The Daily Faceoff Show: Are the Dallas Stars in trouble?
We’re nearly one month into the season and the Dallas Stars haven’t won a game in regulation yet.
The team has been getting excellent goaltending from Braden Holtby, who owns a .924 save percentage through seven starts, but Dallas is struggling to score. They rank 31st in the league with 25 goals as veterans such as Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov have started the season ice cold.
On Wednesday’s episode of The Daily Faceoff Show, Frank Seravalli and Steve Greeley took a look at the Stars, who are about to embark on a stretch of games on home ice that could make or break their season…
Seravalli: “The Dallas Stars have been a really interesting story. It’s November 10 and they’re without a regulation win to this point. What’s the level of concern for you for a team that had billed itself to be a Stanley Cup contender, had gotten close a couple of years back, didn’t make the playoffs, and saw this year as a chance to reset and get back to where they were?
Greeley: “I’m certainly concerned right now but I look at their next stretch of games, which features six of their next seven at home, seven of their next nine at home, and one of the games on the road is against the Arizona Coyotes.
I’m looking at from now to American Thanksgiving as a critical time for the Stars. They have to go on a run at home because you can’t be too far behind by December 1. These home games starting this week are absolutely critical for the Dallas Stars.
They have to take advantage of the home games. They’ve only had three so far and they have points in two of the three so that gives you a little comfort that they’re going to do it. But you can’t get too far behind before that American Thanksgiving date.
Talk to me on December 1 because that alarm could be a lot higher for them at that point.
Seravalli: “The alarm is to a seven or eight level for me already.
It’s mostly centering around their offense. 24 goals in 11 games.
You look at this board here, and Tyler Seguin should have more, Jamie Benn should have more. The leading scorer for the Stars is defenseman Miro Heiskanen, a special player with 11 points in 11 games, but it’s a pretty big drop-off from Heiskanen to the next guys on the team.
Where are they going to get the goals from?”
Greeley: “The veterans have to step up and start putting the puck in the net the way they’re capable of.
Again, it’s veteran leadership that’s supposed to be leading the way here and making things happen. These guys need to do it right now. If they don’t get it going ASAP, this team is in big trouble.”
You can watch the full episode here…