LeBrun: The Dallas Stars are built to score. So what’s going on?

EDMONTON — The problem with Mikko Rantanen is that he is the hardest on himself.

He is very high on his own standards. He anticipates producing offensively to aid in his team’s victories. Over his career, he has demonstrated that he can produce quality playoffs.

He finds it extremely annoying that he hasn’t scored in seven games in a row and has only contributed two assists in the Western Conference final thus far.

“Yeah, you know, I try to help and haven’t been able to do it as much this series as would be needed to win games,” Rantanen said following Tuesday night’s Game 4 loss, which dropped the Dallas Stars to a 3-1 deficit in the series against the Edmonton Oilers. Therefore, I’m going to try to start over tomorrow and look for some keys to help us win a game and get a bounce or two. “”.

Not surprisingly, Rantanen was the owner. He isn’t inclined to blame others or search for explanations. He does not see the superstar Mikko Rantanen that should be there at this moment when he looks in the mirror.

At the moment, he is by no means the only Stars forward having difficulties. To be sure, the problem affects the entire team, but Rantanen is the star and the player who should spearhead the offensive attack. The Stars are in a big hole, and he’s not.

Why is the Stars team, which may have the NHL’s most forward depth, doing this?

As is common with young players, Wyatt Johnston appears to have lost confidence, and this is happening at a critical moment. He’s not alone, though. There aren’t many goals as of yet, both up and down this deep forward group.

And why?

In many rush-chances analytics, the Stars were leading the playoffs after two rounds, and they built a large portion of their offense in this manner against Winnipeg and Colorado. However, the Oilers have done an excellent job of denying them numerous odd-man rush opportunities. The other thing is that the Oilers have done a great job of boxing out and blocking shots, which is impressive for a team like Dallas that typically excels at net-front and high-slot tips of points shots.

Tuesday night, the Stars had good intentions. With 39 shot attempts in the first period, they dominated the Oilers. Natural Stat Trick shows that they had a 20-8 lead in five-on-five scoring opportunities, including 6-2 in high-danger opportunities. However, they were down 1-0 after 20 minutes when they left the ice.

Have a conversation about deflating.

“Just can’t get that lead,” said Pete DeBoer, head coach of the Stars. “It’s kind of the same story, isn’t it?”. Yes, I did enjoy our first period. I felt we missed the net too much, aside from that. I believe 15 shots were missed. We must make things a little more difficult and ensure that we are hitting nets in those circumstances. However, it is a difficult situation to play a period like that and not get out even or up—in fact, you are down a goal. “.”.

Rantanen continued: “Tonight’s game start reminded me of Game 3’s second period. They still get the first goal even though we were on them and created opportunities virtually every shift. That is the part that is frustrating. However, now is not the time of year to lose your cool. You must restart and try again. “,”.

Out of the 39 shots the Stars attempted in the first period, 16 were missed. Are they trying to be too cute, or is Stuart Skinner getting on their nerves?

Tyler Seguin responded to a question concerning the first-period shot attempts by asking, “I mean, how many of those hit the net?”. We seem to have missed the net quite a bit. I had the impression that I was missing the net a lot. There are things to improve. Needless to say, receiving a shot is fantastic. Try to get more players in front of their goalie and hit the net. Put in a little more effort. “”.

“It’s important to hit the net, try to get a rebound even, or something like that,” Rantanen continued. Perhaps we’re trying too hard and offensively. We were given some time to unwind. “.”.

Let’s not downplay what’s going on here. This season, the Stars ranked third in the NHL in terms of scoring. Rantanen was then added. Each line has talented players. They are designed to score.

Undoubtedly, scoring is more difficult during the playoffs. However, something is amiss when you are only allowed to score two goals in the last three games against a goalie who was supposed to be the Oilers’ weakest player.

It is truly peculiar.

“I wouldn’t describe it as odd. The playoffs are underway. Jason Robertson, the winger who gave the Stars their only goal on the power play in the second period, said, “Everyone tightens up defensively.”. “Scoring opportunities are becoming more expensive. However, we’re seeing a lot of shot attempts, including ones that result in rebounds and other things. They will undoubtedly enter if you just keep doing that. “.”.

The Stars are a seasoned squad. To shake them, a lot is needed. Does this undermine their offensive confidence?

Seguin said, “You just keep working.”. It’s about allowing things to happen at this time of year. That effect is everything. Probably, we should have been rewarded with a few more goals or one of these games. However, what you currently deserve is irrelevant. Simply return home and continue working hard; perhaps things will improve here. “”.

Obtaining a lead would be beneficial. In each of the four games in this series, the Oilers have taken the lead. The Stars made gaining a lead their top priority prior to Game 4. It wasn’t because they didn’t try in the beginning. However, the Oilers took 1-0 and 2-1 leads before putting the game away with two empty-net goals as they chased the game once more.

“Just having trouble getting the first goal, which would be important in the playoffs if you can play with the lead,” Rantanen stated. In these playoffs, we haven’t done it very often. Not many times have we scored the first goal. In the first period, I believe the guys were working hard. They clearly scored a goal with a power play because we were superior to them five on five. Despite our best efforts, they scored two power-play goals and we only managed one tonight. That was the game. “.”.

A team that is chasing the game usually has that push in the third period and becomes more aggressive as they attempt to create offense.

In the third period of Game 3, the Stars had four shots on goal.

During the third period of Game 4, the Stars had four shots on goal.

Seguin stated, “They locked it down pretty good.”. “Not much was happening outside. It is our responsibility as forwards to place pucks more accurately and keep them away from Skinner. Back there, he was a good goalie who made some plays. “,”.

Then there are special teams. In that battle, too, the Stars are losing. In the series, the Oilers have scored five goals on the power play, including two on Tuesday.

After the game, DeBoer bemoaned, “We need to get a kill tonight.”.

Take this view. In terms of their high-octane offenses, the Oilers and Avalanche are fairly comparable teams. The Avs felt that Colorado’s poor power play performance against Dallas in the first round was a major contributing factor to their series loss to the Stars. Finding a way to produce, however, is the Oilers’ risky power play. And in this series, it has played a significant role.

The Stars are 7-2 at home in these playoffs, so where do they go from here? It is imperative that they play Game 5 on Thursday night. However, they still have a chance to pull off the incredible comeback if they win Game 6 on Saturday night at Rogers Place.

Rantanen declared that it was time to start over. “Until someone wins four games, it’s not over.”. We’re going to home ice now. You don’t consider what the series is. It’s only about winning one match. Try to return to Alberta as well. “.”.

(Image courtesy of Perry Nelson/Imagn Images).