The Dallas Stars are in the midst of a major skid at the moment, prompting head coach Lindy Ruff to sound off against his team’s current style of play.
“Enough of the pond hockey, enough of ‘hope’ plays,” Ruff said following a 3-1 loss to L.A., per the Dallas Morning-News. “We have to get going in the other direction. We’ll start with simple and build it back up again.”
The Stars are winless in five and have gained just two of a possible 10 points since starting the season 4-1-2 -- and there are issues across the board. The power play has gone stone cold, just two for its last 23, and the defense has not been stout, allowing an average of four goals per game over the losing streak.
There are a number of culprits. Prized free agent acquisition Ales Hemsky has been invisible, with just one assist and a minus-6 rating through his first 12 games as a Star. Jason Spezza has just one point in his last four while Tyler Seguin is scoreless in his last three.
“Tonight, I thought we had half the guys,” Ruff said. “The Eakin line had a fabulous night. I thought. But Spezz and Tyler, there wasn’t enough opportunities. I thought those other two lines were better than those two lines, and it can’t be that way on our team.”
Things don’t look to get any easier for Dallas in the near future. The team finishes a three-game homestand this week with games against the Preds and Sharks, then begins a tough stretch four against the Coyotes, Kings, Wild and Blackhawks -- three of which are on the road.
If the Stars are going to ditch the pond hockey, they better do it fast.