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Stars Lead West at All-Star Break

Stas
Dallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson (#21) at the NHL All-Star game | Image by Dallas Stars, Twitter

The Dallas Stars could not be in a better place at the All-Star break.

Dallas currently sits atop the Western Conference with a 28-13-10 record (66 points) through 51 games — one point ahead of the Winnipeg Jets. Only Boston, Carolina, Toronto, and New Jersey have more points.

Leading the charge is forward Jason Robertson, who scored 41 goals last season and is fifth in the NHL with 33 this season. Robertson also leads the league in points (combined goals and assists) with 66 and is Dallas’ only All-Star Game representative this weekend.

Third-year goalie Jake Oettinger is having a career year, allowing a career-best 2.26 goals (second in the NHL) and posting a .923 save percentage (also second in the league) with a 21-7-7 record.

Dallas goalies are tied for third in the NHL in save percentage and for the most shutouts.

Veteran forward Joe Pavelski, who led the team in points last season, has 14 goals on the season and leads the team with 34 assists.

Collectively, the Stars have five players with at least 40 points this season (Robertson, Pavelski, Roope Hintz, Jamie Benn, and Miro Heiskanen), and Tyler Seguin is right behind them with 34. There are also six players with at least 13 goals.

Dallas is averaging 3.35 goals per game, the ninth-best in the NHL, and has the fourth-best powerplay.

Heiskanen has emerged as the team’s top defenseman after losing John Klingberg in free agency. Ryan Suter and Colin Miller have added a more significant veteran presence to the blue line, while Esa Lindell has stepped up.

At this time last season, the Stars had only 48 points with a 23-18-2 record. They went 23-12-4 in the second half of the season to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020 and were eliminated by the Calgary Flames in the first round.

The offseason brought many changes to the franchise but none greater than the head coach.

Rick Bowness stepped down after three seasons with the team to “allow the franchise the opportunity to pursue a different direction at the head coaching position.”

Dallas had been his sixth stop as a head coach, and the Stars hired Peter DeBoer to replace him.

DeBoer previously coached the Florida Panthers, the New Jersey Devils, the San Jose Sharks, and the Vegas Golden Knights and led New Jersey and Vegas to the Stanley Cup Finals.

“Pete brings a wealth of experience to our dressing room, and we’re thrilled to name him our next head coach,” general manager Jim Nill said of the hiring.

“Every team that he has taken over has not only shown immediate improvement but has been ultra-competitive in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He has taken five teams to the conference finals, and two of those to the Stanley Cup Final, in his 14 years as a head coach. His resume displays the high standards he sets and his ability to get his team to play up to that level consistently. We’re excited to welcome Pete and his family to Dallas.”

So far, the results are there. Can they build on the foundation in the latter half of the season?

The Stars return to the American Airlines Center on Monday night against the Anaheim Ducks, where Benn will become the latest member of the team to play in his 1,000th game.

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