Dallas Stars Report Card After Familiar Flaw Leads to Loss

The Dallas Stars have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and once again, the same flaw in the roster has reared its ugly head.

Without a doubt, the 2021-2022 campaign was an improvement over last year’s effort, as the Stars bounced back and made the playoffs after missing out last season. Dallas was 46-30-8 in the regular season this year and claimed the top wild card spot.

Joe Pavelski led the Stars in points this season with a career-high 81 (27 goals and 54 assists) in 82 games. No other veteran skater eclipsed 50 points, but younger players like Jason Robertson (79) and Roope Hintz (72) stepped up for Dallas.

In goal, Jake Oettinger led the way in the regular season. The 23-year-old played in 48 contests, posting a 30-15-1 record with a 2.53 goals against average and .914 save percentage.

Both the offensive output, or lack thereof (beyond the three skaters listed above), and the shift to Oettinger in goal were signs of what was to come in the playoffs.

One major weakness has toppled the Stars again in the playoffs.

Oettinger was arguably the best player in Round One of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on any team. He recorded a stellar 1.81 goals against average to go with a .954 save percentage. He did everything in his power to help Dallas advance, highlighted by his 64 saves in Game 7.

Unfortunately, the inability to score has once again come back to haunt the Dallas Stars. No player registered a point per game in the Stars’ seven-game series, and the veteran players were largely ineffective.

I feel like a broken record when talking about Dallas, but this is such a frustrating team to watch offensively. The defense has been elite for years, but outside of a handful of games in the 2020 postseason, the offense has never been capable of complementing it.

Entering next season, the offense has to be rebuilt in Big D. The goaltending for the future is solid, which is perhaps the largest positive takeaway from this season, but the offense must be addressed this summer.

The Stars have the young pieces in place to be back in the playoffs in 2023, but continuing to build around their veteran core did not work this year, and it won’t work next year.

The Grade: D