The Stars keep banking W’s, despite their foibles. Robert Tiffin wonders if we should stop nitpicking how they get there and trust the process.
The Dallas Stars have been playing janky. The defense is deficient. The offense is mid at best. The goaltending is all that’s keeping them afloat.
And they’re 4-0-0 on the still-young season. How could that be? And, more importantly, what will they do when it all comes crashing down?
Robert Tiffin thinks maybe, just maybe, we’re overthinking this. The D Magazine contributor and Friend of DBD considers the ebb and flow of a hockey season and suggests that maybe, just maybe, the Stars are earning their wins while they work out the bugs in their systems:
In a vacuum, People On The Internet are going to focus on process. They’ll say the Stars entered the game 30th in the league at xGF%, and that the goaltenders have been keeping the Stars afloat. They’ll say the power play hasn’t executed well enough, and that against better opponents than the ones Dallas has faced thus far, the Stars would have dug themselves a hole by now….
It would be nice to have the Stars validate everyone’s confidence in them by blowing the Sharks out 10-0, but how often do great teams really put up those kinds of efforts, regardless of the opponent? … Sometimes, you have to take the game you get dealt.
After all, the struggle is part of the process, right?:
My suspicion is that, if you asked coaches around the league, they’d probably say they get no more than ten “really good games” a season, then a few stinkers, and then a whole of “battle through some issues and hope one part of your team saves the other part’s bacon.” Hockey is just too fluid and dynamic a game, most of the time, for one team to really drum the other out of the building entirely. And the funny thing is, Dallas just shut out two teams in a row, which is the absolute best thing you can do to a team!
You are allowed to want more from the team you love, but I think coaches are likewise allowed to risk being seen as complacent when taking a long-term perspective about the realities of a hockey season. And again, this Stars team has earned at least a little grace after the last two years, right?
There’s much more at Robert’s personal Stars blog. Have a look. [Stars Thoughts]
Stars Stuff
He’s back.
ICYMI, the Victory Green Gang tipped its hat to a former Star during last night’s game.
Yes, that’s the same Ty Dellandrea who did this.
In On The #Kill Taker
Here’s what happened in the Dirty Central while you were watching something else:
- Filip Gustavsson made 27 saves and scored a goalie goal as the Minnesota Wild took out the St. Louis Blues, 4-1. [The Minnesota Star Tribune]
- The Nashville Predators are still looking for their first win of the season – they lost again last night, this time to the Seattle Kraken, 7-3. [On The Forecheck]
- And the Chicago Blackhawks were no match for the suddenly hot Calgary Flames, who remain undefeated after a 3-1 win. [Second City Hockey]
Around The Leagues
This is how the Columbus Blue Jackets’ home opener began.
OK, so you really want to see that goalie goal, too. Understandable.
Here’s an interesting question we can all discuss like adults.
Greetings From Scenic Cedar Park
Want to catch up with Texas Stars? Get a preview of their upcoming series and a recap of opening weekend here.
Finally
They got there. Enjoy.