First Shift 🏒
Glen Gulutzan has preached “one degree more” since taking over the Stars last summer, and it has helped Dallas become one of the best teams in the league.
In more recent games, however, that “one degree” has been lacking and the team has struggled because of it.
Now, a good deal of that absence has been created by players out with injuries. But, the bottom line is the hungry opposition has been getting just a little bit more of that “one degree more.”
“We haven’t matched the work ethic of the teams that are trying to get in,” Gulutzan said after a 6-3 loss at Boston Tuesday. “They’re up a half a degree and we’re down a half a degree, and that’s a degree of separation. At some point, we have to dig in here.”
Mathematically speaking, there probably more than a degree or two involved in this equation, but it’s clear the Stars are lacking. In their 14-0-1 run that tied a franchise record for consecutive games with a point in the standings, Dallas averaged 3.86 goals for, 2.25 goals against and outshot the opposition on average 27-22 in that span. During its current 2-5-2 slump, the Stars are averaging 2.44 goals per game, allowing 3.44 and have been outshot 23-26 on average.
Those are significant numbers, but they do speak to the details of the game. Gulutzan has said all year that faceoffs reflect intensity. During the winning streak, Dallas won 53.0 percent. During the slump, it was 47.7 percent. The goalie’s save percentage during the winning run was .897. During the more recent losses, it was .867.
Bottom line, everyone can be better. The power play went from37.1 percent success rate to 20.7. The penalty kill went from 86.4 percent to 76.9 percent.
Bottom line, the team needs more in pretty much every single area.
“You go through cold phases and it’s how you react to them,” said forward Duchene. “I think our offensive side of the game has gone a little stale. When we were on that streak, things were tilting our way, and now they’re tilting the other way. So when it’s not going your way, you’ve got to dig deep and do a little extra to get out of it.”
That’s part of the one degree. The power play that has dominated for much of the season is now struggling to get the same chance.
“We’ve had a lot of success on the power play, but at the same time we need to be able to adjust,” said Wyatt Johnston. “We just need to execute. We’ve got the players and the system and it’s just a matter of being super dialed in and execute.”
Duchene said the team has been good at addressing slumps and finding ways to bounce back this season.
“I know for a fact Gully will be showing us videos of what we’re not doing,” Duchene said. “He’s been bang on in every assessment he’s had this year, so I’m sure he will be again. And then, it’s our job to get back to it.”
The Stars play five games at home and finish with two on the road, so they have a chance to get their game in order.
“We need to raise our level,” Gulutzan said.
