So does Montgomery feel the team is cursed right now?
"No, I don't feel cursed. I just think that when you want to do really good things as a team, you have to overcome a lot of adversity," he said. "It seems like we have had adversity from training camp, but here recently, it seems like it's coming in rapid-fire succession. We just have to focus on what we can control, which is who's in our lineup and how we need to play to have success."
Montgomery feels that the team is starting to do that, but they still have to improve in some key areas. On Tuesday, the Stars went the final 23 minutes of the game with one shot on goal -- which was a dump-in on net by defenseman Roman Polak. The Vegas Golden Knights had 21 shots on goal in that span and ended up winning 4-1.
After looking at the film, Montgomery said he liked a lot of the things he saw in the game, where Ben Bishop had 44 saves, but that the Stars also need to address some issues.
"In the first five minutes, I thought we were the better team," Montgomery said of the third period. "We took a penalty, we took another penalty, they had 10 shots and six Grade A scoring chances, and Bish got us through. They only had one scoring chance before that, so we're playing a good game.
"Conversely, offensively, we didn't convert," he added. "We didn't have consistent middle lane drive, we had people wide open for one-timers, and we don't put it in the right spot, that's where we need to execute better. They scored on our own mistake. If that doesn't go in, they're not scoring…they're not. When I found out it was 21-1 in shots, I was shocked, because behind the bench it didn't feel like them coming at us in waves."
Still, a team that wants to rely on team defense and goaltending to win 2-1 games has yielded 40 or more shots in four of the past five games. They are 29th in scoring at 2.51 goals per game, and they have to find the balance between keeping their own end clean and spending a little more time in the offensive zone.
"We need more people who want to drive the bus," Montgomery said. "There has to be a mindset that, `I can do this.' We've got to forget about what's happened and forge forward. We need to have more people and pucks at the net. It's becoming redundant out of my mouth, but that's just the way it is."
CENTER CALLED UP: [Stars recall AHL leading goal-scorer Joel L'Esperance from Texas]
Cogliano was acquired by the Stars from Anaheim for Devin Shore on Jan. 14. He played the first 830 games of his NHL career in consecutive fashion before he received a two-game suspension in January of 2018.
This will be the first game he will miss for injury reasons. Cogliano was hit into the boards Thursday by Ryan Reaves and suffered an upper-body injury.
"When you're hurt, you're hurt," Mongomery said of ending the streak. "If there was a way he could play, he would be playing."
The same goes for Benn, who suffered soreness after Saturday's home game and decided to try to play Sunday at Chicago. He left after his first shift with an upper-body injury and did not play Tuesday. He skated in an optional practice Wednesday.
"We probably shouldn't have played him Sunday, but Jamie Benn is like Cogliano -- 'I'm Hercules and I'm going to play through anything.' " Montgomery said.
The Stars on Wednesday recalled L'Esperance, who has 29 goals in the AHL this season and played four NHL games earlier. But the coach said Cogliano still will be listed as day-to-day.
"He's day-to-day," Montgomery said. "Why? Because he's Cogliano."
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.
