First Shift: Stars look to open New Year on high note against Canadiens

As the Stars enter 2024, their outlook is a whole lot different than where they were a year ago.

As this team started 2023, they were just beginning to get their feet wet under new head coach Pete DeBoer and his coaching staff, and they really hadn’t earned the full respect of the NHL just yet. Now, they have.

DeBoer is 69-30-18 since taking over the Stars last season, a .667 points percentage that ranks fourth in the league during that span. Dallas is fourth in scoring (3.48 goals per game), fifth in goals against (2.74), seventh in power play success (24.2 percent) and second on the penalty kill (84.2 percent). Despite changing players around, giving more responsibility to young players and refining the games of veterans like Joe Pavelski, Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, the results have been quite satisfying.

The Stars made it to the Western Conference Final last season and lost to eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas in six games. In the summer, they added three free agents in Matt Duchene, Sam Steel and Craig Smith, and also restructured the strength and conditioning staff. Instead of sitting pat, they have dared to try to make further improvements, and it sure seems to be working right now.

“When I came in here, you were making a coaching change and there have been a lot of changes over the past 12 months – personnel, strength and conditioning staff – and I think all of those changes have led to some real optimism here,” DeBoer said. “The importance of that is the play, but I think all of those changes have resulted in a lot of optimism around the rink and an expectation that we’re here to win every night.”

Dallas has moved into the group of teams that are considered serious contenders for the Stanley Cup. They currently are in a fierce battle for first place in the Central Division, and they are pushing forward despite not playing their best hockey so far. The Stars have surrendered the first goal in 20 of their 35 games, and they started very slowly at home (even now ranking 26th in GAA at 3.39). But instead of letting those problems erode their confidence, the Stars have battled through and found a way to post the most comeback wins in the league at 13.

DeBoer said that enjoying the expectations has been a key.

“You want to embrace that pressure,” DeBoer said. “We know that doesn’t entitle you to anything. I think we’ve taken that approach this year and I think that’s why we’re sitting where we are right now.”

No. 1 goalie Jake Oettinger suffered a lower body injury on Dec. 15 and Scott Wedgewood has had to start every game since. He is 6-1-1 in that span, and his teammates are doing a great job outscoring the opposition in front of him.

“We’re finding different ways to win games,” DeBoer said. “Scott Wedgewood has come in and has had to run with this and it might be upward of a month before Jake gets back. That can really sink some teams, but us being able to play Wedgy and buckle our D up around him to give ourselves a chance to win, I think all of those little things are going to pay off as we go forward down the road.”

Key Numbers

54.5 percent
Montreal ranks second in the NHL in faceoff winning percentage at 54.5 percent. Dallas ranks fifth at 53.6 percent.

72.6 percent
Montreal ranks 31st in penalty kill success at 72.6 percent. Dallas ranks 13th in power play success at 22.3 percent.

52.6 percent
Dallas ranks seventh in SAT percentage, measuring shots and shot attempts as a form of puck possession. Montreal ranks 25th at 47.5 percent.

He Said It

“Great game. I don’t know what you can say negative about it. It started great, the middle was solid, and the end was a nice hat trick.”

- Stars forward Tyler Seguin on his team’s 8-1 win over Chicago on New Year’s Eve that ended with a hat trick for his linemate Mason Marchment

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.