Blue Line Station
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Rangers vs Stars: A quick fix needed

By Steve Paulus

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 14: The New York Rangers prepare for their home opener against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden on January 14, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 14: The New York Rangers prepare for their home opener against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden on January 14, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Kaapo Kakko of the New York Rangers (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Kaapo Kakko of the New York Rangers (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

About the Stars

The Stars are also a different team from the one that played the Rangers 19 months ago with eight of the 19 players in that game no longer on the team. Last season was a bitter disappointment for the Stars, missing the playoffs just one season after a extending the Lightning to six games in the Stanley Cup Final.

With their Cup window closing, the Stars made some moves to get back into contention. They added veteran defenseman Ryan Suter and goalie Braden Holtby.  All of their top scorers from last season are back.

Offensively, Dallas was in the middle of the pack last season.  They were 18th overall averaging 2.79 goals per game.  They took a lot of shots, averaging 30.3 shots per game, eighth most in the league.  They are a threat on the power play, with a 23.6% success rate that was fifth best in the NHL.

There were solid defensively, eighth in the league allowing 2.64 goals per game. They allowed 27.1 shots per game, the second lowest total in the NHL.  They were 19th in the league on the penalty kill with a 79.1% success rate.

The Stars defense is one of the best in the NHL with Suter joining a top four that includes Miro Heiskanen, John Klingberg and Esa Lindell.

They are excellent on the faceoff dots, winning almost 52% of their draws, good for sixth best in the NHL.  They were led by Radek Faksa (56%) and Joe Pavelski (52%).

Coming into this game,the Stars have some injuries.  Forward Blake Comeau is starting the season on injured reserve with an upper body injury.  A bigger loss is left winger Jason Robertson who is also out with an upper body injury and didn’t travel with the team.  He was the Calder Trophy runner up last season and was second on the team with 17 goals and 45 points.  Goalie Ben Bishop has been out for over a year rehabbing a knee injury.

They are getting 30-year old Tyler Seguin back in the lineup after he played only three games last season after hip and knee surgery.

When we say that the Stars Cup window is closing, it’s a fact.  Ten players on the roster are over 30 years old. Their leading scorer last year was 37-year-old Joe Pavelski.  In net, Anton Khudobin is 35 and Holtby is 32.  Jamie Benn, Alexander Radulov and Comeau are all getting old and they didn’t get any younger by adding Ryan Suter (37) and Michael Raffl (32).

They do have youth in the injured Robertson and 22-year-old Miro Heiskanen who signed an 8-year, $68 million contract extension this summer.  Denis Gurianov is 24 and Roope Hintz is 25.  There are no rookies on the Stars roster.

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