The Dallas Stars allowed three goals on the first four shots in a 6-4 loss against the New Jersey Devils at American Airlines Center on Tuesday.
Robertson – Johnston – Bourque
Bunting – Duchene – Benn
Steel – Hryckowian – Blackwell
Bäck – Hyry – Erne
Harley – Lundkvist
Bichsel – Myers
Scratches:Petrovic, Capobianco, Hyry, Lyubushkin, Hintz (injured).
Time to find a reset.
Dallas has now lost four of five since breaking the franchise record with a 15-game point streak. That's not crazy bad or anything. But the way they are playing is a bit dicey.
The Stars are struggling to score consistently. And on the other end, they are allowing more than they want to. They are turning pucks over, making mental mistakes, and look tired. Maybe that's the main reason for the mistakes? The schedule has been exhausting. But, as Stars coach Glen Gulutzan has repeatedly said, every team is going through it and it's not getting any easier.
The good news for the Stars is that they are heading out on a four-game road-trip — and are expected to get Mikko Rantanen back… that helps too. The road has been great to the Stars for a long time. They have been one of the best teams away from home for years, currently holding a 21-7-7 road record this season.
They are a close group, and they play a simple game on the road. That simple game is probably exactly what they need to reset right now.
"I don't think this is going to be a quick reset, I think we're going to have to work our way out of it and execute our way out of it," Gulutzan said. "Normally, if I look at our team now through 70-something games, usually the way we get out of these is play a real stingy road game, and that usually resets us."
Good start for Dallas, getting the first four shots and plenty of pressure.
Jack Hughes scored the biggest goal of his career on the first chance for New Jersey , patiently out waiting Jake Oettinger as he darted across the front of the crease. Really, Dallas had multiple chances to get the puck out and couldn't do it along the wall.
The Stars first power play lasted 15 seconds, as Jason Robertson drilled Jamie Benn with a shot, the puck went the other way, and Miro Heiskanen was called for hooking.
Luckily, the Devils also only play defense sometimes, and Thomas Harley made a great play to pull up, draw multiple Devils to him in the right circle, and find a streaking Wyatt Johnston down the slow. Jesper Bratt didn't read the play or see Johnston, missed the poke check, and Johnston scored his 39th of the season coming down the slot. Dallas is now one goal closer to having its first dual 40-goal scorers in a looooong time (Robertson, Johnston).
New Jersey scored one of the filthiest 4-on-4 goals I have ever seen. Bratt made the same forehand backhand deke three times while swapping across the blue line, down the right wing, and finally across the crease and through an attempted poke check from Oettinger. That's two goals with poor defending on the right wall, open lanes across the low slot, and a missed poke check attempt from the netminder.
It is only getting worse for Dallas. Luke Hughes went back to get a puck in the corner and quickly threw a beautiful saucer pass up to his brother, Jack, who scored on a breakaway deke. Lowkey love the brother-to-brother connection.
This has Game 5 vs Edmonton vibes. Super quiet in the AAC, quick goals with no defending or resistance, and a lot of confused and stunned faces. You have to wonder if Oettinger could get pulled again just like he did then. Although one guy who played a pretty big role in that is missing from behind the bench.
Yikes, it got worse. Connor Brown raced down the right wing and ripped a shot over the near shoulder of Oettinger. It's not a great goal to give up, but it's also the fourth shot from just about five feet or fewer in front of the crease. That is so hard not only to stop, but also to get in any sort of flow of the game and feel the puck. Also, Brown was on that Oilers team last year… So the similarities are there.
Ugly first period for Dallas. And then some.
Devils 4, Stars 1
Casey DeSmith starts the second period. Gulutzan said it was a tough decision, but the right one to wake up the rest of the team.
"It is tough. What pulling a goalie does is gives leverage on the other guys," Gulutzan said. "Mentally, we were making mistakes. It's different if they're forcing the issue, they're coming out flying and peppering or shots are just going in. But breakaways? That's a tough one. It gives you leverage as a coach going in there in the second period and putting some onus on our guys to begetter."
Johnston buries his 24th power-play goal and becomes the first 40-goal scorer for Dallas this season and first since Robertson did it in 2022-23. The puck is finding him right now.
Somehow, someway, Dallas is back within one goal, as Robertson gets his 39th. He could have four goals tonight and also be a minus-6 with a ton of turnovers and penalties. That's been pretty much the theme all night though. Even the players who are going good are also going bad.
Also, I met up with a HUGE group of amazing fans during the first intermission (love y'all), so I am writing very little on this second period. So deal with it and LAY OFF.
Devils 4, Stars 3
DeSmith has been excellent in relief. He made two big saves moving side to side and has controlled rebounds well.
DeSmith again comes up huge, stopping Bratt on a breakaway, who got in a bit too deep on his move to the forehand.
Jake Allen just barely gets an elbow on Colin Blackwell's wrist shot down the right wing just after the Bratt chance on the other end. The game is unhinged, it's chaotic, it's sloppy, it's awesome.
The Stars have left their goalies hung out to dry. Tyler Myers gifted another puck to NJ, DeSmith made a huge save moving right to left, Dawson Mercer missed a wide-open net on a one-timer, and finally Timo Meier scored shoreside high. DeSmith's body language after the goal tells you everything you need to know about this game.
Myers is now a minus-4 with multiple goals coming right off his turnovers. Tough night after sitting out on Sunday.
Stars get a power play that they must score on, trailing by two with under nine minutes to go.
Well, they didn't score on the power play, but Mavrik Bourque did right after on a beautiful saucer pass from Justin Hryckowian 2-on-1. This is, again somehow, a game.
Dallas is pushing, but Allen has been good with some saves he needs to make.
New Jersey did just about everything to allow Dallas to tie the game. Instead, Dougie Hamilton went bullseye from his own defensive circle into the empty net to put the game away.
Devils 6, Stars 4
Stars coach Glen Gulutzan
"Too many mistakes as a D-core, lots of guys in behind us tonight. We knew that going into tonight's game. It was one of the things we talked about this morning. How they can get in behind you and use their speed, use their speed wide, and you could see the first few goals just guys in behind our D. I thought, collectively, we weren't good back there. All six guys. We made too many mistakes, too many easy goals for them that they didn't have to grind and work for. They got some easy offense…
"Lot of self inflicted stuff here. No excuses. We've got to find a way to get ourselves back playing our best."
