First Shift 🏒
The Stars have been a darn fine road team under Glen Gulutzan in the head coach’s second stint with the team.
Dallas was tied for second in the league last season at .683 points percentage (24-9-8) and are off to a great start away from home this season at 3-1-1 (fourth best at .700).
That’s important for the big picture, and also for the short term. The Stars have ended a six-game homestand and are heading off for games at Washington and Columbus in need of a bit of a boost.
“With the way we are playing at home, it’s time to go on the road,” Gulutzan said, hoping to shake off stale performances in the past three games at AAC.
“I just think that we don’t squeeze as much on the road,” Gulutzan said. “We still bring the defensive game, we don’t squeeze our sticks as much to create offense and by defending, we get more offense. I think we’re more fluid on the road than we are at home.”
To be fair, this team was great at home last season, too. But because most teams are better at home, the comps are much better on the road. Dallas was 15th at home in scoring last season at 3.24 goals per game. It was sixth in road scoring at 3.41. That “gripping the stick” thing can be real, as players tend to get frustrated when the goals don’t come early at home. On the road, the stress is lower.
“You just want to go in and be the villain,” said captain Benn. “The focus is easy.”
Jason Robertson is the best example with 49 points (22 goals, 27 assists) on the road last season and 47 (23 goals, 24 assists) at home. He also had 150 shots on the road and 144 at home.
Players like Wyatt Johnston, Heiskanen and Rantanen score more at home, but the defensive game seems better for them, too. Jake Oettinger is the best bellwether on that one. He owns a solid 2.12 GAA with a .896 save percentage at home this season and an astounding 0.33 GAA and .985 save percentage on the road.
“I love playing on the road,” Oettinger said. “It’s fun when you have everyone rooting against you. There’s something about playing on the road, it gets the juices flowing.”
The Stars need that right now. Gulutzan said the six-game homestand was too long, and the last three games showed some signs of mental fatigue. The coach said the team has had meetings about the issues and understands what needs to improve. With some changes to the forecheck and neutral zone coverage, Dallas does look different than it did last season. The Stars have always been a solid defensive team, but it allowed more shots on goal at 26.2 than it created (25.2). This season, both numbers are better. Dallas is 24th in shots on goal per game at 25.6, but is the best in the league in limiting shots at 22.3 per game.
“We are trending in the right direction,” Gulutzan said. “The last few games, we took a step back – not in our systems but in our mindset and the way we play. I thought we could build more momentum from those five games, but now you’ve got to draw a line in the sand and move forward.”
For some reason, that’s easier to do on the road for this team.
“We’ve got a long way to go,” Benn said. “The best thing about this sport is it can humble you pretty quick and there’s always room for improvement. We’re not satisfied. We’ve got some work to do.”
