In case you’ve been too afraid to check the standings and haven’t noticed, the Stars are near the very top of the Western Conference, trailing Nashville by a point heading into tonight’s games. Mike Heika is here to provide us with the five reasons why Dallas is chugging right along.
For starters, it’s all those goal horns they’re setting off.
1. Goals, goals, goals: The Stars are one of the best offensive teams in the NHL, finishing second to Tampa Bay last season (3.13 goals per game) and ranking fourth so far this year at 3.44. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin lead the way, but Dallas also is showing scoring depth. Jason Spezza is back to the point-a-game pace he has enjoyed throughout his career (five goals, four assists in nine games) and Cody Eakin already has four goals and looks like he could eclipse the career-best 19 goals he had last season.
And, of course, the fact that Jamie Benn looks like a man on a mission isn’t hurting matters. (Even ESPN admitted that they might have undervalued him ahead of the season.)
2. Jamie Benn might be the best player in the league right now: So much of NHL value is attached to scoring, and nobody in the NHL is hotter than Stars captain Jamie Benn right now. Benn won the Art Ross Trophy last season by scoring 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists) in the last 12 games of the season. He is leading the league right now with 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in nine games. If Benn could carry that pace (38 points in 21 games) over a full season, he would finish with 148 points
For reasons three through five, you should head over to the link. [DMN]
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Has everyone recovered from Tuesday night’s excitement? No? Too bad, because the roller coaster continues as Stars play the Canucks tonight at the AAC at 7:30 p.m. To prepare, catch up on everything that we learned at Wednesday’s practice. [Stars]
Quick, what’s the first word you think of when you hear Tyler Seguin? [ESPN]
Speaking of Tyler, he joins Julie Dobbs to talk about his Halloween costume. (Featuring bonus footage of John Klingberg as Olaf from Frozen.)
Stars owner and Vancouver business man Tom Gaglardi talks about the Stars’ turnaround and what it’s like when Dallas plays his favorite team growing up. [Vancouver Sun]
As he continues to improve his defensive game, John Klingberg is putting himself in the same conversation as Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Erik Karlsson. [DMN]
Michael Gruber, the man behind the music at Stars games, has also started to DJ for the Mavericks. [Central Track]
Stars coach Lindy Ruff was a guest on Marek vs. Wyshynski where he chatted about Jamie Benn, John Klingberg, being a Cowboy, and much more. (Ruff comes on around 14:20.) [Puck Daddy]
Phil Kessel might be ready to try his hand on the tennis court.
If you’re on the hunt for a new fitness regimen, feel free to take your cues from Oilers rookie sensation Connor McDavid. [SI]
As Hockey Fights Cancer continues, Bob McKenzie shares the story of James Dunn, whose love of hockey — and, in particular, the Ottawa Senators — helped him cope with osteosarcoma. [TSN]
From the Penguins‘ 17-game winning streak in 1993 to Glenn Hall’s run in net, don’t expect these 10 records to be broken anytime soon. [The Hockey News]
Over at Sportsnet, a look at whether we might be seeing an increase of shorter, smaller defensemen make the jump from the CHL to the NHL. [Sportsnet]
You didn’t think we were done with Halloween costumes in today’s links, did you?
“To be able to brighten their day a little bit means a lot.” Bruins visit @BostonChildrens: https://t.co/YDhFIa9rFh pic.twitter.com/vHdCrAvA8P
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 29, 2015
A little more than a month after the death of NHL enforcer Todd Ewen, teammates reflect on their friend and what comes next for the game of hockey. [The Globe and Mail]
A report from TSN revealed that, in 2010-11, 31 players went back into a game after suffering a concussion. [TSN]
And finally, there’s a new Benn brother on the loose. Meet Juice, everyone.