First Shift 🏒
The Stars ranked 25th in faceoff winning percentage at 47.8 percent on November 1.
That’s shocking.
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Dallas boasts the best faceoff winning percentage in the NHL at 54.2 percent. The Stars were second in the league last year, first the year before, and second the year before that. They are a clinic in faceoff success, and a lot of that was born of a veteran lineup filled with centers. The past three seasons, they had a lefty and righty on most lines, so players usually were able to take draws on their “strong” side. That’s huge when it comes to winning consistently.
So what happened?
Well, Dallas traded Radek Faksa (55.2 percent in the last 3 seasons), saw Joe Pavelski (54.4 percent in his career) retire, and watched Tyler Seguin (55.6 percent) get sidelined in early December for 4-6 months with hip surgery. That can really take a toll on the faceoff rotation.
But adversity creates opportunities, and the Stars are watching some key players step up. Benn continues to be a team leader at 57.7 percent, while Duchene andHintz each are winning 55.3 percent of their draws. Steel has raised his numbers from 43.0 percent last season to 53.1 percent this year, and Oskar Bäck has stepped in as a rookie and won a strong 55.2 percent.
“We didn’t start that hot this year, but I think we’ve been climbing up the stats,” said Hintz, who won 12-of-19 faceoffs against Ottawa, leading the way for a 60 percent team night against the third best faceoff team in the league.
“We won a lot of O-zone draws, which gave us a chance to flip the game in the second,” Duchene said.
Dallas outshot Ottawa, 25-13, and a big reason for that was the fact the Stars had the puck. By winning the draw, Dallas was able to put the puck in places it wanted and keep the Senators swimming upstream.
“It’s critical, starting with the puck,” said Stars coach Pete DeBoer. “It gets more important come playoff time. It’s an underrated part of the game.”
DeBoer and his coaching staff have done a good job making adjustments. Yes, there are naturally good faceoff men on the roster, but you also have to help them develop. Wyatt Johnston is a key success story, as is Bäck. On Thursday, rookie Arttu Hyry won all 6 draws taken in his NHL debut. That’s unusual, as it usually takes time.
“You’ve got to learn,” Duchene said. “My first year, I was 44 percent, and I haven’t been under 50 percent since. You learn really quick, you learn little tricks. It’s a weapon to be able to win faceoffs. It’s something we take pride in.”
Because it really can change the game. Dallas is a possession team and faceoff wins lead to quick possession. It is a team that sometimes struggles to score, so getting as much possession time as possible is key to making sure they get three goals or more in a game.
Hintz said the team is overcoming the losses of players like Faksa and Pavelski, and that could lead to more wins going forward.
“That’s a big thing that they’re not here anymore,” Hintz said. “But I think we still have really good faceoff guys.”
And that is one part of a winning formula. Dallas is second in the league over the past three weeks, and that’s a good feeling.
“I think we’re getting in a rhythm,” Duchene said. “Faceoffs are just like scoring: the more you win, the more you win. It’s a feeling. It’s such a game within a game. We did a good job tonight of bearing down. We knew they were a good faceoff team.”
