DALLAS _ Yes, the Stars still can stink.
Yes, at home.
Yes, against an Eastern Conference team.
Yes, during this time of success.
The Stars had a stinker Thursday in their final game before the NHL All-Star break, losing 4-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Mattias Janmark contributed directly to two Toronto goals, the Stars' power play contributed to another, and Greg Pateryn to the fourth goal. Ben Bishop was under siege but also didn't control his rebounds and saw that bite him.
It was a team effort.
The defeat dropped Dallas to 28-18-4 (60 points) and ended a five-game point streak. It also dropped the Stars to 17-7-1 at home and 12-5-4 against the East.
The Maple Leafs moved to 28-18-5 (61 points), so they're no slouches. But they did play the night before in Chicago (winning in overtime) and now become the third team to beat Dallas this season when they played the night before.
It was just another of many warts that could be picked on this one.
Dallas finished with a 40-29 advantage in shots on goal, and Tyler Seguin scored his 23rd goal of the season, so there were some bright spots. Seguin and John Klingberg will head to Tampa for the All-Star Game, representing Dallas in the four-team 3 on 3 tournament Sunday.
And that's the good part.
St. Louis won Thursday to move three points ahead of the Stars in the Central Division, while Nashville also won. Colorado and Minnesota lost, so the Stars remain three points ahead of both.
Dallas returns to play Tuesday against the Kings and will try to get the momentum going again at that time.
"We've had a focus of putting work in ahead of skill, and that's helped us," Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said before the game. "When you have a focus of playing out of a working base, it allows you to play your role players more. And I think that's the biggest difference."
The Stars will attempt to get back to that style next week.
