First Shift 🏒
The Stars have been in a 2-4-4 slump that has weaved its way into their longest road trip of the season.
So the Stars would like to get back to their winning ways as they close this six-game journey in Utah on Thursday night.
“It’s going to be important,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “That’s another team that’s desperate for points. The league just keeps getting tighter and tighter, so we’ve got to make sure we get up for that one.”
Dallas has lost recent games at San Jose and Anaheim, and both teams are battling to stay in playoff positioning. Utah is similar. The Mammoth have moved to 23-20-4 and are in a wild card spot. Coming off a 6-1 win over Toronto, they’re in a good place. But all of that said, the Stars need to worry about themselves.
“We have to focus on our game,” said defenseman Thomas Harley. “That’s when we play our best.”
Dallas has been able to get to 27-11-9 by doing just that, and the easy thing to do would be to not panic and understand there is a big cushion that can help this team during a slump. But players said they want to keep the bar high all season.
“We could look at the standings and say, ‘Aw, we’re good,’ but the standards are so high here,” forward Sam Steel said. “We’re not just trying to make the playoffs, there is a high standard here. We’re not at that standard right now and everyone knows it and everybody wants more. It’s a good thing that we want to maintain that.”
Gulutzan and the coaching staff have had challenges fighting through injuries and other situations. Benn just returned from a face injury and Miro Heiskanen missed Tuesday’s game in Anaheim with a personal family issue. So the game on Thursday will be tough. But the Stars have been at their best when facing adversity.
“There is no wiggle room in this league right now,” Gulutzan said. “We have to keep grinding out points, and it is a grind to get points. It’s tough, night in and night out. We’ve got to get going here a little bit.”
