The Dallas Stars have been put through the ringer as of late — after a nice 4-1 takedown of the Minnesota Wild, the Stars faced a recent two-time-champion, the Tampa Bay Lightning as well as the current Stanley Cup favorite, the Boston Bruins. Both games ended up in a loss, although the Stars managed to salvage one point:
“There was some good stuff. We played some really good teams this week,” Stars head coach Pete DeBoer said after the loss to the Bruins. “We were right there. The Tampa game, we should have gotten points, tonight got a point. Obviously, everyone wants more. You want to be greedy and get two in these games. You can always learn something from them and the good thing is we got a point against the best team in the league.”
On one hand, playing well in such close games against top teams is encouraging for a team looking to prove themselves as a true cup contender. On the other hand, it serves to highlight the team’s weaknesses, such as their recent power play struggles:
“The one that hurts the most is the five-on-three during regulation time,” DeBoer said. “That one, it felt like it was a full two minutes. Those are the ones you’ve got to stick a puck in the net.”
You can read more observations from the last couple games from Saad Yousuf here.
Around the League
Back to optimism: looking at #fancystats, the Dallas Stars have the second strongest “core” in the league, behind only the Colorado Avalanche:
Analyzing player cores around the NHL: measuring which teams get the most out of their centerpieces + breaking all 32 teams into tiers based their core’s trajectory https://t.co/vxbyenvWnz
— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) February 14, 2023
And ICYMI, Stars prospect Logan Stankoven cracked the top ten of Scott Wheeler’s list of top prospects:
My annual top 50 drafted NHL prospects ranking is out @TheAthletic!
Featuring 18,000 words of analysis, 55 honourable mentions, player tiers, and more.
The full 2023 list: https://t.co/JpsFEKs7Ax
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) February 13, 2023
In a different ranking, Jake Oettinger cracked the Top 5 of the NHL’s top goaltenders:
We asked an anonymous panel of NHL players and team execs for their top 10 at each position. The results are candid, insightful … and potentially enraging.
Today: Top 10 NHL goalies, featuring some notable snubs and “the king right now.” Enjoy!https://t.co/b3m605menh
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) February 14, 2023
It may be slow, but it’s nice to see a rise of minorities in important positions in hockey:
Joel Martin became one of two active Black head coaches in North American pro hockey this season. He’s part of a team “that lives and breathes diversity.”
Story by: @IanKennedyCK https://t.co/wXnNAAWUCi
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) February 14, 2023
Should the NHL limit how long players can be healthy scratched for trade-related reasons? Of course not, but it’s an interesting idea, to say the least:
.@Proteautype thinks there should be a maximum length an NHL player can be a healthy scratch for trade-related reasons: https://t.co/iRnBHy7g2t
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) February 14, 2023
Finally, the NHL trade deadline is always lame — Down Goes Brown offers suggestions on how to fix that:
New post: Scrap the cap? No more NTCs? Here are seven radical ideas to bring back the lost are of the blockbuster trade. https://t.co/P6EiwYVwGn
— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) February 15, 2023