Duchene admits the Stars aren't playing with urgency, fearing they'll get what they deserve as a tough final stretch looms.
The Dallas Stars entered mid-March looking like one of the most dominant teams in hockey after putting together a remarkable 15-1-1 run that had them within striking distance of the Colorado Avalanche for the Presidents' Trophy. That momentum has since cooled, however, as Dallas has stumbled to a 2-4-2 record over its last eight games, including a difficult road stretch that produced just one win.
The latest setback came Tuesday in a 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins, a game veteran forward Matt Duchene did not shy away from criticizing. Duchene spoke to the media following the loss and called the game "our worst of the road trip to be honest" while pointing to a lack of urgency compared to their opponents.
"We're playing some desperate teams right now, and they're playing at a level that we're not quite playing at right now," Duchene explained "You kind of get what you deserve in this league, most of the time and we didn't deserve to win that one."
The 35-year-old forward from Haliburton, Ontario acknowledged that some regression was expected after such an extended hot streak. Still, with only seven games remaining in the regular season, he emphasized the need for the Stars to elevate their play quickly.
Duchene finished by saying he believed some regression was coming after such a lethal hot streak and that it's normal but with so few games left in the season, for Dallas "it's time to ramp it up and be ascending with our game going into the playoffs."
Despite missing time earlier in the year while recovering from a concussion, Duchene has been a key contributor since returning to form. He has recorded 27 points over his last 24 games during one of the most productive stretches of his season.
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The Stars now face a challenging closing schedule that will test whether they can rediscover their form. That stretch begins Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets, who have earned points in 14 of their last 18 games and are battling for playoff positioning.
Dallas will also close the season against several top opponents including the Minnesota Wild and the Buffalo Sabres, along with another meeting against Colorado. With the postseason approaching, Duchene made it clear that the margin for error has disappeared and that the Stars must match the urgency of the teams they are facing and those chasing them if they hope to make a deep playoff run.
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