First Shift 🏒
The Stars got back to the basics during Wednesday’s practice, working on the details that have escaped them during the current three-game losing streak.
Yes, the team didn’t feel great after a 5-1 home loss to Columbus on Tuesday, but head coach Glen Gulutzan said there is some confidence that things are ramping up.
“As much as I hated the score, there were things that we touched on that got into the game. So as a coach, we improved in these areas,” Gulutzan said. “We’re not there yet, but it will happen fast.”
The Stars changed coaches in the offseason and have been inconsistent under their new leadership through six games. They started fast with wins over Winnipeg, Colorado and Minnesota, but have not been nearly as good recently in losses to Vancouver, St. Louis and Columbus.
The home game on Tuesday was particularly frustrating because there was a real push to start fast before they were outshot 14-5 and outscored 2-0 in the first period. They bounced back in the second period but then struggled again in the third.
Players said there has to be a push for more consistency.
“You’d like to say that it's an easy fix. I think we’re in the middle of figuring out what’s playing simple, what’s playing with swagger, what’s playing with new systems, you know and that’s, we’re just kind of caught in it right now,” forward Seguin said.
Wednesday included some discussion on the balance between simplifying and playing confident.
“You want to simplify, but you also want to make plays and play with your instincts,” said forward Rantanen. “I think we grip our sticks a little bit. That’s a human natural moment when things aren’t going right and you lose a couple and you start overthinking...that’s when you start playing slow, when you’re overthinking. Hopefully, we can reset today.”
The Stars play host to Los Angeles on Thursday, to Carolina on Saturday and then play at Nashville on Sunday, so this is a tough run. That said, they have to take things one step at a time.
Gulutzan was an assistant coach on an Oilers team that last season started 2-4-1 but made the Stanley Cup Final. Two seasons ago, the Oilers started 2-9-1 before eventually getting to Game 7 against Florida in the Stanley Cup Final and coming up one goal short.
“It’s hard, but I’ve learned it’s better than the other,” Gulutzan said when asked about the challenge of staying patient. “I’ve watched a team that was 2-8 or whatever that went on to lose in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, so you’ve got to be patient, you’ve got to be calm, and you’ve got to keep working.”
