Heading into the 2014-15 season, the Dallas Stars became a popular pick to take a massive leap forward and emerge as a genuine Western Conference contender.
Suddenly, their shining silver star crest seems to be radiating less brightly. The Stars have struggled out of the gates, going 0-1-1 to begin the new campaign. Two games, particularly the first two games of a season, is usually nothing to get worked up about. It’s an extremely small sample. Yet, these Stars are trending in all the wrong directions.
On Saturday, Stars captain Jamie Benn told Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News he might have been the worst player on the ice in Dallas’ 4-1 loss to the Nashville Predators.
“We have no excuses in here,” Benn said. “It starts from the top, and I could have been the worst player out there tonight.”
Stars head coach Lindy Ruff admitted on Saturday that Dallas’ big guns are struggling.
“I think our top guys have struggled, and it’s probably hurt us more than anything,” Ruff told the Dallas Morning News. “If they’re going well, we’re going to win. They’ve had a little bit of a tough preseason, and I think we’re seeing a little bit of that still now.”
Benn and Tyler Seguin have yet to score a point. The duo is a combined minus-six (each is minus-three) through two games. Star summer recruit Jason Spezza has collected an assist, but is also minus-three.
Ruff has responded by juggling the lines at Monday’s practice. According to team website writer Mark Stepneski, Cody Eakin could be bumped up to the top line alongside Seguin and Benn.
The top line is only one of Dallas’ many issues. Scoring defenseman Alex Goligoski is yet to register a point and is minus-five through two games. Despite scoring a goal and an assist, Trevor Daley is a minus-four to begin the new season. The Stars need Goligoski and Daley to lead the way.
This begs the question of whether Goligoski-Daley is a legitimate No.1 pairing. Both are mobile, offensively-talented defensemen, yet each has a reputation for turning over the puck. Daley and Goligoski are somewhat undersized, as each stands at 5-foot-11 and under 200 pounds. The duo has a tendency to get outmuscled in front of net when competing against large, physical forwards.
With 40-year-old Sergei Gonchar on the injured reserve, a number of youngsters are being auditioned behind the second pairing of Jordie Benn and Brenden Dillon. Benn has gotten off to a rough start, and has taken a couple of undisciplined penalties. On the other hand, Dillon has impressed and is growing into a reliable, all-around defenseman.
Back in July, Stars general manager Jim Nill stated his confidence in the Stars’ inexperienced blue line options. This is a very young group of defensemen aside from Gonchar, Daley, Goligoski, and Benn.
“I’m excited about our defense,” Nill said. “We’ve got three or four young kids that are knocking on the door from the Calder Cup championship down in Texas. We think we’ve got lots of different options. We know they’re all going to get better. We think we’re going to be just fine.”
An injection of size comes in the youthful trio of Patrik Nemeth, Jamie Oleksiak and Kevin Connauton. All three stand over 6-foot-2 and are above 200 pounds. The 6-foot-7 Oleksiak weighs in at a mammoth 250 pounds.
The Stars’ blue line is a work in progress. This will mean that starting goaltender Kari Lehtonen will be tested with constant enemy fire. Lehtonen is a severely-underrated netminder who has an ability to perform like a Vezina Trophy contender when he’s on his game.
Up next on the schedule are two difficult road games. The Stars will face the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday and travel to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins at Consol Energy Center on Thursday. In their final two October games, the Stars will host two Western Conference powerhouses in the Blues and Ducks.
It’s time for the big-name talents to step up and deliver. If the top lines are clicking and Goligoski and Lehtonen are on their game, this Stars team should be able to right the ship and live up to expectations.
