DALLAS — Given how much the Stars’ power play has dried up in the past couple of months, it’s been a hot topic of conversation with players and coaches alike. Ninety minutes before the Stars hosted the Blue Jackets, Stars head coach Pete DeBoer was asked about different ways he approaches getting the power play back on track.
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“We do a little bit of everything but I mean, this power play thing, I know until we score, we’re going to talk about it,” DeBoer said. “But for me, the bigger thing is, if you’re a team that only wins, only scores when your power play is hot, you’re not winning come playoff time anyways. You can have the best power play in the league — I think Toronto has been a good example of that. Teams find a way in the playoffs to shut down the best power plays so you have to find other ways to score.”
Right on cue, Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Blue Jackets illustrated DeBoer’s point. Each team only got one power-play opportunity and Dallas nearly scored on its chance. But even if the Stars had scored on their power play, from a bottom-line standpoint, it wouldn’t have been enough to even earn a point. Hindsight isn’t as simple as looking back at chances and adding them to the scoreboard because those things end up changing how the game is played but the point remains.
The Stars clearly have a power-play problem right now but more than that, they have a scoring problem. As we covered Friday night, Boston has been in an identical power-play slump as the Stars, whether the sample size goes back a couple of weeks or to the start of 2023. But since the new year, despite their power play woes, the Bruins are still No. 6 in the NHL in goals scored per game — the Stars are 28th.
“Whether our power play is hot this week, cold this week, get to the playoffs (and) it’s No. 1 in the league, No. 10 in the league, we’ve got to have secondary scoring, five-on-five scoring,” DeBoer added. “For me, that’s where we’ve got to take a step. I’m confident our power play is going to be good enough. I’ve seen enough of it to know it’s going to be good enough but the reality is we can’t just be a power-play team.”
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Correcting the scoring problem is going to be a collaborative effort between the coaching staff, players and whatever hockey gods the Stars have enraged. The Stars’ loss to the Blue Jackets is inexcusable, no matter how you cut it up. Sure, the Stars were playing on the second night of a back-to-back and yes, they’re hexed on weekend afternoon starts and yes, Columbus went to Winnipeg and beat the Jets on Thursday. None of that discounts the fact that the Stars are the top team in their conference that’s going through a rough stretch, so the sense of urgency is heightened. The Blue Jackets were without their best player Johnny Gaudreau and only avoid the distinction of the worst team in the NHL by virtue of the two points they collected in Dallas.
Here’s the big-picture reality for the Stars: Everything is about what happens in the playoffs. The Stars are going to get into the dance. Unlike years past when they’ve lived on the fringe, they have a playoff spot virtually locked up, though the seeding is obviously up in the air. Not only do the Stars have a cushion in the standings but, according to Tankathon, the Stars have the easiest remaining schedule in the NHL. That’s why they can acknowledge the overtime and shootout struggles but simultaneously shrug those things off.
But scoring, be it at five-on-five or the power play, isn’t going anywhere. As DeBoer said himself, that well drying up will get you an early summer vacation. While the power play woes have justifiably stolen headlines recently, the Stars have to fix the scoring altogether. One of the hallmarks of DeBoer’s tenure in his first season has been his patience and consistency with the lineups.
“We’ve shown we want to be as patient as we can but eventually, you have to try and change something up,” DeBoer said.
One notable change came in the third period against the Blue Jackets when DeBoer split up the top line of Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski and slid Wyatt Johnston in the middle of the two wingers and put Hintz with Jamie Benn and Denis Gurianov.
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“I just think (Johnston) has been great, maybe our best player the last couple of nights,” DeBoer said. “Just trying to spark something. We’ve got some guys that are squeezing it a little bit, feeling the pressure of extended slumps or not scoring. Sometimes you look for a spark.”
DeBoer is correct that Johnston has been arguably the Stars’ best player in recent games. That’s a testament to the maturity and growth of Johnston who, in Games 56 and 57, would typically be trying to avoid the rookie wall instead of getting promoted to top-line duties. However, it also speaks to the state of affairs for the Stars. The other 17 spots in a roster with this much talent and expectation are getting lapped by a 19-year-old rookie.
Changing up the lineup is probably the first thing DeBoer can do but it’s also worth pointing out that this scoring drought is a blatantly systemic issue.
According to Natural Stat Trick, in the past nine games the Stars have been even or had the edge in expected goals six times yet only have two wins to show for it. They were only significantly outplayed in that stretch against the Hurricanes, which they lost 3-2. That means a lot of responsibility also falls on the players, which comes down to execution and puck luck.
For example, against the Blue Jackets, this early chance from Miro Heiskanen has to end up in the net 10 out of 10 times.
Robertson actually put the puck in the net but the goal was called back for offside. That’s unfortunate because Hintz being offside didn’t really impact the scoring side of the play but it was the right call nonetheless. Robertson was unlucky again when his shot on the power play, which could have helped the cause of overall scoring and the power play slump, went hard off the crossbar in one of the loudest clanks at the American Airlines Center in quite some time.
Another goal, this one by Johnston, was correctly called off for goaltender interference.
That’s four goals that quickly come to mind that the Stars should have had against the Blue Jackets. It doesn’t include other good looks, including one for Ty Dellandrea, and another for Tyler Seguin, among others that should have found the back of the net.
The Stars now have three days off to rest and recover before they host another NHL basement team, the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday. Not too long ago, that seemed like an easy piece of business for the Stars. Now, there is no such thing.
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Scoring distribution
(This was the lineup to begin the game, prior to the aforementioned line shuffling.)
Robertson — Hintz — Pavelski
Marchment — Seguin — 1G (Dellandrea)
Benn — Johnston — Gurianov
Karlstrom — Faksa — Olofsson
Heiskanen — Miller
Lindell — Hakanpää
Suter — Lundkvist
.917 save percentage (Wedgewood)
Three plays
This iteration includes the Stars’ lone goal and two non-scoring plays:
Dellandrea’s one-man show
Shortly after Robertson’s goal was overturned, Dellandrea put the team on his back. He stole the puck and went right at the net for an unassisted tally.
Robertson’s goal actually played a role in that.
“I saw Robo come in on that same angle and saw a little opening,” Dellandrea said.
Johnston’s slick move
Just to reinforce how good Johnston has been, this was arguably my favorite play of the entire game.
Johnston’s confidence is growing and his skill is shining. He’s been the Stars’ biggest surprise and is exceeding expectations. It’s a shame his stellar performance is getting overshadowed by the team’s dip in play. Johnston deserves to be in the top three on the Calder ballot.
Mason Marchment’s pass
I understand Stars fans are yearning to see Marchment start scoring again but his line with Seguin and Dellandrea had some good moments on Saturday. Even when Marchment isn’t scoring, he has the ability to contribute to the Stars. He’s one of the best passers on the team, especially from distance. It just doesn’t get as much spotlight because the teammates he passes to haven’t been able to finish plays.
(Photo of Stars’ players Tyler Seguin, Colin Miller and Mason Marchment chasing the puck on Saturday: Jerome Miron / USA Today)