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Welcome to DLLS Dallas Stars weekly! Every Monday, I will recap news, rumors, notes, and articles from the previous week.
Let’s get into it.
Time to go 82-0?
The Stars are undefeated. They went to Winnipeg and Colorado and walked away with four points against two Central Division foes and Stanley Cup contenders. So everything is peachy and Dallas is going 82-0 in the regular season, right?
Well, no. But that doesn’t mean it’s not impressive… to a point.
“As a coach, though, this one leaves a little sour taste in your mouth,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “I’m trying to look at it this way… There’s growth that has to take place here. You can’t be in your zone that much. Basically, we lost a lot of battles, a lot of battles. When you do that, there’s no system that can protect you… This is a growth game, and we need to grow from it.”
Dallas has plenty to work on. They played a solid 45-50 minutes and took a 5-1 lead in Manitoba before the Jets pounced back and nearly tied the game late. Lots to like, along with some power-play issues and a bit of nail biting.
In Colorado, the Stars just didn’t have their legs. Whether that was the altitude or something else, it was evident in the way they chased a very skilled and fast Avalanche team all over the Ball Arena ice.
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They were bailed out by Jake Oettinger — who Gulutzan was quick to credit — but they still found a way to win.
“We didn’t have our legs in Colorado,” Gulutzan said. “But the sign of a true good team, you’ve got somebody else on your roster that helped you out a lot. And you need that… We’re going to have a game this year where we’re going to outshoot, outchance an opponent, and not come out with anything. That’s just the way the league is… The hockey gods even these things out.”
Let’s get physical, physical
Gulutzan wanted his team to be more physical than in previous years. That has been the conversation since the day he was introduced as the new coach.
So far, the team has listened.
“Yeah, we’re battling, right?” Gulutzan said after the win in Denver. “We talk about it all the time, and you look at [Justin Hryckowian] tonight… I look at the blocked shots, we’re talking grit in a different way, finishing checks, blocking shots, sticking up for one another, rallying around. And I think it’s there. I think it’s there.”
Standing up for each other is the big one for me. The Stars have notoriously been a team that makes opponents pay for penalties with power-play goals. While that’s great, it’s not the only way. And having a big of fight (literally) is a good way to show the league that you can do both.
You don’t have to go full Florida Panthers. Although I love how they play. And you don’t have to go fully to the other end of the spectrum either. Just stick up for yourself and your teammates once in a while and be a bit of a pain in the ass. It can go a long way.
Trust me… I am one.
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At practice on Monday, the Stars did a drill that really fit that mold. It was a 15-20 seconds 1-on-1 puck battle. The only rule; whoever has the puck at the whistle wins. Loser does pushups. It was awesome.
And the quote from Gulutzan when asked about it was even better.
“When all talent becomes equal… it comes down to hand-to-hand combat,” Gulutzan said.
YOU DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TALENT TO WIN ON TALENT ALONE. That’s Miracle reference No. 1, for those counting.
More of this for this team, please. We talked a bit about it on today’s DLLS Stars show with our pal, Robert Tiffin!
JACK, YOU GOTTA LISTEN TO ME!
Miracle reference No. 2.
Under Gulutzan, communication will be vital. What a perfect segway into an article I wrote last week. It’s like I knew that was coming or something.
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I love the things Gulutzan is preaching and the tweaks he has made to the systems. The adjustments will take a bit of time, especially with defensive zone coverage. Of course they will. Dallas has been playing the same, very rigid structure for three years. And doing so with a lot of sucess. But I am a believer, and I think it will make them a better team.
With those tweaks, comes a lot of need for efficient and smooth communcation. Passing off players, switches, who’s got who, covering for a defenseman who jumped up in the rush, and more.
Speak now, or forever hold your peace.
What you missed at DLLS
Sean Shapiro gave his predictions for every 2025-26 Dallas Stars roster player.
Sam went do Denver… with no travel issues!
We made two different members of the Avalanche media talk about Game 7.
See y’all for the home opener tomorrow!
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