The second half of the season hasn't gotten off to the rousing start fans of the Dallas Stars had hoped it would. After they beat Anaheim 1-0 on Jan. 24 at American Airlines Center in their final contest before the NHL All-Star break, there was at least some optimism heading into the mythical second half of the season.
And Glen Gulutzan's club delivered at least initially, spanking those same Ducks 6-2 last Wednesday in Anaheim to start the break off on a high note. But last Thursday at San Jose, they were completely run off the ice by the Sharks. On Saturday against the Wild, they were fortunate to be playing a team that had played the night before and lucked out for a 2-1 win in the shootout.
But Tuesday's 4-1 loss to Phoenix was downright shocking and had some calling that defeat the most disappointing showing of the season. Gulutzan as well as several Stars players lamented their club's total lack of effort in that divisional loss to Dave Tippett's Coyotes, who also just happened to be playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
Now the Stars head out on the road for a quick back-to-back of their own, playing Thursday in Columbus and Friday in Buffalo before returning home to host Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon. However, the burning question surrounding this team is: Is this a playoff team or not? Well, here are both sides of that equation so the reader can decide.
YES
They're still in the mix in the Western Conference playoff race
Sure, heading into Thursday's game with the Blue Jackets, the Stars do sit in 12th place in the West, but they are just two markers behind Minnesota, who currently sits eighth in the conference. And the clubs in front of them — Colorado, Calgary, Phoenix and the Wild — are all teams they will face several more times this season. So, if they can get some results against the very clubs they're battling with and put together some sort of run, they could again be in position to end a playoff dry spell that has now reached three straight years.
There is still a lot of hockey left to be played — 30 games to be exact
Tuesday's loss to Phoenix came in Dallas' 52nd game of the season, meaning the Stars have 30 games left before the end of the regular season. So, there is still time for them to right the ship but the month of February will come and go in a flash, leaving only one full month of the regular season, the ever-crucial month of March. But if the Stars head into March limping rather than hitting their full stride, then this could be a bumpy road the rest of the way.
They have shown they can win under Gulutzan
It might have been early in Gulutzan's tenure behind an NHL bench, but this team has shown it can play his system where striking a healthy balance between offense and defense is emphasized. And when the Stars can play sound, disciplined hockey, which they have done at points this year and stick to Gully's system, the results usually follow. The problem is they haven't been all that disciplined for much of the year and that has cost them in the standings.
NO
Their power play continues to be pretty abysmal
Of course, one big difference between last year's Stars and this year's club is that the 2011-12 edition doesn't have a guy like Brad Richards quarterbacking the power play. Richie made a huge difference last year in making Dallas a fairly formidable club with the man advantage. But the Stars have yet to find a point man who can effectively get this unit going this year and the power play has been ineffective for a majority of the season. Playoff teams are able to take advantage of power plays and this team has not shown, at least consistently, that they can do that, which puts them at a huge disadvantage as they head down the stretch.
They give up too many penalties
Heading into Tuesday's game with Phoenix, the Stars were the third most-penalized team in the entire NHL. While their penalty kill has been a solid unit for the bulk of this season, that group has also been put squarely behind the eight ball on more than a few occasions so far this year. And for a coach who preaches discipline, it seems like when you look at how often this club has a guy in the sin bin, it's clear there is some sort of disconnect between the coach's vision and the execution by the players. But the good news is this is still fixable. If the players can renew their focus on playing more disciplined hockey, the Stars could give the opposition fewer power plays, which would definitely help his chances.
Their lack of offensive punch is somewhat alarming
Other than that 6-2 win over the Ducks at the Honda Center last Wednesday, the Stars have failed to score more than two goals in nine of their last 10 games. Loui Eriksson, a 2011 NHL All-Star, has yet to register a single point in the early stages of the second half of the season, not a good sign going forward. Jamie Benn, who was an All-Star this year, has been great but can this club ask Bennie to carry this thing for a good spell this year like he did one year ago? Yes, but for how long?
Michael Ryder has delivered in the last few games on the road but his goal against Phoenix was his first tally at home in some seven games. Dallas also has to get more scoring from the blue line. One hallmark of the Coyotes this year is balanced scoring, something Tippett says has been integral to their success. If the Stars can develop a similar methodology in their final 30 games of everyone chipping in on the offensive end, then they could very well snap this postseason drought.
