SB Nation - Trevor Daley

Stargazing: Stars Fall Again in Overtime, 6-5

Brad G — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:31:35 -0000

Stargazing is a daily assortment of Dallas Stars and Texas Stars news, and whatever other random ramblings are bouncing around inside our heads.

[Update by Brandon Worley] The Dallas Stars have officially put Trevor Daley on injured reserve and have recalled Maxime Fortunus. So, when it's just one game they bring up Ivan Vishnevskiy for a quick tease but when it looks like it might be a lengthy recall they keep him in the AHL. I think Fortunus is a good defenseman and deserves to get a shot, but Vishnevskiy might have been a nice shot in the arm for the Stars. Full press release is at the bottom of this post.

14-9-11. What kind of record is that? What does that say about a team? If someone told me that record, team unseen, and asked me what I could infer from it, I think I would say "That sounds like the record of a team that is close, but can't get over the hump and win those close games." Unfortunately for me and my little achy-Stars heart, I have seen this team play. I've seen nearly every second of it, and while the Stars might be just a few adjustments away from winning close games (hey, they could surprise us?) it sure doesn't feel that way to me. This morning in particular, it feels quite the opposite.

We wrote, before the five game trip began, that the Stars had an opportunity to put a solid stretch together and become a team on the road; To find their identity. Or, they could capitulate and dig themselves the hole from which they'll likely never escape. True to form, however, the Stars continued to earn points at a mediocre .500 pace. The problem with that pace is that unlike before when it was win-loss-win-loss, now it's almost exclusively overtime losses. If it hasn't become damaging to the psyche of the team by now, it soon will. The frustration on their faces was evident last night in beautiful high definition.

The upcoming schedule is riddled with impossibilities. Tomorrow, for instance, take a look at the Detroit Red Wings: They've allowed an average of 1.33 goals against in their last 6 games, winning 5 of them. Winning 5 of 6 games! That sounds like some kind of fairy tale, doesn't it? Can you imagine?

Complicating all of this is Trevor Daley, who's arm was in a sling last night in the press box, and Mark Fistric who's now out with an upper-body injury. And while we fumed after another aggravating loss, Mike Heika says Marc Crawford was apparently quite upbeat, and it's there we'll start today on Stargazing after the jump:

Crawford was pleased...really. He said he was actually pretty happy with the game.

``We made some mistakes on the penalty kill and in other areas,'' he said. ``But on the other side of it, I thought we did a remarkable job. We more than doubled their chance totals, we kept battling even when we had a few breaks go against us. We're not pleased with the play we made at the end of the game, but apart from that, geez I thought we did a lot of good things.

``There's many more positive things for us to take from tonight's game for us than there are negative, although there are some negative,'' he added. ``We certainly have to do a better job killing penalties.''

The Atlanta Journal Constitution brings you Thrasher quotage:

"I think Army was out of gas there, but he dove for that puck and he’s the reason I got the breakaway," said Peverley, who also assisted on a second-period goal. "I have to hand it to him. He made a great play. I was just lucky to get through."

Armstrong said he indeed was tired and was about to come off the ice.

"I think we were out there for almost a minute and a half," Armstrong said. "Ronnie made a nice play to get it out and I was going to go for a change, but I looked up and saw no one there so I thought it would just be a foot race between me and [Brad] Richards. I was close to having nothing left, but I got to it. I saw Pevs jumping up and just got it over to him."

They also mention attendance was a lovely 11,957. Half of them must have been in the bathroom. I hear they have nice bathrooms.

Speaking of attendance down South, Razor has some thoughts on that:

The NHL has a cash cow in Canada (or is that a moose? A cow moose then) and they are reaping the benefits from the renaissances going on in Chicago, Boston, Washington, and Pittsburgh, However, the games are drawing flies in Florida, Atlanta, Nashville and a smattering of other so called "non-traditional" markets.

Why?

I have a three-prong theory:

Lack of decent teams and playoff success in southern markets

Lack of disposable income for Joe Fan, and lack of corporate entertainment money from companies. (Football wins until January)

Lack of time within broadcasts to explain and teach the game to those who didn’t grow up on it, along with poor local community involvement/marketing/awareness of the players.

Sure, every market can’t be Montreal, and every struggling southern team can’t pull up stakes and move to Ontario, but ignoring the needs of the teams closest to the equator as you go about toasting each other in heavy winter coats saying "look at the numbers", that isn’t going to be very good in the long run either.

The last lockout was, amongst other things, about money and the stability of Canada’s teams. Maybe they should seriously contemplate a "Look-out" for the sagging South.

Ralph and Razor mentioned on the broadcast last night how quiet the Stars locker room is. This lack of vocal leadership will grow as a story if the team does not find a way to win some games. Says Mike Heika...

Maybe Crawford is simply allowing the players to find a way to take leadership roles. I'm told this isn't the first time he was stern behind closed doors, that he has had meetings with individuals or key pairs of players. So now maybe he's being softer after the game to allow the players to step up.

``The coach can't play the game,'' said Robidas. ``He can guide us and push us in the right direction, but we have to make the plays, and we have to be the leaders.''

All the vocal leadership in the world won't make up for having to play with five defensemen two night's in a row. With Fistric and Daley both out, Andrew's Stars Page tell us that Fortunus has been called up:

According to the AHL transaction wire, the Stars have called up defenseman Maxime Fortunus from the Texas Stars. Trevor Daley (shoulder) and Mark Fistric (head) are both injured. We should get updates on those two later today.

So how do you feel about Fortunus, Woywitka and Niskanen out there against the Red Wings, the Sharks, and the Blackhawks? We're going to find out.

More quotes from last night:

Stephane Robidas:

"In high scoring game that's not the way we want to play," Robidas said. "We want to play better d and help our goalies out. Their power play was impressive and it hurt us tonight."

"We lost and that is disappointing," Robidas said. "We gave up that shortie at the end, and that was not good. We have to help our goalies. We cannot leave them by themselves."

"We have to address our consistency and start playing like a team," Robidas said. "These guys are young, but they are good and talented."

``The coach can't play the game,'' said Robidas. ``He can guide us and push us in the right direction, but we have to make the plays, and we have to be the leaders.''

Marc Crawford:

``Sometimes, you get a little overanxious. As they say, patience is a virtue, but it is generally something you get through experience.''

``You're always trying to get your team to play at the level they need to play at. We played a good game tonight. We made some mistakes, but they were mistakes with people who were in unfamiliar positions. All things considered, we were a way better team than them.''

``It's always a work in progress, but I was pleased with the way we played tonight. I thought our forwards were great tonight. That was one of the better games they played. If we get that kind of effort, we'll get better.''

We've been talking more about Marc Crawford lately. Do you want to see more emotion from him? Or should the fan-base take his patience and demeanor as an example to follow? Should his attitude cause us as fans to readjust our expectations? I think there is a disconnect between my expectations as a fan, and those of Stars management. I'll work on that. I might work on it in the tequila bar upstairs at the AAC tomorrow afternoon.
You may notice I went this whole Stargazing without saying much about Ondrej Pavelec. He was outstanding. Really outstanding. Would the Thrashers, if down 4 or 5 to 1, have hung their heads a little and cause the game to turn out differently? I don't know. But a hot goaltender is another in the long list of excuses that fans don't want to hear right now.
And finally, what's the over/under on Red Wing fans at the AAC tomorrow that have never set foot in the state of Michigan?

Dallas Stars press release:

Frisco, Tex. - The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has placed defenseman Trevor Daley on injured reserve, retroactive to Dec. 16. He suffered a shoulder injury in Wednesday's game at Carolina. The Stars have also recalled defenseman Maxime Fortunus from the Texas Stars, Dallas' primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Daley, 26, has skated in 33 games this season for Dallas, recording five points (1g, 4a). The 5-11, 199-pound defenseman ranks second on the team in time on ice with 22:25 minutes per game. Daley posted career highs last season in goals (7) and points (25). The Toronto native is now in his sixth NHL season, appearing in 372 games, all with the Stars. He was Dallas' second round selection (43rd overall) in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Fortunus, 26, has collected five goals and four assists in 30 games for the Texas Stars in 2009-10. The La Prairie, Quebec native has played in 326 career AHL games posting 25 goals and 59 assists in seven AHL seasons. The 6-1, 198-pound defenseman recorded three goals and seven assists in 22 games for Manitoba last year in the Calder Cup playoffs. Fortunus was signed as a free agent by Dallas on July 3, 2008. He has yet to make his NHL debut.

The Dallas Stars will face the Detroit Red Wings Saturday afternoon (2:00 pm, TV: My27, Radio: Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket).

Trevor Daley Still Searching for Offense Under Coach Crawford

Brad G — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:57:49 -0000

More photos » by Frederick Breedon - AP

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Trevor Daley played for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for four seasons before getting drafted by the Dallas Stars in 2002. He captained the Greyhounds and was among their leaders in scoring, totaling 188 points in 216 games. Upon entering the NHL draft in '02, he was known as a very skilled offensive defenseman; Someone who could really skate well with the puck and spend time on the power play. In short, he was thought to have the potential to be the exact player that Stars fans currently see a need for: The elusive puck moving d-man.

Daley's offensive upside, while greatly anticipated by the fan base, was to be put aside for a time while he developed a sound defensive foundation in the Stars system. He started his first year out of juniors with the Utah Grizzlies of the AHL, but split his time between there and Dallas. He suited up for the Stars 27 times that season. If not for the lock-out, he might have stuck with the big club permanently after such a limited AHL stint. However, perhaps to his benefit, he spent 2004-2005 with the Hamilton Bulldogs.

At the age of 24, Trevor helped the Stars get all the way to the Conference Finals and recorded a career high 24 points that year, but people were already starting to ask questions:

7/30/2008, Dallas Morning News:

I gave Trevor Daley an "underachieve" on his season report card for a couple of reasons. At 24, I felt he was supposed to step up and take a bigger role on the Stars -- like possibly as a partner for Sergei Zubov.

...Daley has great skills. When he decides to go off on a run up ice, his skating and puck handling ability are amazing. Yet, in the Stars' system, it seems they discourage him from playing that style of game. And with Sergei Zubov, Philippe Boucher, Matt Niskanen, Stephane Robidas, Mike Modano and Brad Richards available to work the point on the power play, it appears Daley is way down the list for players who should get time with the man advantage.

So if they are discouraging him from taking runs up ice and they aren't using him on the power play, are the Stars really getting the most out of Daley?

In Dave Tippett's defense-first, mistake free hockey system, there was little room for his offensive game to grow without more PP time, which he wasn't getting. The injury riddled season of 2008-2009 would see his offensive numbers remain steady, following his 24 point season with a 25 point effort. Many believed, perhaps, that with the emergence of Matt Niskanen and Ivan Vishnevskiy (hopefully) hot on his tail, Trevor Daley's offensive game was all it was ever going to be.

Then Marc Crawford was hired.

Trevor Daley's lone goal this season.

Trevor Daley's stock seemed to rise overnight as people imagined a more wide open style of hockey with defensemen taking more chances as they jump in on the play and help generate more offense. Apart from Brad Richards, Trevor Daley seemed the most logical recipient of a boost to his game as a result of the coaching change.

This afforded us all a chance to write things like this:

Brandon Worley:

It seems Rick Wilson didn’t know what to do with Daley. They squelched his offensive skills in trying to beef up his defense, and it made Daley a very inconsistent player. Of all the players that will benefit under Crawford and Huddy, Daley could be the one that gets helped the most.

Mike Heika:

Daley worked with the same coaches for his first five seasons in the league, and they obviously did not see him as a player who could create offensively. This new group might see him differently. In fact, many decisions probably are going to be based on training camp and the preseason schedule. If Daley shines in those situations, who knows what this season might bring.

Trevor Daley has obvious skating and puck handling skills. Now, whether he uses those for the benefit of the team or not is a huge question. But I'm all for letting him loose and seeing what he can do.

That should make this the most interesting season in Daley's NHL career so far.

And we thought the addition of Charlie Huddy would be of great benefit to Mr. Daley as well:

Huddy is a coach that can come in, evaluate the defensemen on his own merit and judge for himself what each player should focus on. Trevor Daley is perhaps the one player on the ice that will benefit from this change the most. There is no doubt that Daley posseses great speed and puck-handling skills, yet too often it seems as if he's unsure of when to attack or he's uneasy completely committing to joining the rush and using his skill. We've seen flashes of what he can do when he's comfortable on the ice, but too often Daley would disappear for several games at a time. With Huddy, Daley has a coach that can help hone his skills as an offensive weapon while working to maintain his consistency as a defensemen with offensive capability.

So here in mid-December, it's time to tally up the stats and see what we've got far this year. 32 games played: He's a -4, with 1 goal and 5 assists for a grand total of 5 points. 5 points through 32 games for your highest paid defenseman, is to put it mildly, disappointing. With a new system that encourages him to get more involved, he is not on pace to break his career season high of 25 points, but rather to halve it with a 12 or 13 point effort.

Ironically enough, the writing of this piece began on Friday afternoon well before the game against the Sharks in San Jose, where Mr. Daley played one of his finest of the season. He had a great assist on the Ribeiro power play goal, recorded 2 shots on goal, and to my eyes was much more involved than we've seen him most nights this year. It was a good model for the kind of game the fans and coaches alike would like to see out of Trevor moving forward.

One argument often presented in the defense of Trevor Daley is the preference of the Stars coaching staff to play Robidas and Niskanen on the power play unit over him. Daley recieves only 2:06 per game on the power play, third among Stars defensmen behind Robidas (3:15) and Matt Niskanen (3:54). While this does not afford him the opportunity to collect points that he'd like, it is an improvement over his 1:21 PPTOI/Game last season. None of this is his fault, of course, because let's face it: If he shot right handed, he'd probably see more power play time.

We must continue reminding ourselves that this is a young team that is learning a new system. The Marc Crawford and Joe Nieuwendyk regime is a mere 32 games into their existence, and players like Trevor Daley, who's only known one coaching staff his whole NHL career, need time to adjust. For now Trevor is proving himself a steady presence on the back end, playing 22:53 a night and developing a good chemistry with Karlis Skrastins. As that partnserhip strengthens, it will hopefully allow Daley to increasingly, and responsibly assert himself into the offense, and help this team that is struggling badly in the offensive end to score some goals.

"I think when you're changing your game, and you are trying to do more, it's good to have someone like that who you can trust," Daley said. "I know if I do take a chance, he'll be there for me, and that's helped me a lot this year." [Link]

Gameday Preview: Dallas Stars @ San Jose Sharks (9:00pm CST)

Art_M — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:00:20 -0000

Next Game

Dallas Stars (13-8-9, 8th in West)
@ San Jose Sharks (19-7-6, 1st in West)

Friday, Dec 11, 2009, 9:00 PM CST
HP Pavilion

TV: KDFI
Radio: KTCK 1310 The Ticket

Opponent's Blogs: Fear The Fin / Battle Of California

Complete Coverage >

The Dallas Stars look to shake off some of the struggles they've had lately in finishing games by continuing on the five game road swing with a stop in San Jose tonight to face the Western conference leading Sharks who are also on a bit of a demoralizing skid of their own having lost their last three games - all at home. Tonight's game against Dallas is San Jose's last chance to salvage what has been an unusually bad five game home stand for a team that before the stretch had only lost one game in regulation in the Shark Tank out of their first ten.

The Stars can at least draw some inspiration for tonight from the last time these two teams met up back on November 12th when Dallas rallied in the third period from a two goal deficit to draw even, force a shootout and then actually win it with an unlikely goal from Stephane Robidas.

Over the last few games for both teams it's been proven that no lead is truly safe no matter who you are. The Stars issues have been well documented here the past week, but last Friday San Jose had the St. Louis Blues come back very late in the third period to tie up a game and then win it in a shootout. Saturday they managed to get a 1-0 lead in the second period before giving back two goals to the Calgary Flames in a regulation loss. And then two days ago against the Los Angeles Kings the Sharks needed to claw back from two goals down with over half the game gone to force overtime, only to see a win taken away from them a little over a minute in.

So yes it's a late start tonight, but it's a Friday night and really you can just sleep in tomorrow. Given the unpredictable nature of these two teams lately, this game could be a last shot wins situation!

Follow the jump for a closer look at both teams and the medical reports...

The Dallas Stars:

So now that we've had a few days since the Ducks debacle to calm down and back off the ledge a little bit, we've come to realize that maybe things aren't quite as bad in Big D hockey wise as we think. We as fans have to realize that the young players on this roster are going to make mistakes, but it's not only something we should endure with in hopes that they have bright futures ahead of them, but that the Stars are not the first team to go through growing pains like this.

Isn't that right Mike Heika?

Strangely enough, NHL teams wait out kids every year. They have done it in Pittsburgh and Chicago and LA, and are seeing results. They have done it in Florida and Atlanta and Columbus, and you wonder if they will ever see results. It's a gamble, but it goes on all of the time in this league. It just hasn't happened in Dallas a lot.

Karlis Skrastins will be back tonight after missing a game with a lacerated finger and will be back paired with Trevor Daley. Bryan Sutherby practiced on the fourth line, but coach Crawford has stated he'll still be a game time decision. Outside of that don't expect too many lineup changes in San Jose. Marty Turco is expected to get the start. [Link to Heika's Thursday practice report]

Oh, and in case you needed a "real" hockey authority to truly explain what's been wrong with the Dallas Stars, you're in luck because Barry 'The Mullet' Melrose is here to break it down for you in video form complete with moving pictures n stuff! Ya know, with such a keen grasp of the obvious like that, it's hard to imagine how that guy isn't coaching again in the... ohhhh wait... right.

The San Jose Sharks:

Meanwhile in the Bay Area, the Sharks home woes as of late can be most likely pinned on their poor special teams - especially the team's dreadful powerplay which has not onlt gone 1 for 17 over the last four games, but in the last three games has given up four short handed goals!

While the players themselves may downplay a lack of confidence in the defensive abilities of the power play unit, coach Todd McLellan thinks that could easily be one of the main issues:

We're still going out there with the mentality that we can score goals," Patrick Marleau said. "Obviously knowing that we've given up some goals just means you come back a little bit harder."

But McLellan said there can be a connection."The correlation is called confidence," McLellan said. "I think your confidence gets rattled a little bit when you get scored on."knowing that we've given up some goals just means you come back a little bit harder."

Meanwhile, Sharks play-by-play guy Randy Hahn called his 1,000th NHL game on Saturday night and recalled his favorite and least favorite memories in that span of time. As you can imagine, a somewhat recent game that ranks as one of the best ever for Stars fans isn't as high up on Hahn's list:

"Game 6 in overtime, triple overtime, quadruple overtime — how many was it? — in Dallas," said Hahn of the 4OT loss to the Stars that ended San Jose's Stanley Cup dream in 2008. "To see it end that way, everybody spilling their guts out on the ice and still coming up empty, that one was a really bitter one to swallow."

Key Injuries:

Dallas: Brian Sutherby (C) - Game time decision due to groin injury

San Jose: Brad Staubitz (RW) - Out due to facial laceration, Jody Shelley (LW) - Out due to general soreness

Bertuzzi's two points, Howard's 29 saves leads Wings over Stars 4-1

joehass — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:18:15 -0000

On a night that saw the Red Wings snap a 157-minute scoring drought at home, have a balanced scoring attack, a stretch of 10:18 without a stoppage in play, and their first opening goal in five games, what may be the most interesting takeaway from their 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars was the 29 saves of Jimmy Howard, making back-to-back wins for himself.

While his four-game stretch earlier in November showed what he could do with Chris Osgood out of commission, it's in the last two nights, where head coach Mike Babcock had the option of going with either goalie but has chosen Howard, where Howard has shone, putting Babcock in an embarrassment of riches situation heading into Thursday night's game against Edmonton.

In addition to the balanced scoring attack, the Red Wings penalty kill continued their streak, with eight straight penalties killed including the four tonight.

In the first period, after going over 10 minutes without a stoppage in play, the Red Wings shot a puck down the ice in what appeared to be an icing call. But the Stars miscommunicated, failing to touch the puck. Drew Miller, who was skating down the ice at the time, quickly jumped on the untouched puck and took a shot, that went off Trevor Daley's arm and past Marty Turco to make it 1-0 Red Wings.

With 15 seconds left, just after Tomas Holmstrom left the penalty box, Stephane Robidas fired a 60-foot shot that went off Brenden Morrow and got past Howard to tie the game at 1. It was Morrow's 11th goal of the season.

In the second, Kris Draper got Turco to go down on his shot, only to pass the puck to Darren Helm. With a wide-open net, Helm didn't miss, and the Red Wings were back on top 2-1.

Later in the period, Henrik Zetterberg put the puck on Dan Cleary's stick behind the goal line. Cleary brought the puck up in front of Turco, then put the puck into the net to make it 3-1 on his sixth of the season.

Finally, in the third period, Todd Bertuzzi came in to the left of Turco and fired a 35-footer that bounced off Daley. That turned the puck into a knuckler, which just went off the elbow of Turco and into the edge of the net to wrap up the scoring.

Player of the game: Todd Bertuzzi. With his goal and assist, he seems to be awakening very nicely.

Matt Niskanen: Flirting With Disaster

Brandon Worley — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:58:51 -0000

More photos » by Ann Heisenfelt - AP

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With the talented young rearguard Matt Niskanen floundering I got to thinking; Are we seeing the residue from a kid who skipped the step of playing at least a half a year in the minors?

Niskanen basically stepped right from college at Minn-Duluth to the NHL. Not many do that. Sure being paired with Zubov helped the transition but Niskanen didn't look out of place at the time. Now, at times, he does - and those times are becoming more frequent.

His confidence appears wilted and he seems neither fast enough nor strong enough to handle the NHL game right now. Nisky's plus/minus rating is a team worst -9. His best work has been done with the puck and Crawford has trotted him out on the powerplay a lot over the first two months. He has repaid him with 4 PP assists. Four.

-Daryl 'Razor' Reaugh, 'Taking Sips From A Firehose'

Matt Niskanen has had a rough time adjusting to life with Sergei Zubov. After playing just 13 games in the AHL after graduating from college, injuries on the Stars' roster thrust him into the starting lineup and he found himself playing next to a future Hall of Fame defenseman. He was second on the team in plus/minus with a plus-22, scored seven goals and was the breakout player of the year for the Stars. He and the rest of the Stars young defensemen, Mark Fistric and Nicklas Grossman, held together down the stretch when Zubov was out due to injury and played admirably in the playoffs that season. Yet the warning signs were starting to show.

In 2008, with Zubov struggling to return to the ice, Niskanen and his fellow defenseman fell flat on their faces. In the first month of the season Niskanen had just one assist and was a minus-7 as the Stars became a sieve on defense and in net, finding themselves in the basement of the conference standings just seven weeks into the season.

Niskanen would finish last season last among defensemen with a minus-11, yet set a career high with 29 assists and 35 points. There were some that played off the subpar season as a 'sophomore slump' and were encouraged by his offensive potential. He played well for the USA in the World Championships over the summer and with Marc Crawford and Charlie Huddy coming to the Stars to implement a new system, Niskanen looked to be on track to return to the form from 2007 that so many fans excited.

After perhaps the worst weekend of his career, some are wondering what happened to the defenseman that showed so much promise just a short time ago.

In his excellent article, Razor points out that the biggest issue for Niskanen is most likely the path he took to the NHL.

Nik Grossman: 2 years in AHL after a half season in Swedish pro league.

Mark Fistric: 150 games in AHL

Trevor Daley spent a year and a half in the AHL

Even the most senior veteran defensemen on this team, Robidas and Skrastins, spent a full season in the minors before becoming every day NHLers.

Matt Niskanen? He played just 13 games.

When injuries forced the Stars' hand and Niskanen was needed to step in at the start of the season, no one predicted that he would play 78 games that season in the NHL. Normally when a young player is struggling you send him back down to the AHL for a kick in the rear and a taste of what life is like while not playing under the bright lights of the NHL. Mark Fistric was demoted for a time last season and has returned to the Stars a much more complete and mature player; he's not flashy but you still rarely see Fistric being beat on a regular basis.

Which brings us to Niskanen. The past two games there have been four goals that could almost single handily be blamed on him and he has looked shell-shocked and lost every time he's on the ice. His confidence is shot and he is nowhere near the level of a player who can carry a defensive pairing; he's too much of a liability in his own zone and is not enough of a scoring threat on offense.

What is frustrating is that Niskanen has all of the potential you would want in a defenseman: great skating ability, good size, good speed and a booming shot from the point. What Niskanen is in desperate need of is some extended time in the AHL, where he can just focus on his skills and his approach to the game without the distractions of having to play in top form 100% of the time for an NHL team fighting for positioning in the standings. There's a reason that Ivan Vishnevskiy is still down in Austin and he is well on his way into developing into a top defenseman for the Stars in the near future.

And there lies the crucial missing link for Matt Niskanen: development. Players coming to the NHL are expected to already be as polished as possible; that's what the AHL and ECHL are there for. Jamie Benn is an exception to the rule and he is having some growing pains as well that can be covered up while playing on the wing. As a defenseman, Niskanen's mistakes are all there for the world to see and there's no hiding his shortcomings.

Since there is no doubt that Niskanen possesses all of the physical tools you could possibly want in a defenseman, it all comes down to intelligence, training and confidence.

While he is still playing under his original contract, Niskanen has now played in enough games to necessitate the Stars place him on waivers in order to assign him to the AHL. That option no longer exists for the Stars unless Niskanen gets hurt and can be assigned to a 'conditioning stint' down in Austin.

So what's the cure? Should Marc Crawford bench Niskanen for a few games in favor of Jeff Woywitka to give him some time to get his head in the right place. Will that happen tonight, or will Crawford give Niskanen a few more games to prove that this past weekend is all a fluke? Currently, Niskanen possesses a team-worst minus-11 and is last among all defensemen with an overall plus/minus per 60 minutes (-1.22 per game). He has just seven assists and has not been the weapon on the power play that this team has needed him to be.

Even so, can the Stars afford to sit Niskanen? Are they better off with Woywitka playing more minutes while Niskanen sits? More importantly, will benching Niskanen shatter whatever amount of confidence he has left?

Is Matt Niskanen able to be saved? Without time in the AHL was Niskenen's career put on the wrong track from the start?

Whatever the answers to these questions might be, there's no doubt that the Stars can afford many more blatant mistakes like Niskanen made this past weekend.

Game 21 Preview: New Jersey Devils @ Dallas Stars - 11/21/2009

John Fischer — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:00:47 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

Zach Parise came up with two goals against Nashville on Thursday. Can he continue to produce in Dallas? (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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The Time: 8 PM EST

The Broadcasting Info: MSG+2 for the TV, 660 AM WFAN for the radio

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (14-5-1) @ the Dallas Stars (9-6-6)

The Last Devils Game: The Devils went to Nashville and played a generally even game. Though, the Devils didn't get the win, they were bested in the shootout and lost 3-2. The Devils are now winless in two and lost Dainius Zubrus to injury in the game. My recap of the game also discussed the differences in the game among the overall even play by both sides.

The Last Dallas Game: After a big win over Detroit, the Dallas Stars provided another example of the team's inconsistency this season by falling flat on their faces against Columbus. It was all Blue Jackets all game long, and the Stars fell 4-1. Brandon Worley of Defending Big D expressed his frustration in his recap.

The Goal: Dominate play from the wings. Without Dainius Zubrus, the centers on the team are Travis Zajac, Dean McAmmond, Tim Sestito, and Rod Pelley. As Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya have been out, the minutes have been eaten up by Andy Greene, Mike Mottau, Bryce Salvador, and Colin White and fatigue is starting to show a little more. This leaves the Devils with two areas that they aren't significantly hit with injury - goaltending and wings. So far, most of them have had good seasons so far, led by Zach Parise, of course. For the Devils to do well tonight, I think they'll have to step up big in making and finishing plays, as well as puck possession - if only so Dallas doesn't key on attacking the center over and over.

Read on for a hastily put together preview, a guess at the lineup, and questions about Dallas answered by Brandon Bibb of Defending Big D. If you'd like to read the Dallas' take on tonight's game, Brad G of Defending Big D has a preview up already.

The Devils are certainly mixing things up from tonight. After the Zubrus injury was reported - a hairline fracture to his right knee, out for 4-6 weeks - Gulitti reported that the Devils wouldn't call anyone up. Which is fine, the Devils are on the road and they have enough players to fill out a lineup, most notably four centers are still available. Yesterday, it was reported by Gulitti that Jacques Lemaire said that Yann Danis would get the start. That would be the only major change. I think Lemaire wants to spell Brodeur before next week where the Devils have 3 games in 4 days, which is understandable.

So it's really surprising to read that Lemaire is benching Rod Pelley for tonight's game. Per Gulitti's post, Pelley is understandably not happy about this. I mean, he's been given limited minutes with limited linemates, the center he beat out in training camp has been called up and has played more than he has, and as one of the four centers left on the active roster, he sits just after Zubrus is lost to injury.

"It’s frustrating," Pelley said after skating hard at the end of the morning skate. "It’s really frustrating, anger too."

Lemaire did not announce that Pelley was not playing, but might have provided a hint about his feelings about Pelley in his glowing praise of Tim Sestito.

"Timmy has showed me good stuff," Lemaire said. "He’s not the guy that’s going to take the puck and beat people and make great plays and all of that. But he’s so intense. He’s tough to beat because he hits the man all the time and he plays a good solid game. So, that’s why my confidence towards is a little higher than maybe another guy."

I'm confused by this as well. If Lemaire wants to dress 7 defensemen and spread the minutes around that way, fine. But why not sit Andrew Peters who really hasn't done much of anything? There, the Devils would have 4 centers still and only a winger needs to be double-shifted. Instead, either Zajac is going to get a lot of time tonight or the Devils are going to play most of 60 minutes with a shortened bench. I'm sure the Dallas Stars are looking forward to dominating the faceoff dot tonight.

Matthew Corrente will make his NHL debut tonight and will likely rotate with Tyler Eckford as the "extra" defender. So the Devils' lineup will look something like this:

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac - Jamie Langenbrunner
Patrik Elias - Dean McAmmond - Niclas Bergfors
Brian Rolston - Tim Sestito - David Clarkson
Matt Halischuk - Andrew Peters

Andy Greene - Bryce Salvador
Colin White - Mike Mottau
Mark Fraser - Tyler Eckford
Matthew Corrente

Yann Danis
Martin Brodeur

The Stars aren't at completely full strength either. Their top scorer, James Neal, has been suspended for two games by the NHL for a hit that has caused a head injury. Brandon Worley has a round up of a reaction to the suspension at Defending Big D. No matter how you feel about the injury, he's not playing tonight. They are also without Fabian Bunnstrom and Brian Sutherby, as noted in Brad's preview for Dallas.

Speaking of, thanks to Brandon Worley, Brandon Bibb of Defending Big D answered some questions I had about the Stars. Mind you, I tend to send these questions over in advance - since then, some numbers changed and, of course, James Neal has been suspended. Nevertheless, here's a little insight into the Stars by Brandon Bibb.

Question #1. The tagline for Defending Big D is "Needs more James Neal." Neal is currently leading the Stars with 11 goals and 11 assists - in his sophmore season. Very impressive if only for not hitting the sophmore slump so far this season. What about Neal's game has made him so productive?

BB: Well, playing on a line with Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson doesn't hurt. But there's quite a bit that James is doing on his end to contribute greatly to his fast start. He's got a quick wrist shot, plays a physical game, and reminds me a lot of how Brenden Morrow played when he first entered the league in 2000. Unfortunately, I don't know if Devils' fans will get to see him play Saturday night since he has a teleconference with Colin Campbell over the checking from behind hit on Derek Dorsett of the Blue Jackets. [JF Note: As we know now, he won't be playing tonight - Neal has been suspended for 2 games]

Question #2. The Dallas Stars have an ignomious team stat - the Stars have a .100 winning percentage when they trail after the first period - the second worst percentage in the league. What's going on? Is this coincidence, or does not leading after one really get into the team's heads?

BB: I think it's more coincidence with four shootout and OT losses factoring negatively into that stat. Opening night, they rallied from down 2-0 against Nashville before losing in the shootout. On October 22nd, they fell behind 2-0 after one in LA and 4-1 after two before scoring three third period goals to send that game into OT. Then they fell behind 3-0 to Florida before rallying to tie that game at 5-5 in the third before, once again, losing in the shootout. They did overcome a 2-0 deficit to San Jose last Thursday to send that game into a shootout where they actually won, accounting for their only shootout win of the year.

I think the bigger concern for the Stars has been their lack of consistency. We're seven weeks into the season and the Stars have yet to string together two consecutive wins.

Question #3. Let's talk goaltenders. Marty Turco has enjoyed a splendid start to the season with a 2.24 GAA and save percentage of .920 (again, not including what happened against Columbus). He's a very talented goaltender, but do you think he'll continue to play this well later on in this season?

BB: I think he will primarily for two reasons:

Last season, the Stars got behind the eight-ball from the get go, had a number of injuries to key players, such as Brenden Morrow and Brad Richards. And they had a backup goaltender in Tobias Stephan that Dave Tippett had zero confidence in. As such, they rode Turco until he ran out of gas last season. For the year, Turco appeared in 74 out of 82 games.

So getting a backup netminder was high on Joe Nieuwendyk's to-do list for the offseason. Fortunately, they were able to get Alex Auld for a second rounder from Ottawa after Jonas Gustavsson spurned them and Marc Crawford implemented a system where for every 7 games Turco would see action, Auld would see three, putting him on pace to get about 25 games in net this season. He's already started as many games last season (7) as Stephan and Matt Climie, their young goaltender down at the Stars' AHL affiliate in Cedar Park, started all of last season. That strategy should keep Turco fresh, especially after the Olympic break.

Second, Turco's got a ton of pride and he's in a contract year. Even with the increased workload last season, Turco knows he can do better than the 2.81 GAA and .898 save percentage he posted last season.

Question #4. How about that Dallas defense? Are you generally pleased with the blueline, led by Stephane Robidas and Trevor Daley (at least in average time on ice, they're leaders)?

BB: I think there's certainly room for improvement. Especially in the case of Trevor Daley whose offensive skillset seems like a match made in heaven for the kind of system Marc Crawford coaches. He's struggled out of the gate scoring only a goal and an assist.

I can't speak for Brandon W, Art, or Brad, but I've been pleasantly surprised by Stephane Robidas' play this year. Last year, he did an admirable job in filling in for all the injured players, but still struggled I think on the power play and the penalty kill. I don't know if the coaching staff has altered his shot on the power or not, but it seems more lethal this year than it was last year, when he was either missing the net or having it blocked. This year, he's already posted 10 points and scored the lone shootout goal against San Jose to give Dallas their only win in the shootout this season.

Matt Niskanen's also another guy that I think the Stars coaching staff is looking to contribute more, which he has done a bit as of late scoring a goal Wednesday night on a screened Jimmy Howard while also picking up an assist Saturday night against Phoenix. Karlis Skrastins and Jeff Woywitka have also filled in quite nicely for the Stars as free agent acquisitions and Mark Fistric has shown his versatility as a player in filling in as a fourth line forward when called upon in a couple of emergency situations this year.

Question #5. Lastly, do you have a prediction for tonight's game?

BB: Well, if the Stars follow their recent trend, they'll pick up a win tonight. That having been said, I can't see New Jersey dropping a third road game in a row. And with it appearing likely that James Neal will miss this game due to suspension [JF Note: Suspension announced after response] and the Stars recent offensive struggles, I'd be hard pressed to think they'll score more than a few goals tonight. I'll go with New Jersey in a 3-2 win.

Big thanks to Brandon Bibb for offering insight into Dallas' team play, their goaltending, and their defense. As Brandon explained, while the numbers may say the key is to lead after the first period - that's not necessarily the case. The Devils will have to keep working to keep the lead after the first period, should they have one. Inconsistent teams like Dallas are dangerous in a way because one has no idea whether they're going to play to their full potential or whether they'll fall apart. Yes, that's the very definition of inconsistency and quite obvious, but it's still difficult to prepare for in advance of a game. Especially, with Lemaire scratching one of his four healthy centers and going with 7 defensemen - 3 from Lowell last season - for the first time this season.

If the Devils can manage a win, then it would be a big lift for the team and further establish that this team is still a contender in spite of the injuries. Apologies for the late preview, but Steve will have his GameThread up later. Please leave your comments about tonight's game in advance of that here.

Alex Auld and Dallas Stars Stun Red Wings 3-1

Brandon Worley — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:13:07 -0000

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The Detroit Red Wings have finally lost a home game in regulation, thanks to a nearly perfect road victory by the Dallas Stars. They outshot the Red Wings, were perfect on the penalty kill and took advantage of their power play opportunities to stun Detroit and get right back on the right track after days of questions surrounding the team's approach and consistency. Alex Auld was tremendous in net, and the Stars defensemen played disciplined hockey in their own zone as they worked to slow down a powerful Red Wings offense.

Obviously a lot of the attention from this game is going to be on the goal that wasn't, but we'll get into that later. In the meantime, be impressed by a great coaching job by Marc Crawford and a complete effort by the team as a whole as they did what many didn't think possible after the ups and downs of the past few weeks: beat a red hot Red Wings team on the road.

Mike Ribeiro put the Stars on the board first, when his pass intended for Ott bounced off the stick of a Red Wings defensemen and past goaltender Jimmy Howard. The power play goal put the Stars up 1-0 and seemingly stunned the Red Wings and the home crowd, who looked a bit lost in the fist 15 minutes of the game.The Stars survived a last-period surge by the Red Wings, and then received a great chance to test their penalty kill unit in the second period. The Stars successfully killed off four power play opportunities for the Red Wings in the middle frame, continuing a trend where that unit has signficantly improved upon the struggles from early in the season.

Matt Niskanen put the Stars up 2-0 with a big shot from the point past a Loui Eriksson screen. Henrik Zetterberg then put the Wings right back into the game and within one goal, when he powered past Brad Richards and to the net before lifting a shot over Auld's shoulder. The Wings seized momentum yet Auld stood tall in net and easily had his best game of the season for the Stars.

Loui Eriksson then put the game away late in the third period when he tapped in a James Neal pass on the power play. The Red Wings outshot the Stars 12-7 in the third period, but Auld and an excellent Stars backcheck fanned any fire Detroit tried to start.

Overall, a great win for the Stars and one they should be proud of. But the big test comes tomorrow night when they try to get that elusive winning streak going.

More breakdown of the game after the jump.

Game Highlights:

As I mentioned above, this was easily Alex Auld's best game as a Dallas Star, but that's also tied into how the players in front of him performed as well. Gone were the defensive breakdowns we've seen along the boards, gone were the uncontrolled rebounds in front of the net and the multiple chances for the opposition to hack away at Auld. The Red Wings did put some heavy pressure on in the third period, but for the Stars to allow 30 shots with a minimum of rebound opportunities is tremendous.
This was certainly the Stars' best coached game of the season. Marc Crawford and his assistants put together the perfect gameplan to play to the Stars' strengths and combat the offensive firepower of the Red Wings. Using a rare 2-2-1 technique (rare for the Stars at least) in the neutral zone in the first period, the Stars never allowed the Wings to get any momentum in transition and the strong backchecking by Stars forwards kept the Wings from establishing any sustained pressure. Some quick counterpunches and a power play goal later and the Stars are well on their way to a solid road victory.
This week we called out Steve Ott, Trevor Daley and Brenden Morrow as players that needed to seriously step up, but it was Loui Eriksson and Tom Wandell that truly sparked the Stars in the win. Eriksson contributed the back breaking goal, but it was his outstanding work on defense that was the difference in the game. Wandell also provided a thorn in the side of the Red Wings, as he consistently provided a strong back check as well as strong play on the penalty kill.
I was interested to see how the Stars would respond to Crawford breaking up the lines from what they've typically been the past two seasons or so, but the Stars showed a balanced team tonight both offensively and defensively. Brenden Morrow and Mike Modano worked great together, and Mike Ribeiro looked close to his old self playing with Lehtinen and Steve Ott. Brad Richards was his usual self with two more assists, and James Neal quietly had two assists as well (although his pass to Eriksson on the power play goal was a beauty.) And Mike Modano is on fire.
Finally, we come to the goal that wasn't. I can honestly tell you that the goal should have counted, even though it was against the Stars. The Puck was clearly over the goal line and was over instantly; there was no rolling over the pads on this one. The refs said that the goal didn't count because the the whistle had blown the play dead, which doesn't make sense on two levels. First, the puck crossed the goalline INSTANTLY; Auld barely had time to react to the shot. Second, the replay clearly shows that the whistle didn't blow until about three seconds after the puck went over the line. So if the refs lose sight of the puck that's fine; but that is what the guys in Toronto are for, supposedly.

Here's the video:

DBD's Three Stars of the Game:

Alex Auld, Dallas: Stopped 30 of 31, including several incredible saves in tight against some great players in Datsyuk and Zetterberg.

Brad Richards, Dallas: Two assists in a relatively quiet game, but it's uncanny how he easily springs teammates for prime chances with a subtle pass.

Jimmy Howard, Detroit: Like Auld, Howard made some tremendous saves and kept his team close when the Stars put the pressure on.

Missing in Action: Three Dallas Stars Players That Need to Step Up

Brandon Worley — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:53:15 -0000

As the Dallas Stars search for answers as to how to find some way stop this frustrating inconsistency (even if they deny it's an issue), it's becoming clear that this team cannot continue to rely upon a select few to carry the team. James Neal, Brad Richards and Marty Turco are playing as good as they have in a very long time, yet it hasn't been enough to pull the Stars out of this funk.

When you look at this team as whole, the full picture of what impact certain players are failing to make on each game becomes very clear. While you're not going to get every player on the ice contributing every game, there are disturbing trends building when you add up the season so far as a whole. Players that have historically been the backbone of the Stars are suddenly struggling mightily, and the team is struggling as a consequence.

Now the Stars have enough good players to make up for this lack of production from all of the key players, but not on a consistent basis. The up and down rollercoaster of this season can be attributed to the fact that certain players are just not playing at the level the team needs them to, and if the Stars are ever going to grab momentum and run with it they need to find a way to get back on the right track.

It's tough to think that this Stars team is incapable of winning two or three games in a row, but that's the feeling right now in Dallas. Just good enough to win every other game, not good enough to sustain that level of play. The Stars have the talent and personnel necessary to be a contending team in the West, but only if these certain players get back to their old ways.

After the jump, a look at three players the Dallas Stars desperately need to improve. Immediately.

Steve Ott

#29 / Center / Dallas Stars

Height: 6-0

Weight: 193

Born: Aug 19, 1982

GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
13	2	3	5	-3	24	1	0	0	0	29	6.9

Last season Steve Ott arguably became the Dallas Stars' most valuable player. With Brenden Morrow out for the season and the Stars fighting to climb the standings, Ott stepped into a zone none thought he possessed. He was insanely physical and energetic without being stupid, and provided an offensive burst that ignited the Stars in December and January. 19 goals and 27 assists while playing on the top line, Ott was a force for the Stars when they needed help in the most desperate way.

This season, Ott has disappeared. He's had a few good games and really started to hit his stride a few weeks into the season. But he went too far against the Blues and was suspended for his transgressions with most likely a stern warning that any further issues would result in a much harsher penalty.

Since then Ott has become a shell of the player we loved last season. He is pointless in his last five games, and is a minus-3 in that span as well. We haven't seen the big hits either, the energy he can bring on the forecheck and along the boards and the way he sparks the team with his play. That hasn't been there at all this season, except in very limited spurts.

Without the offensive production and without the energy and physicality, Ott has become a lost player on the ice for the Stars. He's the worst on the team in BTN and Corsi ratings among regular forwards, and is struggling defensively and offensively. After spending so much time on the top line last season, he's been pushed to the third and fourth lines this year. Many believed that Ott was on the cusp of becoming a truly special player for the Stars and some questioned whether Dallas would be able to keep him after this season. But for now he's lost in a funk and the Stars desperately need him to come out of it.

Trevor Daley

#6 / Defenseman / Dallas Stars

Height: 5-11

Weight: 207

Born: Oct 09, 1983

GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
19	1	2	3	-1	2	1	0	1	0	27	3.7

With Marc Crawford coming on as a coach and Charlie Huddy taking over the defense, there was a sense of excitement about how we might finally see the Stars defensemen create offense off of the blue line. We also thought we'd see Trevor Daley finally start to realize his offensive potential, after supposedly being stifled by Dave Tippett and Rick Wilson for so long. Trevor Daley has openly expressed his love for this new system and how it's freed him up to become the offensive powerhouse we all knew he could be.

Except it hasn't happened yet. Three points in 19 games.

He's been passable defensively, but a player with Daley's potential is supposed to thrive in a system that asks for him to create chances on offense, to join the rush on the backside. We've certainly seen Daley become much more active offensively, but the results just haven't been there. On Saturday night, he basically played forward for a shift when he set up in front of the net and screened the goaltender while deflecting shots. He's dropping down low more, showing his speed in transition and creating chances; all things we need from him. But the production is nearly non-existant.

Playing hard and getting a lot of chances are great, but it's worth nothing if the actual points on the board never happen. Daley is a player with the talent and potential to be at least a 40 point defensemen in this offensive scheme, but he is far coming close to the production the Stars need from him.

Crawford's system requires the defensemen to have an active role on offense and to be productive on the scoreboard. If the defensemen can't step up, then his transition game becomes moot and the Stars are forced to try and switch to dump and chase; neither strategy has worked on a consistent basis. If Daley is able to step up and actually capitalize on the chances he's creating, then the Stars offense will open up drastically.

Brenden Morrow

#10 / Left Wing / Dallas Stars

Height: 5-11

Weight: 205

Born: Jan 16, 1979

GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
19	7	7	14	-1	24	3	0	2	0	55	12.7

At one point when the season started, it appeared that Brenden Morrow was back to his old self and was on pace to being the best player for the Stars this season. He was leading the team in goals, was providing energy down low and was basically the old Brenden Morrow.

That's gone away now.

In the past six games, in which the Stars are averaging two goals a game and are 2-3-1 in that span, Brenden Morrow has just one point and is a minus-3. He's certainly trying, putting 14 shots on goal in two games and logging big ice time. Yet the production has disappeared and it's no coincidence that the Stars are struggling in the same span of games that Morrow has been unable to score.

Besides the quantifiable stats from goals and assists, we've yet to see Brenden Morrow truly take the reins back as the leader of the Dallas Stars. In the past there's been no doubt that he is one of the best leaders in the NHL, as he single handedly put the Stars on his back and nearly carried them to the Stanely Cup in 2008. He is a player that leads by example through his attitude, production and physicality. When those elements are gone from his game, the Stars become a headless entity with no clear direction on the type of team they are supposed to be.

During this stretch of frustrating games, the Stars have played like zombies. They've relied on opportunistic offense and outstanding goaltending to win the games they did, but they've to truly assert themselves on the ice. Attempting to be a skillful, sleek, run-and-gun team is great, but when the goals are being scored that approach becomes empty and meaningless. The Stars have no bite, no attitude; without a big scary defensemen to fall back on then the onus falls on Brenden Morrow to lead his team by example.

Whether it's his knee that is holding him back, a lack of overall strength or just a tentativeness that comes from not playing for nearly a year, Morrow is far from the captain that the Stars need him to be.

Dallas Stars October In Review: Searching for an Identity

Brandon Worley — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:33:37 -0000

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Today and tomorrow we're going to be taking a look at the past month for the Dallas Stars, both from a stats analysis point of view as well as a breakdown of each area of the Stars game. This morning we're going to start off with a general impression of the Stars so far, and where we think this team may be headed moving forward.

This past weekend as I watched film on most of the Stars game so far this season, one thing became readily apparent as you looked at the month as a whole: these Dallas Stars are missing something. It's not a scientific analysis, more of a feel you get once you start watching games back to back. I don't even know exactly what that something is, otherwise this would be a completely different article. What I can say is that through one month and 13 games the Dallas Stars have rarely been consistent, looking unbeatable one game and painfully mediocre the next.

The record isn't bad and the Stars are in much, much better shape than they were at this time last season. Through 14 games in 2008, the Stars were 5-7-2 and in 14th in the Western Conference; through 13 games this season they are 6-3-5 and in 6th in the West. For all of the frustrations of the first month of the season, the Stars are still in great position in the conference and the division. They can survive this past mini-slump, which will happen in a season, and move forward with nothing but a sour memory of a few games gone wrong. The trick is to not let this slump draw itself out.

And that's where my concern lies.

The Dallas Stars currently have no identity as a team. A group of players that were entrenched in a very particular system for a number of years and now have been asked to change; it's not a drastic change, but it's obviously been enough to have this team become painfully inconsistent through 13 games.

Changing coaches and systems is not a new concept in any sport, but it's how the coach teaches and implements the change and how receptive the players are is the key to success. Marc Crawford didn't walk into Dallas with a need to rebuild from the ground up. He has a very good core group of players and he's putting his own touch on how they operate as a team. The Stars have shown the offensive ability to seemingly score at will, as the defensmen have become much more comfortable with getting in on the attack and crashing the net from the blue line. They've shown resilience and grit as they fight though bad nights to get a much needed point, and have seemed to be able to muster that one last push (and score) that we haven't seen in past seasons.

Yet we've also seen a team that has a tendency to play flat and without energy for long stretches during a game, and has had trouble establishing pressure early in games at home. Some games the Stars try to be a run and gun offensive powerhouse, others the Stars attempt to assert physical dominance along the boards. Some games the teams seems incapable of connecting on simple passes out of the zone and in transition, others the Stars spend long stretches cycling the puck in the offensive zone.

The defense is in drastic need of a puck-moving defenseman to counter Stephane Robidas. Trevor Daley is slowly starting to come around offensively, but a true number one he is not. Robidas does his best every night to set the example but this team desperately needs a big defenseman that can push the puck up ice and establish physical dominance in front of the net. Those aren't easy to come by, but it's frustrating to see the Stars sit this far under the cap and not be able to at least attempt to acquire one over the summer.

Perhaps this team is struggling with a lineup that is constantly in flux, between injuries and suspensions, while also learning on the fly as they adapt to the style of play Crawford wants. The inconsistency could be explained by a lack of chemistry on a night by night basis. The absence of Mike Modano for this long is also clearly hurting this team. His leadership and experience on the third line has become invaluable, and while he is far from the player he was just four or five years ago, there's no doubt that his ability to create chances and score at any moment would change the dynamic of the team. Tom Wandell has performed admirably in his absence and has improved week to week, but a Mike Modano he is not.

Yet to me, watching these games it seems there may be a good answer for why this team has been inconsistent: Brenden Morrow is still not himself.

The Dallas Stars feed off of Brenden Morrow. He is one the best leaders in the NHL and when he is playing at the top of his game this team is nearly unstoppable. He is a scoring threat at any time, has great offensive anticipation and is one of the more physical forwards on the team. Yet he's nowhere near the level we've come to expect from Morrow over the years, and that's to be expected. He's returning from a serious injury where most say that it takes over a year to fully heal from. He started strong but has faded in recent games and doesn't seem to have the jump and energy others around him feed of. It most likely isn't the knee that is bothering him either; his legs and body are still trying to get back in hockey shape after spending so much time in rehab.

The good news is that the Stars are not a bad team or even a mediocre one. They have the talent and ability to do some good things this season, make the playoffs and then anything can happen. We're only 13 games into a very long season, and the Stars have managed to do well enough to be able to get by while struggling with consistency. There is talk of the Marc Crawford juggling the lines a bit as he attempts to jolt his team out of the lull they find themselves in, and perhaps that is the best next step. We've seen flashes of brilliance but only rarely have we seen the team as whole play together up and down each line.

It's a long road ahead and we've seen some good things. This is the time to work the kinks out and determine just what kind of team the Dallas Stars will be this season.

One month down, five and half more to go.

Stargazing: Dallas Stars Get Important Point, Still a Long Way To Go

Brandon Worley — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:00:29 -0000

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Stargazing is a daily assortment of Dallas Stars and Texas Stars news, and whatever other random ramblings are bouncing around inside our heads. Note: These posts are not intended to be in-depth analysis articles, but rather a gathering of news from around the internet on the Dallas Stars.

Living on the East Coast, I made the tough decision to not watch the third period of last night's game. It was nearly midnight, the team was playing poorly (once again) and the Stars were down by three goals in a game in which they were being grossly outplayed. I honestly felt that this morning I would open up Defending Big D and see a game recap that had the Stars losing 5-1.

I should have known better. After all, this game was played at the Staples Center.

While I can't accurately speak to their level of play in the third period, I will say that looking at the boxscore and seeing that the Stars managed just seven shots in a period in which they needed to come out firing is a bit discouraging. I know they scored three goals and kept the Kings off the scoreboard at the same time, but this offense is designed to generate pressure on the net from all areas. That's just not happening on a consistent basis.

We'll have more on this iteration of the Dallas Stars and what we've seen so far this season tomorrow morning. I will say that after ten games, I still don't know what to think of the Stars and it seems they're still fighting to find their identity as a team. Another big test tomorrow, as the Stars take on the St. Louis Blues on the road, at 7:00 p.m. Central.

Today on Stargazing: Mike Heika and Mark Stepneski share their thoughts, Stars goaltender prospect Tyler Beskorowany dons an interesting look for last night's game, and is Jamie Benn a Calder Trophy candidate already? We'll also have news on a very special guest for next week's podcast, Defending Big D LIVE.

Former Dallas Star and current KTCK 1310 The Ticket radio analyst Brent Severyn will join us next week on Defending Big LIVE, airing next Thursday at 8 p.m. Central. Be sure to tune in.

Mike Heika shares his observations from last night, saying that it's tough to figure out this team on a night to night basis.

What's the old saying about experience teaching us that ``the more your know, the less you know.''

I feel that way about the Stars right now. They certainly have some talent. They certainly have some holes in their game. And they certainly are unpredictable. After having perfect gap control and a wonderful breakout from their backend against Anaheim on Wednesday, the Stars on Thursday were awful to start the game against the Kings. After shutting down the likes of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu against the Ducks on Wednesday, the Stars were helpless to even slow Anze Kopitar of the Kings on Thursday.

I'll agree the comeback was a bit iffy because of the Kings goaltending, but it was a nice message for this young team to not give up. The next time the Stars are down, players like Jamie Benn and Mark Fistric are going to believe they can help provide a comeback because of the energy they felt after that third period.

And the bottom line is this team is in the middle of seven games in 11 days with some fairly key injuries, and it has 12 of a possible 20 points (.600) through the first 10 games of the season. Phoenix is obviously for real and is leading the division, but Dallas is in a decent place right now. It knows it can be better. It knows what areas need to be improved. It even appears to have the ability to address those areas at times.

That's the important thing to remember: the Stars are in the midst of a very busy schedule. But this is something they're going to have get used to, since the entire schedule this season is packed because of the hiatus for the Winter Olympics.

Mark Stepneski has some thoughts as well:

There's not a lot to analyze in this one. The Stars were sluggish to start and finished strong. It was a reversal of Wednesday night in Anaheim.

As Marc Crawford pointed out after the game, they were playing their sixth game in nine nights. People may not like to hear it, but scheduling often is a big factor in how teams play. All teams go through it and have to deal with it, and it all evens out the in end. And the teams that do a better job of it over the long haul of the season are the ones that do better in the standings. Teams have to find a way to win, or sometimes find a way to get a point when faced with scheduling issues. The Stars did that in Los Angeles, although it was far from a Picasso out there.

James Neal had another strong game for the Stars. He scored on two great shots and that one Jame Benn scored on to make it 4-2 was quite a shot as well. That Benn goal was really big. It rattled Quick and got the momentum moving the Stars' way.

Brad Richards got back in the lineup and picked up a couple of assists.

Overall, I see it as a good point. It seemed like they were going to get zip on this night and they found a way to get something. Every point is important. Let's face it 4-2-4 is better than 4-3-3.

Mark Crawford knows last night wasn't the best game for his team, but he's willing to concede they're fighting fatigue right now.

"I cut our guys a little bit of slack. That's six games in nine nights for us," said Stars head coach Marc Crawford. "You have that in this league and you're going to have some sloppy points. You wish you didn't have them, but you are going to have them. We had them tonight and I just loved the way we battled back. That’s a big point for us and it’s unfortunate that we didn’t get it all the way. But I think that we learned something tonight as well - if we stick to the habits that are going to allow us to be successful, then I think that will carry us a long way.

"It's not very often that game ten of the season is a real good game. We talked to our guys tonight and we could have ended in first place in the division, and that's what we wanted to do. We didn't have the kind of jump we hand the other night we had in Anaheim to start the game, but I was pleased with the way we came back."

Player quotes from last night:

"We were giving too much time and space to [Anze Kopitar]. He's a good player, so you can't give him too much time and we have to be hard on him. Every time we have a chance, we have to take the hit." - Karlis Skrastins.

"It was a good game, right, then the good old Kings came out in the third with a three-goal lead and starting sitting back, waiting for them to come. We cant play like that. It feels great. It almost didn't feel great - the way the game ended - but we got the two points and that's the most important thing" - Anze Kopitar

"You never want to put yourself in a hole like we did, but it showed the character that we have to battle back. It shows the character that we have to battle back like that and when you come back like that, any little bounce in OT is going to win it and, unfortunately, they came down early and got one on us. It’s a tough loss, but it was a character comeback for us.

[On Loui Eriksson] "He’s so skilled, so deceptive with the puck and the stuff he does, it was good to have Brad back," Neal said of his usual center on the second line along with Eriksson. "He started that (tying) play. We got some chemistry going. We had that chemistry going the first two games and it kind of died off. It was a good boost to get Richie back and hopefully we’re on our way now." - James Neal

Brad Richards returned to the lineup last night, getting two assists. He's still not fully healthy yet, and I questioned whether he would make it through the game. But he gutted it out, and led the team in shots with three (although I'm pretty sure he got all his shots off on one play).

"I thought Richie was pretty good," Crawford said. "I'm sure somewhere between the first and second period, he was probably wondering about his decision to come back, but he gutted it out, and I think our team gutted it out. That's what we needed, we needed everybody contributing."

Jamie Benn has progressed from being "a pretty good kid, for a player who's never played above the WHL before", to becoming one of the top rookies in the NHL and is already being thought of as a contender for the Calder Trophy. Last season, the Stars' James Neal was in the running all year and finished 2nd in the league in rookie scoring.

This season, the landscape for the Calder is a bit cluttered, according to Puck Daddy:

But it's the players between Tavares and Hedman on this chart that have made the race immediately compelling. Evander Kane has likely played his way onto the Atlanta Thrashers for the season, and hulking defenseman Tyler Myers did the same for the Buffalo Sabres. Jason Demers has been a sleeper for the San Jose Sharks, playing with Kent Huskins at even strength and manning a power-play point with Dan Boyle on the first unit. Jamie Bennhas found a home with Dallas Stars standouts Brenden Morrow and Mike Ribeiro.

Currently, Benn is 2nd in total scoring among rookies and is fourth in plus/minus (+4).

What's great is that Benn wasn't even mentioned in the preseason projections for the Calder.

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the Dallas Stars game this season has been the inconsistencies with the defensemen; troubles in front of the net, an inability to cleanly move the puck in transition. The Stars know this is a problem, and their young blueliners are working hard on improving:

"There are crucial areas of the ice, and you just can't make mistakes there," said Trevor Daley, who is a veteran on defense at age 26. "As long as we make good plays at the right time, I really do think our team has the skill to turn little plays into big plays."

Crawford said the combination of good young defensemen with the puck-handling of goalie Marty Turco gives the team the potential to be very good at moving the puck out of the back end.

"To make a great breakout, there's two parts," Crawford said. "You've got to go back and get it and have your head on a swivel and see what your options are. And then the forwards have to help by making themselves available. And I thought both of those things happened so well for us [Wednesday], especially in the first two periods.

Andrew's Dallas Stars Page has the audio of Razor's appearance this morning on 1310 The Ticket.

Finally, some great stuff from Canada. The Kingston Frontenacs hosted Don Cherry Military Night last night, and donned some interesting jerseys for the game. For those that don't know, Don Cherry is known as a very outspoken hockey analyst whose trademark is to wear extremely over the top and ugly suits for television appearances.

Tyler Beskorowany, the goaltender for Kingston and Stars prospect, is pictured below in the Frontenacs' interesting garb.

Hat tip to Andrew's Dallas Stars Page for the link.