Game Day Guide: Stars vs. Oilers

First shift 🏒

Technically, every game in the NHL is a chance to earn two points in the standings, and every game should be rated the same.

However, there are some exceptions to this philosophy.

On Saturday, the Stars face the Edmonton Oilers, the same team that eliminated them from the playoffs last season and the same team that could get in the way again this season. So, yeah, this will be a different kind of challenge.

“You remember that was the team that knocked you out of the playoffs,” Stars captain Benn said. “Of course it’s a new year, but you still really want to win. There’s some fire going on.”

Stars coach Pete DeBoer said this was similar to the season opener against Central Division rival Nashville.

“They are big. I don’t think it’s bigger than the division game against Nashville or games like that,” DeBoer said. “Obviously it’s still pretty fresh given the way the season ended last year, but it’s a new year and a new group.”

The Stars went 0-for-14 on the power play in the six-game series against the Oilers and started the year 1-for-17 with a man advantage, and that will definitely be a topic of conversation heading into Saturday's game.

“There are definitely things we need to do differently,” Benn said. “First I have to win the faceoff. I don't think I've won very many so far and that can change a lot of things. It starts with the faceoffs, and then we have to start shooting and keep it simple. It will come. We have to start working out the penalty shootout and then it will come.”

Dallas lost a large portion of the power play when Joe Pavelski retired over the summer. They were also hampered by the fact that Robertson missed all of training camp after foot surgery and Johnston missed part of training camp due to a lower-body injury. With Seguin also out for the last two games with a lower-body injury, Dallas had to adapt on the fly.

“I think we've fallen into a little trap of grabbing our levers a little too tightly,” DeBoer said of the tendency to let a crisis get in the way. “You can see some frustration and it is far too early to deal with it. We're five games in and you have to accept that there are parts of your game that aren't optimal this early in the year. Overall our game is in really good shape, so that’s an area we need to work on.”

Dallas enters the game at 4-1-0 after suffering a 3-2 loss at Washington on Thursday. Edmonton is 2-3-0 but is coming off a 4-2 win in Nashville on Thursday. Both teams are looking forward to the second leg.

“I think you just know they’re a good team,” goalkeeper Stuart Skinner said. “You know what they’re going to bring and what type of game they’re playing. They’re very well structured, have great goalies, and obviously they’re just a really tough team, so they’re pretty much the same every night.”

DeBoer said there will be a direct challenge not only in playing the Oilers again, but also in responding to a loss. Dallas focused on avoiding consecutive losses last season, and that was one of the reasons they had the second-best record in the NHL.

“I think for us it's about having the same mindset, not losing two in a row, but recovering and finding a way to play a good game,” DeBoer said. “We’re just proud of our consistency in play and being honest with the group to get things sorted out so we can win games next time.”