Stars are challenged to overcome adversity

Adversity is good because it both challenges and measures a person, while simultaneously pushes them to be better.
The Stars are going through some adversity right now, and it just might be coming at the perfect time.
Dallas got off to a great start and has been in first place in the Central Division for most of the season. A new coaching staff, led by Pete DeBoer, put in some philosophies that made the team more aggressive and better at scoring, and before the New Year, the Stars were among the top three teams in goals per game. Assistant coach Steve Spott had the power play humming at almost 30 percent, and all was well with the world.

Jamie Benn found new legs with two young linemates, the top line seemed invincible, and new depth scoring like that from Mason Marchment, Wyatt Johnston and Ty Dellandrea seemed just what the doctor ordered.
Obviously, we would have loved that to continue, but it might not have been the best thing for the Stars.
The power play has gone cold, the offense has dried up, and several players are in terrible slumps. Marchment hasn't scored in 27 games, Joe Pavelski doesn't have a goal in the past 13, and Tyler Seguin only has one point in the past 10 game. It's a teamwide problem and it will take both individual efforts and the entire squad to get out of it.
The Stars handled whatever "adversity" they had in the early part of the season quite well. They embraced a tough road schedule and a lack of practice, and they played some impressive hockey. They scored early, they held leads, they coasted in third periods. It was the perfect execution of a very good game plan.
Offensive production helps in that regard, because history says teams who score first win a lot of games in the NHL. It also helps psychologically. If you ever watch players practice on their own, they work primarily on scoring. So, when it's working, they are happy players who have a relaxed way about them. When it's not working, they try too hard, they "grip the stick," and they think too much.
And this is where the Stars are right now.
One of the great videos in recent Stars history is when Jamie Benn was in a slump and finally scored a goal to break out. He ripped an imaginary monkey off his back in a symbolic gesture. It gets in their heads, and they have to work hard to get out of it.
The Stars are trying right now. Marchment and Seguin have had great scoring chances in recent games. Pavelski fanned on an empty netter but continues to set up linemates with some terrific passes. Denis Gurianov is stuck on two goals but continues to skate hard and create opportunities. The coaches are trying too, as DeBoer shuffled his lines on Saturday looking for some answers. He got a couple, but the Stars were then foiled by two coach's challenges that wiped goals off the scoreboard.
That's how high the frustration level is right now.
But they have 25 games to work their way out of this hole, and that's the good part of the situation.
If the team was on the bubble, where it has traditionally been, and the risk of a playoff appearance was slipping away, the sticks might look like sawdust right now. Instead, Dallas maintains first place in the Central and has a bit of a cushion to fall back on in terms of missing the playoffs. The Stars could slide to third in the division and make fans nervous, but the numbers say the team is better than the current version of themselves and the belief is they will snap out of this.
Dallas has been very good defensively and in goal for all 57 games, and that is the foundation of a good playoff team. Jake Oettinger ranks third in the league in goals against average at 2.20. A recent poll of hockey experts puts him in the top five in the league. That's huge for the Stars. He was spectacular in his last playoff performance.
On defense, assistant coach Alain Nasreddine has taken the trio of Jani Hakanpää, Colin Miller and Nils Lundkvist and melded them into a group who has become a very solid unit. Each member of the trio, and veteran Ryan Suter, had some concerns on their resumes entering the season. However, each has been asked to do more than they ever have in their respective careers and the Stars currently sit second in goals against and third in penalty kill success.
That's a nice pillow to sleep on during these tough times.
And while the Stars have been the healthiest team in hockey, they have a couple of injuries in Joel Kiviranta and Luke Glendening, which has forced them to take a peek at some of their minor league players. This is important for a team who is hard against the cap and carrying just 12 forwards on most days. A normal roster would be toting two extra forwards, and coaches would get to see these guys at practice and use them in the lineup every now and then. Instead, the Stars are cycling in the likes of Fredrik Olofsson, Fredrik Karlstrom, Riley Tufte and Marián Studenič. This does give the coaching staff some familiarity if the injuries flare up later in the year, or even in the playoffs.
Every team goes through it, so the Stars too will have to find a way to deal with it going forward.
But this is all small potatoes compared to the scoring slump.
Since Jan. 1, Dallas ranks 28th in scoring at 2.42 goals per game and 30th in power play success at 9.6 percent. That's more than a slump, it's almost a quarter of the season. And so, they have to fix it.
In recent losses to Boston and Tampa Bay, the phrase thrown around was "that's what good teams do." It's true, the Bruins are the best team in the league and historically good in the playoffs. The Lightning won the East last year and are perennial contenders. They are good teams.
The Stars are trying to get there. The core of this team went to the Cup Final in 2020 in the bubble, and the current version had a 35 game run where they were among the best in the league. Now, they have to find that mojo again. They have to find a way to win games late or battle through overtime. They have to find a way to score "that" goal at "that" time.
They need to find a way to overcome adversity.
That's what good teams do.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.