In the first game with ex-head coach Rick Bowness behind the opposing bench, the Dallas Stars’ offense was shut down in a 5-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. The Stars relinquished top spot in the Central Division, and points were lost in this divisional matchup.
Generally, the Jets looked like the Stars of this early season and the Stars looked like the 2021-2022 edition. Where Dallas in their previous 12 games set the tone and scored early (and often), they looked sluggish and struggled to keep control of the puck. Their turnovers were crippling, breakdowns in the defensive zone lead to quality scoring chances against, and even on a night where Scott Wedgedwood played out of his mind to keep them in it and get something going, that wasn’t good enough.
These kinds of games happen throughout the year. It’s a flush-it-and-forget-it kind of game.
One good thing to come out of it was that Jason Robertson opened the scoring and extended his goal-scoring streak to six games. He is just the fifth player in franchise history and the second since the team moved to Dallas to have a goal streak of six games or more before turning 24. The others were Neal Broten (seven-game goal streak; 1981-82 w/ MNS), Jamie Benn (six-game goal streak; 2010-11 w/ DAL), Mike Modano (six-game goal streak; 1991-92 w/ MNS), and Danny Grant (six-game goal streak; 1969-70 w/ MNS). Two of those names are players with their number retired in the rafters of the AAC and one is the longest-tenured captain in Stars history.
Heady company, indeed.
The Stars won two of their three road games this outing, collecting 4 of 6 points. Dallas has a 4-3-1 record on the road this season, and 11 of their first 17 games this season will come on the road. They’ll return home for a Friday night matchup versus the San Jose Sharks before going on the road for three more games. Finding points on the road is key to the good start new coach Peter DeBoer wanted from his team.
So far, they’re doing an ok job of that. If they can collect 67% of all points on the road each trip out, that’s strong work away from the friendly confines of their home arena.