First Shift: Stars looking to make fast start a priority against Blue Jackets

The Stars have gotten off to a hot start on the season, but it’s not because they are getting off to hot starts in games.

Dallas has been outscored 5-2 in first periods this season, and after a 4-1 loss on Thursday to the Toronto Maple Leafs, coach Pete DeBoer said his team simply has to be better.

"Let’s be honest . . . we’re 4-1-1, but there’s a couple of games in there we could’ve lost earlier in the year,” DeBoer said. “We probably deserved to lose, but our goalie bailed us out or we found a way to win. I think this was coming. It was inevitable."

But it’s also a good wakeup call. If there is a trend of slow starts, then Monday is a good day to stop that. Dallas hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets before taking off on a three-game trip through Western Canada, so it needs to make a statement right now.

"We’ve got to stop putting ourselves in that hole,” DeBoer said. “This is bigger than a one- or two-game issue. It was an issue last year for a while, and then we got it fixed. Previous years before I got here, it was a big issue. I remember when I came in, that was one of the things that was talked about quite a bit. We want to make sure that teams coming into Dallas know that from the drop of the puck, we’re going to be a handful. I don’t think we’ve given them that yet."

Stars captain Jamie Benn said the players have talked about the issue and continue to work on preparation.

“It’s obviously something we need to work on,” Benn said. “We can talk about all we want, but until we go out there and do it, we’ll just keep talking about it. It’s on individual players to get yourself ready and then when you go on the ice, get the job done and execute. If we roll four and do that, we’ll be fine.”

The Stars have a history of playing very well when they get down, but that’s not something the team wants to rely on.

“You don’t want to be waiting,” Benn said. “You can’t turn that switch on when you’re down a goal or two. You need to have that killer instinct of coming out right away, trying to get up one or two and putting the other team in a tough situation.”

DeBoer said that the team still is finding its way in the young season, and has been fortunate to build a 4-1-1 pad while doing so.

"I think we’re still a work in progress,” DeBoer said. “We’re still searching for our 60-minute game of how we want to play and our identity within that game. I think everybody’s going through the same process with their teams. There are very few people right now in the coaching staffs walking around going, ‘We’ve got it all figured out.’ I think it’s natural six games in. I think we’re inching towards the team that I foresee us being, but we’re obviously not there yet."

Key Numbers

0
Number of special teams goals scored in the past eight meetings between Dallas and Columbus.

6
Stars forward Jason Robertson has 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) in his past five games against the Blue Jackets.

1.59
In his career against Columbus, Stars goalie Jake Oettinger is 7-0-1 with a 1.59 GAA and .933 save percentage.

He Said It

“I would call it energizing. To have an off-site practice, I just think it’s a different feel. The energy that the crowd and the kids bring is fantastic. You get an opportunity to grow the game and get to the grassroots level here, which is something this club’s been built on, so I think it’s fantastic.”

- Stars coach Pete DeBoer on his team having a practice before a packed house in Euless on Saturday.

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.