Stars address 3-on-3 strategy in preseason practice

The Stars worked a session of 3-on-3 hockey on Thursday.

That would be a normal day in any training camp for most teams, but it holds greater significance for Dallas. After all, this team went 4-11 in the 3-on-3 overtime last season, and this area of concern is one of the team’s biggest focuses heading into the 2023-24 campaign.

“The 3-on-3, we know it was an issue last year and we wanted to get at it early in camp,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “It’s still a work in progress, but hopefully we’re getting some of the concepts and we’ll continue to work at.”

The irony of the overtime situation is the Stars were good at most of the elements that typically lead to success in 3-on-3 hockey. They led the league in overall faceoff winning percentage at 54.8 percent. They ranked fifth in power play success at 25.0 percent. And they ranked third in penalty kill success at 83.5 percent. They typically were able to gain and retain possession, as well as succeed in open ice situations. Yet they struggled when the ice was completely open.

When asked what the keys to overtime success are, Tyler Seguin said, “Possession, patience, sometimes it’s rolling a line and then another line and then that third group is the one that actually scores on that same group that has been out there for the opposition. A lot of it is what we have to do all year with how deep we are. It’s checking that ego at the door and creating that opportunity for the next man up. You may be taking a 15-20-second shift, then someone gets on quick and gets that chance.”

That strategy does seem to fit this roster. After adding Matt Duchene in the off-season, the Stars have talked about having scoring balance throughout the lineup. This could mean time on ice per individual is cut, and the forward group leans on shorter shifts and fresher legs. It could help in overtime, as well, where strategy does become key. DeBoer’s teams in Vegas went 20-10 in overtime over the previous three seasons, so he’s confident he has the right plan.

“It’s me realizing it and them believing in what I’m realizing,” DeBoer said when asked about his process over the summer when focusing on an area that needs help. “That’s always the thing. We know what works in overtime. It’s getting your group to buy in. The motivator should be that we left 10 or 11 points on the table because of it, so we should be all ears.”

The Stars finished one point behind Colorado in the Central Division, and the Avalanche went 9-4 in overtime. While it would be a bit much to ask the Stars to win all the 3-on-3 sessions, they know there was an opportunity to be much better in the standings.

“You look at last year and see the points that were available. What would it bring us up to 118, 120 points?” Seguin asked.

So, what was the reason for so many losses?

“It’s just a different approach to looking at it,” Seguin said. “I think you could look at it as maybe some bad luck, maybe some overthinking at times, but the coaches say it’s pretty black and white.”

The Stars might have allowed the issue to get into their heads last year. Four of the losses came in the first minute of overtime, while wins typically come in the fourth or fifth minute. Maybe the most difficult stretch came when Dallas lost to Buffalo (:56 seconds), Carolina (1:34) and New Jersey (:20) in consecutive overtime games.

“I think it gets in your head for sure,” DeBoer said. “It’s a confidence thing, like shootouts. We didn’t help ourselves. We kept making the same mistakes, so that’s what we have to fix.”

And while the team fixes these mistakes, builds a stronger 3-on-3 game, wins more draws, shows patience, and sticks with structure, days like Thursday are the first step in that process.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.