The Dallas Stars are in a free fall, and it’s not hard to see why. Losers in eight of their last ten, they’re struggling to keep their heads above water in the Western Conference - and the root of the problem isn’t five-on-five play. It’s the penalty kill, and right now, it’s sinking them.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just a rough patch. Over the past ten games, the Stars have allowed 35 goals - a glaring number, but one that doesn’t tell the whole story unless you dig into the special teams.
During that stretch, Dallas has taken 36 penalties and given up 12 power-play goals. That’s a penalty kill operating at just 63.6 percent - dead last in the NHL over that span.
When you’re giving up a goal nearly every third time you go shorthanded, it’s a recipe for disaster.
And the impact is showing up all over the ice, especially on the blue line. Miro Heiskanen, the team’s top defenseman and a workhorse in all situations, has been on the ice for 20 goals against over these ten games - half of them coming while the Stars are down a man.
His partner, Esa Lindell, hasn’t fared much better, with 13 goals against, including a whopping nine during penalty kills. Then there’s Thomas Harley, who’s already battled injuries this season and has now been on the ice for 14 goals against - 12 of those at even strength.
But this isn’t just about goals. It’s about ice time, fatigue, and the toll that comes from constantly playing catch-up.
Heiskanen is averaging nearly 27 minutes a night during this stretch - the third-highest mark in the league. Lindell and Harley are both logging over 23 minutes per game, and for Harley in particular, that’s a massive workload increase.
When your top defenders are not only playing heavy minutes but also spending too much of that time killing penalties, cracks start to show - and that’s exactly what’s happening.
This isn’t a situation where the Stars are getting outplayed at even strength. Structurally, they’re still holding their own five-on-five.
But the penalty kill is bleeding goals, and it’s dragging the rest of the team down with it. The coaching staff, led by Glen Gulutzan, has to treat this like the emergency it is.
Whether it’s a personnel shuffle, a tactical reset, or even a trade to bring in a proven penalty killer, something has to change - fast.
Discipline is a big part of the equation, too. Taking 36 penalties in ten games is simply too much.
The Stars can’t afford to keep putting themselves in these situations, especially when their kill is this vulnerable. Until they clean that up, they’re going to keep chasing games - and chasing the standings.
And it won’t get any easier. Next up is a red-hot Utah Mammoth squad that’s won five of its last seven and poured in 27 goals over that span. That’s not the kind of opponent you want to face when your penalty kill is leaking goals like a sieve.
The Stars have the talent to turn this around - no question. But if they don’t fix their special teams, especially the penalty kill, they’re going to keep sliding. And in a tight playoff race, that kind of skid can be the difference between playing in April and watching from home.