Heika’s Take: Rust from Christmas break arises as Stars lose in shootout

The Stars are in a weird place right now.

After a 4-3 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, the team has lost two games in a row, but still picked up two points in the process. In doing so, they have hit one of the strangest pockets in the season, as they sandwich six days off around Saturday’s game after completing the busiest stretch of the season.

All that said, the team could actually use this span to work on details that might have started to slip – and that could be a good thing.

“They knew they were going to be a little rusty,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said of coming off the three-day Christmas break. “We’ve got a few practices to get tuned back up and get back to our game.”

That’s important for a team that sits second in the NHL at 25-7-7. In both the shootout loss to the Blackhawks and an overtime defeat at the hands of Detroit just before the break, Dallas had some holes in its game. In both contests, the Stars allowed the tying goal in the third period. In both the games, there were things that could have been done better.

And that does send a message to players.

“I think we had enough chances to win the game,” said Stars forward Mikko Rantanen, who had a goal and two assists against Chicago. “We could have capitalized on some chances on the power play. It would’ve been nice to get one, and that would have been probably the difference maker.”

The Stars’ power play has carried the team for much of the season but went 0-for-4 on Saturday. While Blackhawks goalie Arvid Soderblom was great in stopping 28 shots, Dallas also hit several posts and simply failed to convert when the chances were there.

In that regard, it was a frustrating night.

“I thought they did a good job, specialty-teams-wise,” Gulutzan said of the Blackhawks. “Their PK did a good job against our power play and didn’t give us much. We didn’t execute. I thought their neutral zone gave us some trouble. They were better than us through two [periods]. I thought we did a better job in the third [period], but you leave games like that, it leads to a shootout, and it can go either way.”

Dallas received goals from Nils Lundkvist and Justin Hryckowian, and that was a nice boost. However, three of four shooters in the shootout missed the net, and that was just part of the rust they needed to shake off. Both Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston fired shots that were off the mark, and Rantanen lost control of the puck before even getting a shot off. Only Matt Duchene was able to convert a goal.

That was a frustrating part of losing to a team that is 14-17-6 and had lost six games in a row entering Saturday. The Stars play at Chicago on New Year’s Day, so the chance to redeem themselves is right there.

Of course, before that, they will play at home on New Year’s Eve against a surging Buffalo club, so that also will be a chance to prove that they are still growing.

“Guys are obviously professionals, so we take care of each other,” Rantanen said. “Now we got some practice time we haven’t had since probably October, so that’ll be good for us too. We need some rest and be ready to go.”

After this stretch, the team will play 15 games in January, including 11 road games, so using the break intelligently will be key.

“I’m excited for it,” said Hryckowian. “We can get our feet back under us and get some extra touches and build our game back as we get ready for the second half.”

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 X @MikeHeika.