Every NHL team has their worst month so let’s hope the Dallas Stars just finished theirs. Threes abound for the Dallas Stars in February. Their worst month this year ended with a symmetrical 3-3-3 despite having 7/9 home games. Finding positives in the month is difficult but some players are playing well. One player is having a mighty resurgence lately. Jamie Benn is February’s best player with 9 points in the same amount of games. Blown leads and a losing record contribute to a dismal February that is getting a rewind. This team is already putting February behind them with a win to start March.
Benn Resurgence
Jamie Benn is now 2nd on the team in scoring. He recorded 9 points in 9 games in February with a +2. Benn surpassed his total from last season a long time ago. He is now at a +18 compared to a -13 last year. Benn scored in more than half of the February games making him the most efficient player of the month. Benn is getting better and we are all here for it.
Overtime Woes
The Stars went 3-6 in February if you count overtime losses as regular losses. The Western Conference standings are a close race. The top 8 teams are 6 points apart. Every point counts and the Stars are letting them slip through the cracks on the regular. They have the most overtime losses this season with 13. They are letting points get away from them with a 2-10 3-on-3 overtime record. These losses are unacceptable and their confidence in overtime seems non-existent. Something needs changing past regulation.
Home Not Sweet Home
Home teams usually have a higher chance of winning the game. That was not the case in February. The Stars hosted games 7/9 times and went 2-3-2. The worst loss of the month was the 3-0 lead they held against the Chicago Blackhawks and lost in regulation. Losing winnable games seems like the mantra as of late. The Stars won 15/31 games at home upon the conclusion of February. Losing more games at home than winning them is completely unacceptable. There are no extra points in the playoffs.
Trade Acquisition
The Stars traded Denis Gurianov to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Evgenii Dadonov. Dadonov wasted no time by scoring in his debut for the team. Gurianov gave the Stars their biggest moment of the decade so far. His overtime goal in Game 5 of the 2020 Western Conference Final sent the Stars to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Stars are already off to a good start in March with a win vs. Arizona. February may have just been a minor blip on what is turning out a successful season. Forgetting about last month is an important part of moving on. March will make or break this team along with many others in the west. The hunt for the playoffs begins now.
Photo Credit: Dallas Stars Twitter
