The Dallas Stars’ success has been looked at under a microscope since the March 7 trade deadline. Acquiring Mikko Rantanen meant that Dallas was pushing all their chips into the middle. The Western Conference will be a blood bath this year, and general manager Jim Nill knew that. Since then, the Stars have gone 1-2-1 with losses to the Wests’ best in the Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, and Colorado Avalanche. What’s wrong with Dallas, and is there any chance that they will rebound?
On paper, the Dallas Stars have three major injuries. Nils Lundkvist, is out for the remainder of the season, alongside Tyler Seguin and Miro Heiskanen who are both projected to be back around the beginning of the postseason. The team has been able to fill Seguin’s hole fairly smoothly, acquiring Mikael Granlund from the San Jose Sharks at the beginning of February. Filling the gap that Heiskanen and Lundkvist left has not come as easy. While the team acquired Cody Ceci in the Granlund deal, he is nowhere near Heiskanen’s skill.
The right-handed defensive side has been Dallas’ biggest flaw all season. Ilya Lyubushkin has played solid hockey this season but is understandably unable to fill the shoes of Heiskanen in his absence. Ceci is a bottom-pairing guy who has now been thrust into a second pairing alongside Esa Lindell. Matt Dumba hasn’t played anywhere near his contract’s value this season and is a healthy scratch candidate when Heiskanen returns. Liam Bichsel is a rookie who, for the position he’s in, has played all right on the bottom pairing.
This lack of defensive depth was a glaring weakness heading into this season, and while Jim Nill addressed the issue, he wasn’t able to fix it. Dumba, Lyubshkin, and Ceci are all bottom-pairing players with a ceiling of being second-pairing guys. It was somewhat controversial not to try to get an RHD at the deadline, especially if Nill was willing to give up the assets he did in the Rantanen deal. While controversial, Nill has a clear direction and philosophy on how he wants to build this roster long-term, and the Rantanen deal fits quite nicely into that picture.
The results of the Dallas Stars’ last four games are pretty alarming. They started by losing to Edmonton, and while the boxscore shows a close game, that just wasn’t the case. The Oilers dominated the first two periods and were in complete control of the game. Dallas did steal a game in Vancouver, scoring three unanswered to take a reinvigorating 4-1 win.
Then came the game that everybody was looking forward to. The Stars had been closing in on the Winnipeg Jets in the Central Divison, and this head-to-head game meant a lot for both sides. A Dallas win would aid their chase for the number one seed in the West, and a Jets win would all but solidify their spot atop the Western Conference.
Unfortunately for Star’s fans, the game didn’t go nearly as well as they would have hoped. Things went sideways fast when Winnipeg jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first period. This dominance continued throughout the game, as the Jets would go on to score two more goals giving them a 4-0 lead. It was a tale of two American goaltenders, as Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves, only letting a single goal in during garbage time in the third period. Jake Oettinger on the other hand, only stopped 18 out of his 22 shots faced. The Stars fell 4-1, and their hopes of catching the Jets were dashed.
The team then looked to the Avalanche, where Mikko Rantanen would have his first game in Colorado not in their uniform. After a disappointing loss to the Jets, the Dallas Stars needed a rebound. What happened Sunday was the opposite. Once again the Stars fell behind quickly. It was 3-1 at the end of the second and Colorado had all the momentum. Fortunately, Dallas scored twice in 20 seconds to tie the game and bring it to overtime, but the hopes of a comeback were short-lived. Just 34 seconds in, Cale Makar snuck a shot past Oettinger ending the game. Stars fans were once again disappointed after losing to three top West teams in less than ten days.
While the defense is certainly a weak point in the Dallas Stars’ game, Oettinger hasn’t given them much help recently. Jake has been having a rebound year, as he has played much better compared to last season. He hasn’t quite been able to reach the success of his first three seasons, and his performance in the last three games has some fans concerned. Giving up 13 goals during that span while letting some weak ones get by. With Heiskanen possibly missing some playoff time, the team is going to need Oettinger to steal a game or two.
This is a bit of an overreaction from Stars fans. Yes, the Dallas Stars’ netminder has struggled mightily recently, but he is still an elite goaltender who can put the defense on his back. This is likely a blip on the radar for him, and once the offense starts to click with Rantanen, there will be a big weight lifted off his shoulders. The defense can give him some more help, but Oettinger’s heroics will come again.
The short answer is yes they can. The Stars have fallen victim partly to bad luck. Whether it be injuries, bad bounces, and simple mistakes that are easily fixable. Adding a new guy into the mix that brings as much attention as Rantanen does could have also played a role in Dallas’ recent results. This team is still dangerous and a cup favorite. The chemistry and goals will come in due time, as well as defensive reinforcements (so long Heiskanen is back in a reasonable amount of time).
I may be biased due to being a lifelong Dallas Stars fan, but this team still does have the assets to win it all. Yes, the first round will be brutal, and I will be much more worried if we drop to the three seed. Regardless, this team is used to playoff gauntlets, and the addition of Rantanen gives us Stanley Cup-winning experience. Hopefully the Rants drama will die down and allow all players to fully focus on the ice.
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