First Shift 🏒

As the Stars pass the quarter point in the 2024-25 season, they definitely have some challenges.

After posting back-to-back trips to the Western Conference Final under coach Pete DeBoer and his staff, the start of this year has been uneven. Dallas last season had the best road record in the NHL and the best in franchise history at 26-10-5. This year, Dallas is 5-6-0 away from home and also has an additional “home” loss in Finland. That’s something that has to be addressed.

But, conversely, they are much better at home, going 8-1-0 at American Airlines Center, adding to the realization that this is a completely different season.

So when you compare the two performances, there is a lot to be addressed. Dallas was second best in points percentage last season at .689 and is eighth best this year at .619. The Stars last season were third in scoring at 3.59 goals per game and are eighth this year at 3.38 goals per game. That said, they are still eighth in both categories.

But it doesn’t feel that way.

“This team I don’t think has had a ton of adversity these last two years, and there’s a little bit coming at us right now,” said Duchene after a 6-2 loss in Chicago on Wednesday. “We’ve just got to figure things out and keep working and pushing.”

The Stars’ biggest issue so far has been a lack of power play success. Dallas is 25^th in success rate on the man advantage at 16.7 percent after ranking sixth last year at 24.2 percent. They also have surrendered three shorthanded goals after allowing only four all of last season.

“We have to find the balance,” said Johnston. “You can’t panic, you have to stay focused. You just have to outwork the penalty killers. You have five guys, but you still have to work harder than their four.”

The Stars will get the chance to do that with some great tests coming up. Dallas plays host to Colorado on Friday and Winnipeg on Sunday. The Avalanche are starting to get healthy and are 7-2-0 in their past nine games. Winnipeg is leading the NHL at 18-5-0. After winning the Central Division last season, Dallas currently ranks third.

That said, this is a strange season. Because the league will shut down for the Four Nations Faceoff in February, and because the Stars took a week to go to Finland, the schedule is condensed. As a result, the players and coaches have to adjust. Even so, many good teams have had challenges this year too, and that’s part of the game.

“You look around the league and we’re not the only team going through something like this,” DeBoer said. “You have to dig in and stick together and get your foundation back and play better hockey.”