DALLAS — If you wanted to hear the story of the Stars’ 4-2 loss to the Predators on Wednesday night, the American Airlines Center crowd unhappily obliged.
When Tyler Seguin passed up a shot to wire a pass across the crease to no one in particular, there was a resigned groan. When Alexander Radulov turned down a shot in the slot to pass the puck to the left circle, there was a dissatisfied sigh.
When Michael Raffl attempted a pass on a 2 on 1 that led directly to Matt Duchene’s goal in the second period, there was frustrated bewilderment. When the Stars failed to generate a prime scoring chance with the goalie pulled, disappointment rained from the gray seats.
The Stars repeatedly turned down shots, refusing to create offense from what little opportunities they created in the first place. Instead, the Stars lost for the sixth time in the last seven games, and remain the only team in the NHL without a regulation win.
Dallas (4-6-2) hosts Philadelphia on Saturday night. It received goals from Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen, in addition to 18 saves from Braden Holtby. Ryan Johansen, Tanner Jeannot, Duchene and Colton Sissons scored for the Predators.
The Stars authored a familiar story on Wednesday night. They played relatively even in the first period, but were stung by a last minute goal by Johansen. They were outscored again in the second period as Nashville stretched its lead to 3-1 entering the third period. The customary third-period push from Dallas even arrived, even if it was late.
The season is nearly a month old, and the Stars have yet to put together a complete 60 minutes. Even their wins have needed extra time on the back end.
Dallas is waiting for its true team to show up – the one it believes has legitimate 5-on-5 scoring, a strangling defense, and competent goaltending – but the first 12 games have shown that that group would be the exception and not the norm. Inconsistency has reigned for the Stars and too often has the team disappeared for long periods of the game.
Sometimes they reappear in time to grab a point or two. Not Wednesday night.
“We’ve seen stretches and that’s the problem,” Stars coach Rick Bowness said this week.
Wednesday was the team’s first chance to capitalize on a massive part of the Stars’ schedule. After playing eight of the first 11 games of the season on the road, the Stars play nine of the next 11 at the American Airlines Center. Six of those 11 games are against Central Division opponents.
This stretch could provide the team with an idea of who they are, or for what direction management needs to take this group.
“We’ve got to make a move here now,” Bowness said. “We’re confident we can, and we’re confident we will.”
Consider Thanksgiving as a checkpoint for the Stars, a team that never led during Wednesday’s game and hasn’t had a two-goal lead since Opening Night 27 days ago. History has proven in the NHL that if a team is in a playoff position on Thanksgiving, they are more likely to make the playoffs. Same goes for teams outside the playoff bubble.
After Wednesday night’s defeat, the Stars are five points out of a postseason spot.
“We’re a team that’s always had success from how we play defensively,” Seguin said. “It’s where we’ve always gotten our offense, and how we’ve been raised here as Dallas Stars in the last five, six, seven years. We got away from that a bit.”
Where’s Benn in the middle? When Jamie Benn finished last season at center strongly, the Stars talked about how they wanted him to play center in the fall, as well. Moving Benn to center would allow the Stars to create three potential scoring lines and would make the most out of Benn as he gets older.
But Wednesday was the 12th game of the season, and he’d started just four games playing center. Why?
“We’ve got more options this year, that’s the biggest difference,” Bowness said. “Somebody’s got to play the wing if we want those other three centers to get the correct amount of minutes they need.
“Let’s put it this way, the games that Jamie has played at center, he wasn’t as effective as he was last year. That’s basically it. He’s still getting lots of great chances. Will he be back at center at some point? Absolutely.”
Benn began Wednesday at left wing with Radek Faksa at center and Alexander Radulov at right wing. During the second period, Bowness reunited Benn, Tyler Seguin and Radulov.
