A six-game win streak ignites the Stars' charge, with Duchene, Rantanen, and Johnston leading the offensive explosion towards a Stanley Cup push.
The Dallas Stars head into the Olympic break playing their best hockey of the season, a welcome sight after a rollercoaster few months that tested both consistency and confidence.
Dallas enters the break riding a six-game winning streak and has claimed seven victories in its last eight outings. That surge has pushed the Stars to a 34-14-9 record and into third place in the Atlantic Division, restoring the look of a team many expected to contend for the Stanley Cup from the start.
A major catalyst behind the turnaround has been forward Matt Duchene, whose recent play has breathed new life into the Stars’ third line. Duchene has recorded points in six straight games, piling up six goals and three assists over that stretch.
The run marks a dramatic rebound for the veteran, who managed just 11 points through his first 26 games of the season after leading Dallas in scoring a year ago. His resurgence has added valuable secondary scoring at a crucial point in the schedule.
While Duchene has fueled the recent surge, the Stars’ offensive engine all season has been Mikko Rantanen. The Finnish winger leads the team with 63 points on 19 goals and 44 assists in 48 games. Rantanen is on pace for his third 100-point campaign and could set a career high with 72 assists, anchoring a top line that has consistently driven play.
Not far behind is pending restricted free agent Jason Robertson, who continues to make a strong case for a lucrative next contract. Robertson leads the team with 29 goals and has added 29 assists for 58 points in 51 games, along with a team-best plus-20 rating. He is tracking toward tying his career high of 46 goals and could surpass the 90-point mark for the second time in his career.
Another standout has been 22-year-old Wyatt Johnston, whose steady growth has made him one of the league’s most exciting young forwards. Johnston has already recorded 29 goals and 30 assists for 59 points in 57 games and is on pace for his first 40-goal and 40-assist season, potentially clearing the 85-point threshold after posting 71 points last year.
His impact on the power play has put him on the brink of team history, as Johnston sits at 18 power play goals, just one shy of breaking Mike Modano’s franchise record for most power play goals in a single season.
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On the blue line, Miro Heiskanen appears to be back on track after a quieter campaign last season. The Finnish defenseman has seven goals and 39 assists for 46 points in 55 games and is trending toward a return to his 70-point form, anchoring the Stars’ transition game and power play.
In goal, Jake Oettinger’s season has featured ups and downs, but the timing of his rebound could not be better. The 27-year-old owns a 23-10-4 record with a 2.73 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. He enters the break having won six straight starts before departing to represent Team USA at the Olympics.
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