Lapses: The Stars' one consistent, surprising flaw in the playoffs
The Stars have all the tools, but have found a way to make things very hard on themselves during this playoff run.
The Stars enter Game 5 tonight with a chance to push the Oilers to the brink of elimination. So how come it doesn’t feel that way?
Dallas was incredibly impressive in the first two rounds. They knocked off two Stanley Cup contenders and made it look relatively easy against the Colorado Avalanche. But in the Western Conference Final, it has been anything but easy.
In the Stars’ two wins, they needed a third-period Mason Marchment goal to win Game 2 and overcame a 2-0 deficit in a 5-2 win in Game 3. In Game 4, they looked to be on their way to a dominant performance and a 3-1 series stranglehold. But the Oilers flipped the script and stormed back to score five straight goals in a 5-2 win of their own.
For the first time in these playoffs, I don’t really know what to think of this team. A week ago, I had all of the confidence in the world that Dallas would win this series in five or six games. But things have not gone as smoothly as I expected.
One area that really concerns me is the lapses in play for Dallas.
After taking a 2-0 lead, the Stars could not slow down Edmonton in Game 4. If that had been a one-off, I wouldn’t think twice about it. But it isn’t. Dallas has had these lapses all throughout the playoffs.
Take the blown 3-0 lead in Game 1 against Colorado as a prime example.
As we moved into this Western Conference Final, that only seemed to get worse.
The early second period of Game 1, the start in Game 3 and the second and third periods of Game 4 have shown the hockey world that this team is not perfect.
So why do they have these lapses?
Well, how about the five-man defensemen rotation that DeBoer opted to use through the first two rounds? How about putting huge minutes on the shoulders of Miro Heiskanen, Chris Tanev, Esa Lindell and Thomas Harley? How about a bigger role for Ryan Suter, who is beyond the point of his career where he is capable of handling it?
What about the lack of production from Joe Pavelski, Mason Marchment, Matt Duchene, Logan Stankoven, Harley and Evgenii Dadonov that has added pressure to the other skaters in the lineup?
To me, it seems that the Stars are battling fatigue. They have played so much hockey against such tough opponents, and as DeBoer has mentioned, the first two rounds took a chunk out of this team.
The question is: how much of a chunk do they have left?
Enough to win this best-of-three with Edmonton, who by the way is playing some pretty good hockey and getting above-expected goaltending from Stuart Skinner? If so, do they have enough to match up with the Florida Panthers or New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Final?
I am not sure.
Add to that the injury to Tanev and things get really dicey.
What really surprises me is the lack of response from Dallas when things do go wrong. The Stars were consistently and quickly able to respond to a tough period or game in the regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs.
So how come they can’t do it now?
For a team with an incredible blend of aged veterans, in their prime core and just breaking in youngsters, that surprises me. For a team with an experienced coaching staff like they have, it surprises me even more.
When asked about this after Game 4, Stars coach Pete DeBoer got noticeably frustrated. “I don’t have an answer for that question,” he said before dismissing the reporter. That is rare for DeBoer and a little confusing to anyone on the outside.
If your team is the victim of massive swings in momentum (more often than they are on the positive side of them), you should have a plan. I understand that it is the conference finals and all four teams are excellent. But in order to win a cup or even get to the final, you need to be able to adjust when things go sour.
Now, with all of that being ranted about, I still believe in this Stars team.
Remember how high everyone was on them heading into the playoffs? A lock as the Stanley Cup champs, right? Then remember how quickly they were dismissed after dropping the first two games at home to Vegas in round one? Just didn’t have it in them, I guess?
We have been right, and we have been wrong before. It is what makes sports so exciting. Who wants to live in a world where journalists and reporters are always right? Not me.
But this is the steepest test Dallas has faced.
Edmonton has not been the “easiest series” like many thought. Their big boys are stepping up, Skinner has been much better and they have found a way to force Dallas out of their style of game.
They have completely eliminated the Stars’ power play, are scoring timely goals and have the Western Conference regular season champions looking for answers.
Who is going to provide that answer? Will it be Harley who has a much better game? Will it be Duchene or Pavelski who scores that goal in the key moment? Will Oettinger go lights out and put his team on his back?
Or will Edmonton prove to be the better team, as they have been for long stretches in the series?
Game 5 from Dallas tonight. It’s time to find out.