Defensive breakdowns plague the Stars, fueling trade speculation and a costly slide as their playoff hopes dim.
The Dallas Stars have seen their season take a troubling turn as they have now lost seven of their last eight games, with persistent issues on the backend emerging as the primary concern.
Once firmly in the mix with the Colorado Avalanche for the Presidents’ Trophy earlier this season, Dallas has slid into a defensive spiral that has been difficult to stop.
Over their current eight game skid, the Stars have allowed 31 goals, including seven games in which they have surrendered four or more.
Those struggles have only intensified trade speculation, with Dallas rumored to be linked to several high profile defensemen as the front office weighs whether to make a move sooner rather than later.
Optimism briefly returned on Wednesday night when the Stars delivered a strong bounce back performance on the road, winning 4-1 against a solid Washington Capitals team. That win appeared to signal a return to business as usual and gave fans hope that the team had turned a corner.
However, that momentum did not last.
The third stop of Dallas’ six game road trip sent them to San Jose to face a young and improving Sharks squad that has recently proven capable of surprising opponents. The Sharks lived up to that reputation, capitalizing on defensive breakdowns to earn a 5-4 overtime victory. It marked the seventh time in the last eight games that Dallas allowed at least four goals.
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The Stars elected to go back to backup goaltender Casey DeSmith following his strong showing against Washington, but the result was far from the same. DeSmith allowed all five goals in the loss, as defensive lapses repeatedly left him exposed.
Regular starter Jake Oettinger has also endured a rough stretch, posting a 2-4-2 record with a 3.49 goals against average and an .879 save percentage over his last eight starts.
While the goaltending numbers are concerning, they reflect a broader issue in front of the crease. Dallas continues to generate offense, scoring 24 goals during the eight-game slump, but that production has not been enough to overcome the defensive shortcomings.
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