Dallas Stars’ Struggles Continue Under New Coach Glen Gulutzan

Dallas Stars fans may have been split on whether Pete DeBoer’s coaching style was the right fit for Dallas. Toward the end of his three years, it felt like a split was inevitable.

But DeBoer had certain undeniable skills. Game 7s were one. Nixing losing streaks was another.

During DeBoer’s three years in Dallas, the Stars only lost three regular-season regulation games in a row once. It came during the seven-game losing streak to end last regular season. The Stars lost their last four in regulation.

That streak was probably the beginning of the end for DeBoer. But before that, the Stars hadn’t gone more than two games without earning a point under the coach. They didn’t lose more than two in a row in any fashion under DeBoer in the 2024-25 season before that losing streak began on April 5.

Current Struggles Under Glen Gulutzan

But just six games into Glen Gulutzan’s second stint in Dallas, the Stars already have their first three-game pointless streak. After falling to Vancouver by two goals Thursday and St. Louis by two on Saturday, the Stars lost 5-1 to Columbus at home Tuesday night.

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“We don’t do that often here in the last few years,” Stars forward Tyler Seguin said. “It’s frustrating for sure.”

And the Stars didn’t look all that inspired as they looked to snap it.

Outside of one shift by unlikely linemates Colin Blackwell and Seguin that led to Dallas’ lone goal, the Stars looked tired, far more than they should six games into the season.

Reasons Behind the Struggles

Some players have been battling illness. Others have been battling injuries. But the Stars were making costly mistakes and getting outplayed — and for a roster with this much talent and motivation, that isn’t the norm.

“We can have a ton of excuses if we want them. We don’t want them,” Seguin said. “You’d like to say it’s an easy fix. I think we’re in the middle of figuring out what’s playing simple? What’s playing with swagger? What’s playing with new systems? And we’re just kind of caught in it all right now.”

The Stars were outshot 14-5, had five giveaways after recording a season-high 20 on Saturday night and gave up two goals in the first period alone. One should’ve been a routine stop by Jake Oettinger. The other was a total lapse on the power play when Columbus’ Boone Jenner was left wide open in the crease.

Need to Regain Momentum

Then, Columbus added three goals in the third period. Dallas scored zero while trying to close a one-goal gap after the second intermission.

Bottom line: the Stars didn’t appear to have improved upon their issues in their first two losses this season. In some cases, they were worse. They’re still searching for their identity.

The Stars have shown a similar inability to regain momentum in individual games. In their first four games of the season, they saw early leads wither away. Three- and four-goal leads vanished like the Stars didn’t know what hit them. Against Vancouver, it took just over three minutes for Vancouver to turn a two-goal deficit into a lead.

Current Standing and Future Prospects

Six games in, the Stars are close to no longer being able to attribute their struggles to adjusting to the start of a season. Gulutzan said they can no longer attribute them to system changes.

“The reality is how hard you work, winning battles, turning over pucks and having good players to score is still the recipe to win,” he said. “If you’re missing one of the big ones, you’re going to lose, no matter who you are.”

The Stars already find themselves tied for last in the Central Division with six points in six games. And they’ve played, at most, one fewer game than any of the teams ahead — some of which lead by five points.

Three losses in October might not mean much in April. With talent like Mikko Rantanen, Jason Robertson and Oettinger, this team could easily get hot and make up some ground.

Conclusion and Next Steps

But they’ll soon need to find a way to stop the bleeding because the schedule is unforgiving, and it’s just making more work for them this spring.

“We’re kind of sitting here, just not happy with our game,” Blackwell said. “There’s got to be some onus on ourselves individually to kind of take a look in the mirror.”

Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

FAQs

Q: What is the current record of the Dallas Stars?

A: The Dallas Stars are currently tied for last in the Central Division with six points in six games.

Q: What are the main reasons behind the Stars’ struggles?

A: The Stars have been making costly mistakes, getting outplayed, and struggling to regain momentum in individual games.

Q: Can the Stars still turn their season around?

A: Yes, with talent like Mikko Rantanen, Jason Robertson, and Oettinger, the team could easily get hot and make up some ground.