The tides will soon turn for the better, if they haven’t already…
In the world of sports, it is a known fact that it takes a team effort to succeed. For the Stars, we have seen the good (how ’bout last night, eh’?), the bad and the ugly in what is still a very young season. The good is pretty obvious, where everything (most of the time) comes together and there is usually little to critique in the post-game analysis. The bad and the ugly on the other hand share one common denominator: a lack of synchronicity and consistency. THN’s Adam Proteau breaks down why that is likely the case, starting off with the defense:
“… in the Stars’ five losses this year, they’ve been outscored 17-9. But in seven of their eight victories – and in every win since their season-opening 4-3 win over Nashville – Dallas has limited its opponent to two goals or fewer. And it’s not about one single member of the Stars being better in their own zone – Dallas needs a true team effort to get back on the right road.”
When it comes to goaltending, Jake Oettinger has struggled since the calendar flipped to November, but he is still putting up strong numbers on the campaign, especially when the Stars find themselves in the win column:
“…while Oettinger has gone 6-3-0 this season, he’s allowed just nine goals in his six wins. And his individual numbers have been above-average this year – including a .910 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average. “
Lastly, when it comes to the offense, their lack of consistency is exposed when analyzing the numbers – but one should not fret:
“…Dallas is currently in 17th position in the league in terms of goals-for at an average of 2.92 per-game. With the depth of talent the Stars have up front, that number should get better soon. Dallas had the NHL’s third-best offense last season (3.59 goals-for per-game), and there’s been no gigantic exodus of skill to explain away the lack of production. This is largely the same team, although a little younger and less experienced at the NHL level. “
The Stars’ schedule is somewhat of a mixed bag through the end of next week. However, with three of those games over the next week and a half at home where they have absolutely dominated, the Stars have a good chance of turning things around before the schedule firms up at the end of the month and in early December. If the offense and defense can synch up better before month’s end, that will position Dallas nicely heading into the last few weeks of 2024.
You can read Adam’s article in its entirety here.
Stars Stuff
November 11th historically seems to be a good day for the Stars:
The solid start continues for Marchment:
Welcome to the 700 Club, Smitty:
Central Division Happenings
We have a couple games on the docket tonight:
- The NHL best Winnipeg Jets visit the Big Apple to test their skill against the New York Rangers. The Jets will look to extend their winning streak to 7 games [ESPN].
- The St. Louis Blues host the Boston Bruins in the battle of early-season mediocrity. The Blues will look to rebound after an embarrassing 8-1 loss against the Washington Capitals on Saturday [ESPN].
The World of Chel
Congrats to all of the new HOF inductees:
Finally
Robo continuing to make a large impact in the community. Class act!