDermid was inserted into the lineup after a healthy scratch of Valeri Nichushkin. He only skated eight shifts and had less than five minutes of ice time in the loss against Minnesota. | |||
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Valeri NICHUSHKIN |
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| Comments: Nichushkin had his first healthy scratch this week. Well it have the desired effect of being able to see things from a higher level? Will he come back with a fire lit under him tonight? I'd sure like to see that. | |||
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Rich PEVERLEY |
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| Comments: Rich Peverley does all the little things right most of the time. He's probably Dallas' most versatile top six winger right now. Having him on the second power play unit has helped them to connect on the man advantage, too, which is always a plus. | |||
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Stephane ROBIDAS |
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| Comments: Stephane Robidas has been pretty consistent in his play so far this season. He's the safety net you don't always realize is there be appreciate when you need it and it comes up big for you. | |||
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Aaron ROME |
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| Comments: Aaron Rome was activated from IR and sent to Dallas' AHL affiliate in Austin for a conditioning assignment. | |||
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Antoine ROUSSEL |
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| Comments: I like the energy that Antoine Roussel puts out on the ice nearly every shift he gets. | |||
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Tyler SEGUIN |
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| Comments: All the points are belong to Tyler Seguin. His offensive game opened up, and he's made some really nice plays as a center. He seems to be getting more confident positionally on the ice with his linemates. His faceoff percentage is still abysmal. | |||
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Ray WHITNEY |
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| Comments: We saw glimmers of the crafty Wizard Ray Whitney in the last game and he was rewarded for it with an assist. Seems like he may be coming back to what Stars fans grew accustomed to last season. | |||