The Dallas Stars really struggled out of the gates but quickly flipped the game in a 5-1 win against the Nashville Predators at American Airlines Center on Thursday.

The starts have to be better

We have beaten this topic dry over the past couple of weeks, but for good reason.

Dallas found ways to win and sweep a four-game road trip. They have won seven straight and have points in 10 consecutive games. It’s impressive. But there is more to it.

Call it a trap game or whatever you want, but there is absolutely no excuse for starting this game completely on their heels in full scramble mode against the 30th-placed Predators at home. The Stars were outshot 17-5 in the first period despite having a four-minute power play. A continuing trend for a club that has allowed over 32 shots per game since Feb. 1 (32nd in the league).

If not for Jake Oettinger, Dallas probably would have gone into first intermission down 2-0.

I don’t have the answer. And as the sample size grows larger, neither does head coach Pete DeBoer or anyone in the dressing room. But they need to find that answer before time runs out. They will not be able to consistently start slow and win 16 games in the postseason.

“We talked about it [Saturday],” DeBoer told the media about his team’s recent play. “I mean, that’s not typical for us… I think it starts with us cleaning up our breakouts. I didn’t think we executed. We weren’t clean enough, which lent itself to extended periods spent in our zone.”

This quote really could’ve been pulled from any of the past six games.

On the positive side, the slow start once again did not cost them.

Bookending it

This game was the perfect display of how wild and unpredictable hockey can be.

Dallas had NOTHING going on through 39 minutes. Nothing at all. It felt like one of those games where the opponent goes up by multiple goals, and Dallas makes a late comeback that falls just short. That’s how I saw it, anyway.

Instead, Matt Duchene’s shot was perfectly and beautifully deflected off the post and in by Mikael Granlund with 36 seconds remaining in the second period. That gave Dallas some life.

When Mason Marchment scored 39 seconds into the third, it gave the Stars nine lives and the AAC crowd a lot to cheer about.

It was ALL Dallas skating downhill from there.

No other way to put it, that was the turning point of the game. And not just a turning point that slightly swung the momentum. It was a turning point that allowed Dallas to finally start to play with the puck, have confidence, and create chances with shots.

Momentum is weighed differently depending on the timing. A touchdown in the last two minutes of the first half or first two of the second, goals in the final minute or first minute of any period, you get it. Those are the ones that hit the hardest…

Hard to argue that when you look at the lopsided Stars win that came out of left field.

A BIG, BIG thank you

As many of you know, this has been a very chaotic, challenging, and scary week for me.

Long story short — I believed I had a stomach bug but ended up needing my appendix removed in surgery. All went well and I am recovering.

But this is not about my experience. This is about all of you.

I had so many amazing messages while I was in the hospital, tons from DieHards and Stars fans. The amount of support was really heartwarming and helped me to stay sane and comforted during a lot of unknown.

I appreciate every single one of you.

It means so much that you care, and it makes me want to do nothing but bring you the absolute best Stars coverage I can. And that is exactly what I promise to do going forward.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now, let’s go on a good run!