Dallas Stars Have Two Distinct Versions of Themselves

The Dallas Stars seem to be experiencing a case of multiple personality disorder. One night they are hot, and the next night they are cold. It’s a recurring problem so far this season. Can it be fixed?

This is a Dallas Stars team that has fluctuated between being slightly above .500 and slightly below it. They have managed to find a way to stay relevant even with times of rather disappointing outings.

That brings us to where the Stars are today. They currently sit sixth in the Central Division with an unimpressive (11-13-6) record through 30 games. While statistics are not everything, they do matter in the standings and will ultimately determine whether or not Dallas will suit up for a second postseason in a row.

Now is the time to change their back and forth play because it is unsettling to have to seriously question which version of the team will show up each game.

Version A: The Shining Stars

This is the Dallas Stars we know and love. This is the Stars that took the ice last Thursday in a gritty, fast-paced 5-2 victory over Nashville.

When at their best, the Stars are a tough club to play against. They are a youthful team with a lot of skill, especially up front. They can make the pretty passes in the offensive zone that leave the crowd in awe, but they also have the ability to get back and help out the man in their crease.

Dallas can take teams by surprise when they add a physicality factor to their game because they are not a particularly “big” team. That is a completely relative term, being that Dallas’ defender Jamie Oleksiak stands 6’7 without skates and weighs in at 250 pounds.

Nonetheless, this version of the Stars is what catapulted them to the top of the Central Division and Western Conference at the end of the 2015-16 regular season. It is what helped them defeat the Minnesota Wild in the first round to make a second round appearance that went to Game 7.

This is the team the Stars want and need to be moving forward. Realistically, their season depends on it.

Version B: The Dull Stars

Unfortunately, however, another much less impressive version of this club has also been seen on the ice throughout this season. This version is much slower, sloppier and unable to prove why they are in the NHL.

This is the team that showed up on the road trip this past weekend, especially in the final minutes of the game versus the Philadelphia Flyers.

Dallas at its worst is a team that cannot complete a pass to save their life. They cannot even manage to gain the line on the power play and every puck against on the penalty kill goes in behind the goaltender.

This version is the bottom feeder of the NHL that no team is really that worried about facing. When this club comes to the ice, there is a significantly less interesting game happening on the ice because they essentially shoot themselves in the foot.

Whether it be turnovers or bad offensive decisions that yield odd man breaks for the opposition, this club is just a hot mess.

The arsenal of Dallas Stars players is stock full of talent and ability. It has some of the best players on the ice right now, but they are not playing to their full capabilities often enough.

Overall

Dallas cannot be the second version nor can they continue to go back and forth between the two very distinct teams. The Stars will not be able to keep their win one, lose one pattern up for the rest of the season if they want to be playing hockey in the latter half of the month of April.

It may be harsh, but it simply will not happen. Dallas will without a doubt find themselves playing golf or cursing the rough start to the year instead of fighting for their playoff lives against the best competition the NHL has to offer.

This identity crisis, or whatever one chooses to call it, has run its course. It needs to be over because the end of 2016 is near and the Stars only have so many Hail Mary’s before their luck runs out.