First Shift: Stars kick off intriguing West Canada trip against struggling Flames

The Stars have a unique challenge this week.

Dallas will play at Calgary on Wednesday and at Edmonton on Thursday. Each game will be the first played by each team after they played each other in the Heritage Classic (an outdoor game) on Sunday. The Oilers won that game, 5-2, before 55,411 fans at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, and the ramp up and cool down is pretty lengthy for events like this.

The Flames last played an indoor game seven days ago, a 3-0 home loss to the Blues. In fact, Calgary has lost five straight and is 2-6-1 on the year. That in itself creates some amount of drama.

“It is hard to believe, but it’s real in the NHL,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said when asked about the pressure on the Flames. “Everybody talks about that U.S. Thanksgiving break and the importance of that. We’ve talked ourselves about getting off to quick starts, so it’s real.”

The old adage is if you are out of a playoff spot at U.S. Thanksgiving, you’re probably going to miss the postseason cut. The math supports that theory. And while it has been proven wrong in recent years, it certainly creates additional weight for a team who is struggling. The Stars are off to a 5-1-1 start, and that helps, but they also believe they have been inconsistent so far this season, and are hoping to show improvement on the upcoming three-game road trip through Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver.

“It’s always a tough trip,” DeBoer said. “Two good teams, two tough buildings to win in, and when you look at the standings, two desperate teams this early in the season. I’m excited about getting on the road and continuing to build our game.”

Dallas has had two short road trips – to Vegas and Anaheim, and a single-gamer to Pittsburgh – so this will lend a chance to bond and build. The Stars went a combined 2-6-1 against the Flames, Oilers and Canucks last season, so they definitely have their own motivation.

“There’s a majority of Canadian boys in here, so just touching that soil, even if it’s a little west, feels good,” said Ontario-born Tyler Seguin. “We’ve had enough sunshine around here so it’s time for some cold weather and great ice. We’re looking forward to it.”

Of course, it will be a different style of game.

“It’s not the same,” DeBoer said of playing an outdoor game. “I’ll give you an example: It’s really hard for us to use any of the tape from that [game] for pre-scout. We watched the game, but you can’t really use the tape. It’s a different animal for sure.”

Key Numbers

4.21
Stars goalie Jake Oettinger is 1-3-0 in his career against the Flames (during the regular season) with a 4.21 GAA and .887 save percentage.

40
Stars forward Jamie Benn has 40 points (22 goals, 18 assists) in 40 career games against the Flames.

Minus-15
The Flames are 2-6-1 and have the second worst goal differential in the league at minus-15.

He Said It

“You never want to watch as a player, it sucks when we’re losing and you’re not playing. New week, new opportunities, new home game; we’ve got to bring our best tomorrow."

- Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson on returning from a four-game suspension.

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.