The Dallas Stars who many expected to miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season are currently tied for first place in the Howe Conference with the rival Colorado Avalanche. The Stars led by captain Alex Tanguay have complied a record of 13-9-0-2 thus far after 22 games.
What has worked?
1. The duo of Alex Tanguay and Milan Michalek have been dynamite for the Stars thus far. The two have combined for 52 points thus far this season leading the way offensively for the Stars.
2. Offence from the back end! Darryl Sydor and Toni Lydman have formed a nice duo on the back end as well. The pair have combined for 39 points thsu far, and have led the Stars to a PP percentage of 20.6% good enough for third in the CPHL.
3. Special teams. The Stars special teams have been very special so far and have been a key element to the success this season. As mentioned the Stars power play is ranked third at 20.6%, and the penalty killing is ranked 6th at 88.7%.
What can be imporved?
1. Team Defence. Although the Stars rank 10th in GAA at 3.09 it has become clear that if the Stars intend on competing with the likes of the Atlanta Thrashers, Washington Capitals, and Florida Panthers Dallas will have to be much better in thier own zone. The Dallas defence is surrendering an average of 28.3 shots per game, far more than coach Marc Crawford would like. "To be an elite team in this leage, we have to be an elite 2-way team. I don't think we are quite there yet," says Marc Crawford.
Goaltenders Kevin Weeks and Nolan Scheafer have been solid but have yet to convince the Dallas management that they are capable of shouldering the load and carrying the team deep into the playoffs. And until GM Sunil Shah can strike a deal to land the elusive #1 goaltender, the Stars will have to continue to lean on Weekes and Scheafer between the pipes.
The Dallas Lines/Depth Chart
Michalek (74) -
Tanguay (80) -
Langenbrunner (76)
Umberger (71) -
Morrison (77) -
Bochenski (71)
Smith (73) -
Reasoner (73) -
Leclerc (72)
Rita (70) -
Betts (72) -
Kolanos (71)
Extra:
Beech (70)
Sydor (78) -
Lydman (78)
Leopold (74) -
Witt (75)
Strudwick (73) -
Commodore (72)
Extras:
Bieksa (71), Berehowsky (70), Neckar (69)
Weekes
Scheafer
Only a select few remain from the Ryan Teeling days (players in red), as GM Shah has conducted a complete overhaul. "We like our team, and we like our core. When we took over, we sat down and talked about the core that we wanted to build around. We believe we have that with Alex, Milan, Jamie, Brendan, Jordan, and Toni. Darryl Sydor is a great player as well and has helped our team so much. He has clearly been one of our most valuable players this year. He is the silent leader on this team."
"We believe we have good support players as well. Morrison and Langenbrunner are quality top 6 guys, and Brendan Witt and Mike Commodore are great depth guys on the blue line. I think a guy like RJ Umberger who already has 8 goals this year is gonig to be get even better in the next couple of years."
GM Shah has also been pleased with coach Marc Crawford's efforts this season. "Marc is a great coach. We were so happy he was on board when we took over. We look forward to working with him in the future, and taking this team to the next level."