First Shift 🏒
The Stars are off to a great start, and the focus now rests on keeping it going.
After starting 3-0-0, Dallas has another full week on tap with a home game Tuesday against San Jose, a road game Thursday at Washington and a home game Saturday against Edmonton. While San Jose had the worst record in the NHL last season and Dallas went 3-0-0 against the Sharks, the challenge for the Stars is to keep the consistency of the early season sharp and build on it.
“That’s what you have to do, you have to build your game block by block and I think our group understands that,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “There are going to be some bumps in the road – this isn’t going to be 82-0, and we know that. I think our mentality is in the right place.”
The Stars have gotten better each game, beating Nashville in the opener 4-3, shutting out the Islanders, 3-0, and following that up with a 2-0 shutout of Seattle on Sunday. The shot differential has improved and details like faceoffs and the penalty kill also have gotten sharper.
“The PK was really good,” DeBoer said. “I think, like the rest of our game, we are trying to build it. In Nashville we really gave up a lot. A lot of shots and a lot of quality, and I know (assistant coach) Alain Nasreddine has been working with those guys every game here to try and shape that up. We got the benefit of that work tonight, and I thought it really grabbed momentum for us with those kills.”
The Stars made some of their biggest offseason moves on the penalty kill. They added defensemen Ilya Lyubushkin and Brendan Smith, as well as forward Colin Blackwell. Sam Steel said getting chemistry going with Blackwell on the fourth line has been key.
“I think we have just put a lot of emphasis, and the guys that are killing it have done a lot of talking between each other and with Coach Nasreddine to iron out all the little details,” Steel said. “At this time of year, if you are detailed you are going to have success. It has been good so far, but it could still be better.”
The details have been important for the Stars, as they have had some early season rust in handling pucks or taking too many penalties. However, the details and strong goaltending from Oettinger and Casey DeSmith have made it so Dallas has not yet trailed in a game.
“I think it’s just nice not having to play catch-up,” Steel said. “It’s only three games and there’s still a lot of improvement to be made, but for the most part we have been pretty solid.”
