The Dallas Stars (28-14-1) wrapped up their five-game road trip with a 4-1 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night, going back home with a 4-1-0 record on their week away from Texas. Heading into this trip, there was a lot being made of their 8-8-0 away record and their recent inability to score on the road. Plus the fact that goaltender Jake Oettinger has been much better at home this season versus on the road.
Related: Duchene & Stankoven Shine as the Stars Beat the Maple Leafs 4-1
Even before the road trip, dating back to before Christmas, they were dancing back and forth between wild card spots, then out of the playoffs, then briefly in third place in the division, only to fall back into a wild card spot. Now, they are in third place in the Central Division again, two points up on the Colorado Avalanche. Their road record is now a respectable 12-9-0, and they scored four or more goals in three of their last four wins. A lot can change in the NHL in a couple weeks.
Before we move past this trip entirely, let’s take a look at three takeaways from the Stars’ win in Toronto.
Logan Stankoven Ends the Drought
As a guest on a Maple Leafs post-game podcast after the game, I was asked who Dallas’ first star was on Tuesday night. Without hesitation, the answer was Logan Stankoven. The 21-year-old Stars’ forward was in the midst of a 25-game goal drought after scoring four goals in the first 15 games of the season. Not only did he score, but he scored twice, even if the second goal deflected off of his body and into the net. They don’t ask how, right?
“It’s nice to contribute,” Stankoven said after the game. “I just think the thing for me is I haven’t changed the way I play. Maybe tonight I went to the net a bit more and got some good bounces. But I don’t think I’ve changed the way I play even though the puck hasn’t been going in. I try and hunt pucks and be good defensively and do the little things right.”
Stankoven’s assessment of his game is spot on. He has played very well throughout the entirety of the season thus far. He plays a strong 200-foot game and he puts himself in a position to score almost every night, the pucks just haven’t been going in. He added an assist to the stat sheet on Tuesday as well, making it 17 helpers on the season. He’s been getting points, and now, after a two-goal night, Stankoven and the Stars hope the dam starts to break in the back half of the season and into the playoffs.
Stars Win the Special Teams Battle
The Stars’ special teams have been mind-boggling all season long. They have the first-ranked penalty kill in the NHL, 85.2%, yet their PK is 78.7% on the road. On Tuesday, it was a perfect 2-for-2. Their power play is 26th in the NHL, 17.9%, but on the road, it jumps up to 23.4%. That checks out, given that in Toronto they went 2-for-3 with the man advantage. The Stars have now scored six power play goals in their last seven games and are moving up the NHL rankings in that department. They were 29th before the Christmas break.
In the Western Conference, specifically in the Central Division, the margins are super thin. Out of the top four teams in the division, Dallas had the worst road record by far. 4-1-0 road trip? Check. Now with the power play seemingly on fire, that seems to be another step in the right direction.
Perfect Road Trip for Jake Oettinger
The Stars lost 3-2 in Las Vegas against the Golden Knights on Dec. 6. Oettinger left Sin City with a 4-5-0 record on the road, and subpar numbers to go along with it. Sure, he wasn’t getting a lot of run support, but still, if you allow at least one more goal than the other goalie, you lose the game. On Dec. 29, Oettinger and the Stars beat the Blackhawks 5-1 in Chicago, in what was the first of four straight road wins for Oettinger, and six straight overall.
Oettinger is 5-0-0 in January, with a .925 save percentage and a 1.94 goals-against average. Not too shabby of a start to 2025.
Much like the game against the New York Rangers, where this trip started, Oettinger and the Stars were down early. The only difference is, Oettinger kept the deficit to one, giving his boys all the time they needed to secure the 4-1 win.
What’s Next
The Stars enjoy some home cooking for four of the next five games, starting with the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. They head to Colorado to take on the Avalanche on Saturday, before coming back home for three straight against the Detroit Red Wings, Carolina Hurricanes, and Vegas Golden Knights.
