Three players who have shined for the Dallas Stars
By Jim Lynch
The Dallas Stars have been one of the best teams in the entire NHL through the first few months of the season. They currently are tied for first place in the Central Division with a 16-7-5 record, good enough for 37 points.
The Stars have a record of 4-1-1 in their last six games, and they have been one of the biggest turnarounds of the season. After losing to Calgary in the playoffs last year, the Stars now look like a team poised for a playoff run, and there are a few players to thank for that turnaround.
Three players who have shined for the Dallas Stars
1. Jason Robertson
Jason Robertson leads the team with 42 points in 28 games this season. He has scored 23 goals and is having a career year with a shooting percentage of 18.9% as of now. Robertson’s team lead in goals and points is also putting him amongst some of the best in the league.
Robertson is behind just two players for the most points in the NHL. The players in front of him are Connor McDavid (54) and Leon Draisaitl (46); not bad company to be a part of. Robertson is second in the league in goals, behind only Connor McDavid.
2. Joe Pavelski
Next up, we have another forward in Joe Pavelski. Robertson is the young player doing everything, and Pavelski is the veteran player doing everything. At 38 years old, you would think Pavelski could start slowing down, yet here were are with him scoring at a point-per-game pace with 29 points in 29 games.
Pavelski is averaging 17 minutes of ice time a night and has a face-off percentage above 50 percent through 28 games. He is second on the team in shots on goal and has been playing some really good hockey so far this season.
3. Jake Oettinger
For the third player, we had to turn to the goalie of the Stars. Jake Oettinger has been reliable in net all season, putting up a .915 save percentage through the first 20 games of the year. Oettinger has pitched two shutouts and has a goals-against average of 2.52
While this might not be the same level that Oettinger played at last year in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he is helping get the Stars wins. The Stars do not need Oettinger to be perfect, they have one of the best offenses in the league. Oettinger is simply giving them a chance to win every night, and he is going to be doing that for a long time, thanks to the extension he signed this summer.
The Stars recently made news for re-signing one of their top young guns in Roope Hintz a week ago. You can read all about the Hintz extension below.
Dallas is back in action on Monday night with a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.