Stars fatal flaw that will doom them in 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Dallas Stars served notice during the regular season that they are a legitimate threat to win the Stanley Cup. They finished with 113 points, which was just one point behind the Presidents Trophy-winning New York Rangers.

But as much as the Stars proved during the regular season, they are in the process of showing that succeeding in the postseason is a completely different game. The Stars often like to play a smooth and precise game that includes accurate passing and beautiful plays in the offensive zone. That is not necessarily going to get the job done in the playoffs.

It takes a lot of strength and muscle to get the job done in crucial playoff games. Forwards must battle in the corners and in front of the net. This is the age-old formula for winning in the playoffs and it’s not a surprise to Peter DeBoer or his players. However, outside of team captain Jamie Benn and long-time veteran Joe Pavelski, commanding inside ice is not a strength of this team.

The Stars had a chance to win their first-round series in Game 6 Friday night against the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. Dallas had won three games in a row after dropping the first two games of the series at home and they had all the momentum as they took the ice at T-Mobile Arena. However, the Stars were never able to get their offense untracked in a tight game.

The Golden Knights took advantage of a Noah Hanifin goal midway through the final period and a Mark Stone empty netter to square the series with a 2-0 triumph. The two teams will play a decisive seventh game in Dallas Sunday might at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Avs would be formidable opponent in second round

It seems fair to ask where the Stars are going to get their offense to survive the series. If they can win that game and advance, the Stars will face the high-powered Colorado Avalanche in the second round. This is an opponent that has some of the most dangerous players in the game in Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen and Valeri Nichushkin.

The Avs come at their opponent with a chip on their shoulder and an attitude that says they cannot be stopped when the game is on the line. Colorado had an inconsistent regular season, but their offense hit high gear in their first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets.

The Avs dropped the series opener by a 7-6 margin, but they won four consecutive games to take the series, scoring at least five goals in every game.

The Stars scored four goals in winning Game 4 by a 4-2 margin, but that’s the one game they exceeded the 3-goal mark.

The Stars have gotten most of their production to this point from center Wyatt Johnston (6 points), left wing Jason Robertson (5 points) and defenseman Miro Heiskanen (5 points). Those totals are decent through six games, but certainly not overwhelming.

Benn and Tyler Seguin are the veteran leaders who have been with this team the longest and they each have 3 points. Benn has scored 1 goal, while Seguin’s points have come on assists.

Roope Hintz has not even hit the score sheet in the playoffs as he has been blanked despite playing in all six games.

Leadership appears to be a problem area outside of Benn, and goaltending has to improve

There’s a certain aggressiveness that is required from teams that go far in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but many of DeBoer’s key players have not shown that aspect of their game to this point in the postseason.

There seems to be little doubt that Benn has the fortitude to look his teammates in the eye and demand more than they have shown to this point. However, he should not be alone in this area. This is not a one-man job. Successful playoff teams have more than one leader.

Jake Oettinger is clearly one of the better goaltenders in the league, and if the Stars were also getting the clutch offensive play they needed, he would be a solid bet to help the team get past the Golden Knights and the ensuing rounds.

However, when offense is limited, goaltenders are often asked to perform near miracles in help their teams win. The expression commonly used is “standing on his head.”

Oettinger has a 3-3 record with a 2.10 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. Those are great numbers, but Oettinger did not have the best regular season. He had a rather pedestrian 2.72 GAA and a .905 save percentage during the 82-game schedule. If Oettinger performs at that level in the next round — assuming a seventh-game victory over the Golden Knights — it is going to be very difficult to stop the Avs.

Oettinger is going to have to raise his level of play in the seventh game against the Golden Knights and against the Avs in the second round if the Stars are going to survive and advance.

The lack of goal scoring, limited leadership and the goaltending to stop an elite offensive team appear to be the issues that are likely to doom the Stars in the playoffs.