dallasnews
After suffering an 8-3 blowout loss to the Winnipeg Jets at home on Thursday, the Dallas Stars remained in the locker room for a players-only meeting that lasted at least 10 minutes, with coaches having already departed. The session was aimed at diagnosing what went wrong in the team's worst defeat of the season and the first time in a decade they allowed eight goals.
"It was just something that needed to happen for our group," captain Jamie Benn said of the postgame gathering.
Newcomer David Perron, a veteran in his 20th NHL season who signed with Dallas a few weeks ago, is accustomed to taking charge in such meetings. However, on this occasion, he stepped back and observed how his new team handles adversity.
"We have high expectations in the room," Perron said. "When you go through a tough patch, teams react, and that's what we did. We become closer as a group when we are able to talk about the things that we need to talk about."
The message from the Stars after their worst defeat of the season was clear: they need to respond. Dallas has rarely experienced lengthy skids and often bounces back within a few days. But head coach Glen Gulutzan said the team's approach to adversity must change.
"The fix is a mindset," Gulutzan said. "It was one of the better first periods that we had. After the first goal in the second period, we have a mindset of, 'OK, now we've got to get it back right away, and we will do whatever we can to get it back.' That's the wrong mindset. The right mindset is just to stay with your game and keep building it back up."
Instead of sticking to what worked in the first period, the Stars overcompensated in the second, allowing Winnipeg to score five goals in the 20-minute frame and pull away. For a team full of veterans eager to win, channeling that energy properly can be a challenge. Gulutzan believes resolving that issue may be the only way Dallas can regain the resilience it has been known for in the past.
Part of that resilience also depends on goaltender Jake Oettinger. "We never got any saves either," Gulutzan said. "You combine that mentality with that, and it's a bad recipe against a team that's feeling pretty good about their game."
Oettinger was pulled a minute into the third period after allowing a season-high sixth goal. He finished with 21 saves on 27 shots. The Stars goaltender has seen a dramatic shift in his numbers over his last six starts: after posting a .939 save percentage in his first eight starts, that figure has dropped to .842 in his last six.
Oettinger said he is more concerned with his 4-2-0 record in that span than his statistics and does not think anything has changed for him. Still, he acknowledged he needs to elevate his game along with his teammates.
"For me, it's how do you make a big save after you let in a goal?" he said. "We didn't do that as a team, and I didn't do that in net."
The Stars have struggled to find consistency this season. Outside of a five-game win streak that included three overtime victories, their results have been unpredictable. Injuries have contributed, as Dallas is now down to five healthy defensemen after Lian Bichsel went down Thursday, joining the already injured Miro Heiskanen and Kyle Capobianco.
But the Stars have overcome injuries to have successful seasons in the past. They are hoping for a better performance when they return to the ice this weekend for a back-to-back at home. After a game like Thursday's, there is nowhere to go but up.
Key Analysis
The Stars' players-only meeting underscores a sense of urgency after a historic low point. With a veteran-laden roster, the challenge lies in balancing aggression with composure, especially when trailing. Gulutzan's emphasis on mindset highlights a systemic issue: the team's tendency to press rather than trust its structure. Oettinger's declining save percentage adds another layer of concern, as goaltending has been a cornerstone of Dallas's resilience. While injuries have tested depth, the core's ability to rebound will define their season. The coming back-to-back offers an immediate opportunity to demonstrate growth.
Originally reported by dallasnews.