Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen have scored 18 of the Dallas Stars’ 48 goals through 17 games. That is superb work from two elite forwards, though it also leaves a lot of the club’s finishing burden resting on two sticks.
Dallas emphasized improving its offense Tuesday, when coach Glen Gulutzan put extra emphasis on freeing the forwards offensively in practice. The focus involved the forecheck, breakout and neutral-zone play, adjustments Gulutzan said have helped the Stars defend without yet producing enough attack. For a 10-5-2 team with 22 points, this is refinement rather than an emergency flare.
The question is whether the forwards around the top scorers can turn that freedom into goals.
The names in the middle of that conversation are Tyler Seguin, Sam Steel and Radek Faksa. Seguin has three goals and three assists in 17 games, including one power-play goal. Steel has one goal and two assists in 14 games. Faksa has no goals and two assists in 13 appearances.
Those totals deserve examination, not a character verdict. Seguin’s role includes more than finishing chances, while Steel and Faksa are not deployed simply to wait near the crease for scoring opportunities. A forward can contribute through positioning, defensive coverage, puck support and faceoffs without appearing prominently in the goal column. A scoring total alone cannot measure every responsibility carried by those forwards.
Still, the offense needs more consequence from those responsibilities. Seguin has taken 36 shots, a substantial number beside his three goals. Steel has 14 shots and Faksa 10.
They do not need to replicate Rantanen’s nine goals, but the Stars need some of their secondary forwards to convert the work that gets them into offensive situations. One extra goal from that group can change the shape of a close game.
Tuesday’s practice emphasis points toward that kind of adjustment. Gulutzan said the team’s execution offensively has not reached the level it has established defensively. Seguin also described the five-on-five attack as an area in which Dallas has seen flashes without sustaining enough production.
The plan, as described, is to let players attack more freely while asking them to execute at the same standard the club expects without the puck.
That is a difficult balance, but the broader team numbers give Dallas time to pursue it. The Stars are averaging 26.1 shots per game while allowing 22.9. Their penalty kill is at 89.7 percent, and the power play is converting at 27.5 percent.
