First Shift: Stars hope to continue strong road showing in Winnipeg

This has been an inconsistent season for the Stars, and nowhere is that better represented than the difference between home and road records.

Dallas is 5-4-1 at American Airlines Center so far and 7-1-1 on the road. The .550 points percentage is 16th among home records, while the .833 on the road ranks second in the league. Dallas averages 3.20 goals per game (16th) at home and 3.67 (6th) on the road. The power play is hitting 12.4 percent (25th) at home and 30.0 percent (5th) on the road, while the penalty kill is 81.4 percent (14th) at home and 94.1 percent (1st) on the road.

But the difference is most noticeable in goals against. The Stars yield 3.60 goals against per game at home, 27th, and just 2.20, 2nd, away from Dallas.

What are the reasons? Stars coach Pete DeBoer said they are looking at several areas, but that the coaching staff is more focused on overall game than specifics at home or away.

“Preparation isn’t any different,” DeBoer said. “I think we’ve found a way to close out games on the road. We won some games that maybe we didn’t deserve to win on the road where our goaltender stole us a couple of games, and that really hasn’t happened at home. I don’t have an answer, but I’m not really as concerned about it as everybody else is.”

Still, it is worth a conversation as the team is coming off a five-game homestand and starting five of the next six on the road. What lessons can be learned and how important might they be coming off a 7-4 loss to Calgary in which Dallas had a two-goal lead at one point?

“It seems like we do a better job defending on the road,” said forward Wyatt Johnston. “It seems like we give up a lot less. I think that’s just the mindset we have when we go on the road, not trying to overdo things and keep it simple. If we can bring that to our home games, we’d be pretty tough to beat.”

And while that will certainly be the goal in a few games, forward Tyler Seguin said the team simply wants to continue their strong road show right now as they head toward a big showdown at Winnipeg on Tuesday.

“It’s definitely strange,” Seguin said. “You don’t want that, but you’ll take it in that your road record is great and your home record needs work. It’s usually harder to get those road wins, so it means we’re playing good hockey and it’s something we’ll think about when we get back.”

Seguin added that the reason for some of the struggles will continue. Dallas had three one-game homestands and a two-game homestand, then followed that with a five-gamer that lasted two weeks.

“I think with our schedule, a lot of those home games have been coming off a road trip. Those are ones that I find are harder,” Seguin said. “There are excuses everywhere and you don’t want that. It’s just about figuring it out.”

For now, the focus is staying hot on the road. Because as good as it is to know the home record can definitely get better, there also is the fear that the road record could statistically correct itself in the wrong direction, too.

Key Numbers

26
The Stars and Jets each have 26 points in the standings. Winnipeg has played one more game than Dallas. The Stars are 12-5-2, the Jets are 12-6-2. 

12
Mason Marchment has taken 12 penalties, which is tied for eighth in the league. He also has drawn 12 penalties, which is tied for 11th in the league.

10
Stars forward Jason Robertson has 10 points (8 goals, 2 assists) in eight career games against the Jets.

He Said It

“We played great for 14 minutes, and I thought the last six minutes of [the first period] we started turning the pucks over when there was no need to turn pucks over inside their blue line. Then they got their game going. We got our game going because we were going north and we just kept pushing it back and taking what they were giving us, but the last six minutes of that period we started to try to make cute plays that just weren’t there.”

- Jets coach Rick Bowness on a 3-2 loss at Nashville on Sunday

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.