A Canadian High

On October 18^th, the Dallas Stars had a regular-season 1-7-1 record.

They were not scoring goals, not passing cleanly and frankly, didn’t look like they belonged on the ice with the other teams that they were playing against.

Just a month removed from that horrendous start, the Stars have something stirring up the National Hockey League once again.

To say this team has shown heart might be an understatement. After their preseason predictions and with as much talent that is on the roster, their start was laughable. Head Coach Jim Montgomery was on the hot seat less than ten games in the season, but now that is just a speck in the past.

Out of all the games so far this season, last Saturday’s in Edmonton might have been the most important to the team. While on their last game of a four-game Canadian road trip, the Stars fell behind early and often in the first two periods of play. Goalie Ben Bishop was pulled early into the second period, and both goalie and head coach were visibly frustrated with the play in between the pipes.

After trailing 4-2 entering the third period, the Stars were able to tie the game on a quick slapshot from Tyler Seguin late in the period to send it to OT, where Jamie Benn would ultimately score the game-winning goal. From an overall standpoint on the stat sheet, the game itself might not seem as big as it actually was.

After a week-long trip, including back-to-back games in the middle, the Stars didn’t have a lot left in the tank. After blowing a third period lead against the Winnipeg Jets on the first game of the trip, HC Montgomery was clearly not happy with the offense that his two-star players Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin were producing. Either way, it probably needed to be said.

From that game on, Seggy and the Captain came to play, combining for 8 points in the next 3 games. People, including myself, have been critical of the Stars’ power tandem over the last few seasons, but I thoroughly enjoyed being proven wrong when it means the outcome is a positive one.

Though that one game in Edmonton turns out to just be a split in points for the two sides, the way the points were secured and what it took from a mental standpoint from the roster as a whole is the real feat.

The Stars are clicking at the quarter mark in the season, and with four straight home games, and with nine of the next twelve at American Airlines Center, they have a real chance to get to the All-Star break high in the standings some serious momentum on their side.