The Dallas Stars have won nine of their past 10 games, but they’re still struggling to find consistency at the center of the power play.
This season, they have been outscored 3-2 in the first period, and only a goal in their past five minutes.
After a 6-3 win against the Nashville Predators on Saturday, Stars coach Lindy Ruff said he thought his team had enough confidence in their defensive play to get back into the game.
The Stars also are missing the services of leading scorer Tyler Seguin and forward Jason Spezza, who is on injured reserve.
The goalies have been much more inconsistent this season, allowing 11 goals on 46 shots through 10 games.
Ruff said the team will make changes to its power play to keep the unit healthy.
Ruff had a change of plans when he called up veteran winger Cody Eakin on Saturday night.
The team’s first line of Tyler Seo, Devin Shore, Jyrki Jokipakka and Jyrka Kiprusoff is looking to find their rhythm after going 5-3-1 with Seo on the ice, Shore scoring twice and Kiprisoff helping them out on the penalty kill.
Stars forward Jordie Benn was also involved in the play Saturday night and he will be out for the remainder of the season after sustaining a concussion in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Ruff is hoping to get Benn back soon after he returns to Dallas.
Benn was sidelined with a lower-body injury late in the second period of a 4-2 loss to the Flyers.
The 27-year-old was able to play on Friday night and said he felt 100 percent for the game’s first period.
He is the third player on the Stars roster to suffer a concussion since the start of the 2017-18 season.
Ruff was impressed with Benn’s performance in the game and said that the goalies will have to play better to help the Stars’ power play when he returns.
Ruff did say that Benn is the type of player who can play on the top line with Eakin and Shore, but he said that it would be best for the players on the power-play unit to play together.
Ruff also praised Dallas’ defensive play when it came to scoring goals.
He said that his team was able play solid and give themselves chances to score.
The defense has been solid this season but has struggled to score at even strength and to even out the scoring totals when shorthanded.
Ruff mentioned that he liked the fact that his defense was able with two guys back on the bench that they can play their own game.
“They were able to get on the scoreboard in a big way.
We were able.
We didn’t score in a lot of those opportunities,” Ruff said.
Ruff will have a lot to think about when it comes to the Stars power play this season.
The second unit will play a bigger role in the offensive end of the rink when the Stars return home next week.
Ruff has made it clear that he wants to get his team back on track.
He told reporters after Saturday’s game that the Stars are going to take a step back in their game if the power plays aren’t clicking.
He was asked whether the goal was to take away from the goal and the effort.
“No.
That’s not the intention of our power play,” Ruff replied.