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Dallas Stars Daily Links: Perception

As the Stars come off their second straight loss during the most crucial part of the season, concerns have naturally arisen – but just how concerning are they?

Posted on by George Delanjian
Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

At the end of last week, things were looking up for the Stars, who were in the midst of a seven-game winning streak as they were gaining ground on the first place Winnipeg Jets. Things changed pretty quickly, with a hard losses to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild this weekend which have left fans with some concern once again as the regular season winds down. How much real concern is there, or are we perceiving things to be worse than they actually are?

D Magazine contributor Robert Tiffin published a good article this morning addressing, well, those concerns and perceptions we may have.

The first topic he addresses is how the Stars have been getting outshot, notably in their last ten games:

“From opening night through the end of February, the Stars didn’t give up 40 shots on goal once. But since March 2, they’ve done so five times, including in four out of their last seven games. 

And lest you point to special teams, let me assure you that this is a 5-on-5 issue, as the Stars have given up the most shots against per game of any team in the NHL at 5-on-5 since the beginning of March. 

The expected goals are just as bad, with the Stars sitting in the middle of the pack in terms of offense generated (14th) but dead last in expected goals allowed. They’ve outscored their problems not with overwhelming assaults, but with a host of snipers picking off opponents one by one, selecting their shots with care. “

Tiffin chalks this up to being a real issue, and one that cannot be sustained in the playoffs if they want to make a deep run, regardless of how good their offense is.

He also touches on Jake Oettinger’s goaltending ability and whether it is good enough to win a Stanley Cup, in addition to the team’s reliance on special teams.

You can catch Tiffin’s take on the remaining topics here.

Stars Stuff

Tough loss last night (and the day before), but glad to have Benn back!

Happy belated, Boosh!

Around The Central

Quiet day for the Central, however a good matchup lies ahead as the Winnipeg Jets host the red hot St. Louis Blues who have won their last twelve, yes twelve, games. The Stars need St. Louis to win this one badly after dropping their last two.

The World of Chel

Got too carried away celebrating Ovi’s feat and missed the other games? I totally get it. Here’s what you missed:

The goal heard around the world:

The universe works in very strange ways:

Finally

From us at DBD, congrats to Alex Ovechkin for his gr8 achievement. It was certainly exciting to follow!

On that note, I’m with Gretzky; that was a very nice goal! If a record like that is going to be broken you definitely want it to be highlight-reel worthy. That wrist shot was an absolute missile.

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