Glenn Gulutzan’s Leadership IGNITES Dallas Stars Rise: Can They Sustain the Hype?

Glenn Gulutzan’s Leadership IGNITES Dallas Stars Rise: Can They Sustain the Hype?

Despite all the injuries, the Dallas Stars are trending in the right direction. Where does head coach Glenn Gulitson see his club improving? We’ll preview tonight’s game against the Islanders and take a look at the NHL’s power rankings. Your Locked On Stars, your daily podcast on the Dallas Stars, part of the Locked On Network. Your team every day. Howdy Stars fans. I’m Joey Ericson, former producer 105 through the fan. Please be sure to subscribe. We have fre available wherever you get your podcast and on YouTube. And as always, thank you so much for making us a part of your day and making us your first listen. Welcome to a Tuesday edition of Locked On Stars, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, now the number one sports podcast network. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Download the FanDuel app now by visiting FanDuel.com and win $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. The Dallas Stars are back home tonight to take on Matthew Schaefer and the New York Islanders. We’ll preview tonight’s contest, but first we are going to Drink the Goalade, a new segment, a debut segment of Drank the Goalade. We’ll hear from head coach Glenn Goldson on where he sees his club improving lately and why everything is starting to fall in place despite some of the injuries the stars are suffering this year. We’ll also take a look at the athletic power rankings at the end of today’s show. Where do you think the Dallas Stars fall on this week’s power rankings? Quite the improvement as the Stars on a five-game win streak. I figured since every once in a while like to throw some clips uh from press conferences from uh Glenn Gooson, we call this drink the the goal aid, right? We we are are going to be in full support of the Dallas Stars here on this segment. It’s going to keep us positive and sort of get in the mindset of Glenn Gooson, what he’s thinking and why he feels the stars are doing this well, doing this bad, whatever the the case may be. So, let’s drink the gold a together here. But I want to start with a quote on how everything seems to be stabilizing and it seems like the stars are in a really good flow. whether that’s on the PK now that’s slowly improving the power play which has been scorching hot and more but here’s Gitson uh on the start special teams and what’s working for them as of late it’s happening now um and then when you when you add those two together and then the goalending we’ve been getting um you know you’re you’re starting to see things move forward and and and now even in the last two games of the five on five scoring is starting to springboard a little bit um so We, you know, there there’s a reason why you go on these little kind of runs with points is just uh things start to stabilize. But the big four, PP, PK, goalie, and and your five on five, those things, they all start working together, you can you can run the table a little bit. We’ve really seen the five on five play for Dallas elevate over the last couple of weeks, especially during this fivegame win streak. And it was remarkable to hear the statistic about dating back to that Ottawa game when the Stars were down two nothing. They had scored 14 unanswered goals until they gave up that tally uh against uh Philadelphia the the other night. They’ve scored 33 goals since November 1st. And this of course encompasses quite a bit of the the win streak for Dallas over the last eight games since November 1st. They have 13 points in the NHL that is tied with Colorado. They’ve scored 33 goals. That is tied for first with Colorado. They’ve given up 21. Colorado on the other hand has only given up 15. Man, they are scorching. But the power play continues to be excellent. Their top three 39% since November 1st. But the PK more importantly has really really I improved it. It’s not great but compared to their season number it is much better. They’re about middle of the pack at 81% since November 1st. And that is much better from their season total where they ranked 25th at 75%. And we know how poor they’ve been on home mice. One of the worst teams in the NHL. But we’re starting to see some signs of them maybe coming out uh of the uh I guess the low end of this bell curve right now. It has been really poor to begin the season, but we’re starting to to see signs and um it feels like everything is starting to to flow. And we have of course highlighted Jason Robertson just nine points over the last three games. Um, if you look at the overall statistics uh of Miko Rantin, if you start uh uh the the date back to November 1st as well and just look at skater numbers, Jason Robertson 14 points. Mo Rantin in 14 points. That’s top five in the NHL. They’re trailing Conor McDavid and Nathan McKinnon. So that’s good company for for both of uh of of your elite playmakers. Oh, Mirro Hateskin is on there as well. number six with with 12 points. So, uh the the stars are are producing at a high high level. Why Johnson’s number 11, by the way, I feel like you could just go down um and find the big boys for for Dallas. But that that’s a great sign. Everything is starting to come together looking at that first period two against Philadelphia, just a really dominating frame. We’re not seeing Dallas uh get hemmed in a as much um as we we’ve seen to begin the year. They’re starting to work through the their issues. And I think this sort of leads into the foundation of Dallas. And I asked this question last week. What really is the identity of the Stars? They’re a bit inconsistent to begin the year. It’s getting better, of course. Still a small sample size, but getting better. What is the foundation? I think this next quote from Goldson, it’s it’s pretty long really I I I I think gives you an idea of how he sees his club and what the stars are are trying to be foundationally, systematically. Uh systematically, no. Uh foundationally, our guys are pretty dialed into being defensive. So that’s kind of our backbone of they don’t want to give too much up and you you can see them put on the brakes at at at times. Um where our offense in my opinion is starting to come from is um a lot you know lots of it comes from playing good D and frustrating teams and and and that’s part of it but our guys are starting to get freed up a little bit even uh execution wise and mentally they’re they’re in a little bit of a flow in into a zone. uh we’re not gripping it as tight and um you know you can see it anywhere from Robo to Segi to you know guys are getting their chances now and they’re feeling good about their game and I could see that that was starting to come and that was something that we had talked about uh if you even go back to Florida’s I can think of Florida’s meetings about us being more instinctual and flowing and and playing hockey rather than uh getting caught up in all the structure business. Well, as you said, three, two, one. Well, as he said there, the backbone of Dallas, which I think is your culture, your identity to some degree, the backbone of the Stars. They want to be strong defensively. They’re trying to weave that back into their game since they’ve probably lost some of that over the last couple years under Dbor. They were giving up more chances although their possession game was really strong. Uh their possession numbers aren’t great this season. They are trying to do more with less but also finding quality shots, increasing their high danger chances, high danger looks um against opponents. It it it’s sort of contradictory in in in some ways how how Dallas is going about it, but they do want to be stronger uh defensively. And I think the first 12 games or so uh sort of hints or maybe embody what he’s saying there that that you had individuals, you had this idea the Stars maybe went into the season with they want to be better in their own zone and we obviously have seen the growing pains of some of that trying to figure out the system and now maybe it’s just becoming a bit more free. Everybody’s freed up. And I think you’ve seen that especially over the last week or so in the offensive zone. Dallas is able to hold on to pucks, stack shifts together. There isn’t as much thinking. It’s just reacting. It’s just making plays. And it’s no surprise your best players are starting to produce because it’s becoming a bit more natural. And they’re going to have their mistakes. They’re not going to be perfect, of course, but they’re they’re starting to get into I I think this next segment of the season where they really define what they’re going to be and they’re going to try to get really great goalending. They’re going to be stout stout defensively and they are going to allow themselves to be creative and and allow themelves to just play free up the ice. Um and and be physical, too. I I think we’re starting to see that creep back into their game. We kind of lost it there for a bit. There’s that physical edge they’re starting to play with and it’s led by a guy like Mo Rantin and now they’re finding some consistency in their line combinations. The Beck line has been great with Bour and Ritzovian. That’s an energy line. Then you have your top six which can produce. Your power play is great. Um it it’s it’s all the all the aspects and departments of your game. Can you get firing on all cylinders? It’s tough to do. night in and night out. But I I think it’s a really really great great statement from from Goldson about where the stars were to begin the year sort of coming in and now why it’s it’s starting to to improve and and and get to where they want to be. Um and I think we’re going to see that the next 15 games or so. It’s a really really important segment. I think the road hockey term he used a lot has also came into play. Um, and Dallas is is is finding out who they are right now. Um, and they can be really good when they do it consistently. We’ll see if that can continue into the long long road trip. Uh, but first they got to handle their business tonight against New York. The Islanders in town, the very talented Matthew Schaefer, Matt Barczelle. Let’s preview the Islanders and see where Dallas has to be has to be really really tight in certain areas if they want to get the dub tonight. We’ll do that in just a moment. Today’s episode of Locked On Stars is brought to you by FanDuel. The NBA is back and there’s no better place to get in on the action than with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Even if you miss the start of the game or want to ride the hot hand, FanDuel has live bets on everything from who will score next to fourth quarter comebacks. Plus, you can combine your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout. It keeps every game exciting, especially when your team’s making that late push. 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Let me know how you’re feeling about the Dallas Stars here over this fivegame win streak and if you think they can continue it tonight against the New York Islanders. The Isles 107 and two this season. They’re 63 and one in their last 10. They’ve played some very good opponents as well. Look at their last five. Colorado, Utah, Vegas, New Jersey, New York. So, some very good opponents and they’ve won four out of their five. Their only loss was against Colorado on Sunday. Uh they were taken down by the Az 4 to one, but at this point, nobody can beat the Colorado Avalanche. They’ve still only watch lost one game in regulation this season. They have Matthew Schaefer. Yes. The the very very high pick. Uh well, the highest pick you can take him. the the the first overall pick has made a name for himself in the NHL already as a young offensive uh defenseman. 15 points in 19 games, has seven goals. He’s just been so impressive. He’s like Lane Hudson on crack sometimes. We we saw Lane Hudson the other uh night uh against uh Montreal. Schaefer I I feel like is in that similar category. He’s playing 22 and a half minutes uh a night. Uh that’s the most uh amount of ice time uh an Islanders player is averaging this season. So they’re they’re putting some some heavy heavy minutes on himself. We know about Bo Horvat, Matthew Barzel. Uh they’re they’re leading the team offensively. Bo has 12 goals and 23 points. they went out and added Direan um over the summer. So, they they added some some depth, but I think a team that that Dallas can have success uh against. This is a a side I think the the Stars the way they’re rolling can can find um can find some holes um in in in New York. They’re not the strongest five on five team. Uh their power play not very good. Uh their PK is about middle of the pack. It’s above average. So they have been good on that side of special teams, but their expected goals percentage is 27th in the NHL um at five on five. They’re being outscored 39 to 37 at five on five. So this is a a really good stretch I think or a good matchup for Dallas. Although New York’s playing very good here as of late. You have to factor that in. They they’ve been on a bit of a streak. As I’ve said, they’ve won four out of the last five against very very good opponents. So, um they’re going to be a tough matchup. If you go by the the numbers, uh the Islanders are 28th on the power play, 12th on the PK, fourth in faceoff percentage. Their middle of the pack in goals per game 3.21. They are giving up 3.16 which is 20th in the NHL. Goalending’s been been hit or miss. Siroken 65-2 record, 2.91 goals against average, 898 save percentage. Their backup uh David Rich 42 and0 3.15 goals against an 893 save percentage. So, they are getting below average goalending, but we we know Siroken when he’s on it, he he can be as good as anybody um in the NHL. Uh but they they have veterans and and young talented talented guys uh up front and and on the back end, right? They have a guy like Anthony Duclair. They have Paul Mary who’s 34, Direan who’s 30. So, you got those veterans, but then you got the special 18-year-old in in Schaffer. So, they they can they can hurt you, right, if if you’re not prepared, as anybody else can in the NHL. Uh, but this Island team is playing well. I I don’t think that the numbers overall are amazing, but recently playing some of their their best hockey. Uh, and Dallas has to has to be prepared and uh we’ll see how they they they match up. Uh, but looking forward to this one. I think I think it’s a good matchup because I I want to see Dallas dominate. I want to see them dominate like they did against Philadelphia for for long stretches. I think this is a good matchup for Dallas and they should be able to get on top and and suffocate this this Islanders side. I I think that is is in the cards uh for tonight. That’s that’s what I’m looking for out of Dallas. You know, Dallas is is starting to to find a groove. Their goal differential at five on five is now plus five. Uh they were in the the negatives for a bit. Uh they’re now 15th in expected goals percentage. I think they were 27th at one point. So, we’re starting to to see everything flow uh and come together. Uh their expected goal differential is is much better. their 14th. Uh, still in the negatives, but um, right, this this fivegame win streak has certainly helped. Um, and I think, as I’ve stated all season long, at this point does not matter how it looks. Stars need two points. They continue to suffer injury after injury. I’m curious if they’ll bring somebody up today. Um, we’ll have to to see. So, be sure to follow me at Locked OnStars on on Twitter uh for any updates on call-ups. Uh Dallas is going to have to bring somebody up at some point. I’m a defenseman because they they don’t just don’t have a ton of healthy defenseman. Uh Labouchkin was a bit banged up and we don’t know his his status exactly. Uh and with Harley on the IR now, they’ll need somebody to take on the trip to to the West Coast to Western Canada. They they’ll they’ll need quite a bit uh uh of reinforcements. I would think Kio Chonok is up there. Maybe Trey Taylor um is is a possible Darkhorse um but those are are two u to keep an eye out um as potential call-ups uh with Harley u now going down and who knows the status of Labouchkin. It just seems to to get worse. But if Dallas continue to win, um it uh it allows the the Stars to be flexible. Um and you have to give them a lot of credit. We’re we’re nearing that Thanksgiving time, right? That that benchmark and Dallas is in the top three in the Central. There’s some separation a bit. Um not a ton. Uh but on this on this win streak, Dallas is starting to put some some ground um in front of some others, which is really really good. uh because when they do get some guys back, it’s like, oh, you you’ve banked a lot of points and now you maybe don’t have to stress come February. Um being on the outside looking in, I I I don’t think I can stress that enough how important this this last little week and a half stretch is or Dallas has been able to improve to 114 and three. But that’s what I’m looking forward to tonight uh against New York. I I’m fascinated to watch to watch Shave for a bit. I I know he’s really good offensively. Um I think all young defenseman are nowadays. It’s like a it’s a requirement. I’m I’m interested to to see him on the other end of the the ice. That’s that’s that’s where I want to see um h how he holds up against Ranton and um and some others um and get a good look at him. Uh look, I I’ve watched single game of him, seen highlights, but I I’m excited to see his full game on display tonight. in Dallas. Let’s take a look at the Athletic NHL Power Rankings. Stars were just inside the top 10 last week. Where do you think they improved to this week? Let me know in the comments below. I’ll share it with you in just a moment. Today’s episode of Locked On Stars is brought to you by Rue Giet. Let’s be real. Making excuses doesn’t solve everything. We’ve all heard them before. It’s just stress. I’m tired. or it happens to everyone sometimes. But when it comes to performance, sometimes your body just needs a little extra support. And that’s where Regia comes in. Regia.com offers fast, exciting doctor prescribed treatments for ED designed to help you stop making excuses and start making moves. Regia makes it easy to get started. You just connect with a board-certified doctor, 100% online. So, no awkward waiting rooms, no in-person appointments. If prescribed, your treatment ships discreetly to your door. process fast, simple, it’s private, it’s all handled by real doctors as well. It’s about confidence, connection, that way you can get back into the moments that matter. Visit rugia.com/lockedonhl to get 15% off your first order. That’s ruggit.com/locked.nhl and don’t forget to use the code locked on NHL so they know we sent you. Reg, stop making excuses and start making moves. The Stars made quite the improvement in this week’s athletic NHL power rankings. Where do you think they fall on this week’s edition? They were number nine in the last edition. How far did they get bumped up? We’ll start with the top 10. number 10 Tampa Bay who’s also starting to turn it around sort of how Dallas has over the last week or so. They’re now 86 and two and they’re starting to find their groove. Vegas has struggled recently. I think they’ve lost five out of their six. They come in at number nine. They’re actually uh in a wildcard position right now. Maybe actually on the outside looking in if I’m not mistaken, but I would expect Vegas um to be there at the end of the day. Ottawa, they come in at number eight. Then you have Los Angeles five. The Mammoth off to a roaring start six to round out your top five or your bottom five of the top 10, whatever you want to call it. The Anaheim Ducks who have come back to earth a bit. 11, five, and one. The Stars saw them a couple weeks ago. Man, they were good. They were flying around, but they have come back to Earth a little bit. Yes, the Stars are within the top five. How far did they advance? Four. Nope. Carolina at number four. Then you have New Jersey number three. Can they be number one? No, they’re not number one. Dallas is number two. Jumping up seven spots. There wasn’t much change over on this roster. It says given bottom six center Justin Ritzcobian some credit though. Opponents are scoring just 1.55 goals per 60 with him on the ice among the Stars best. Does he move the needle much offensively? Nope. But he’s gotten an opportunity and he’s doing something with it. I love how they added that little paragraph in there to show Ritzcoian some love. We’ve been hammering home that Beck and Bourc Ritzovian line. Really, really effective for Dallas. Gives them some energy and um when they can pop up offensively, that’s uh icing on the cake. But they come in at number two. So that is a big big bump up for the Stars and very very deservedly so. when when when Robo’s going like he is right now and and Rantin, look, he’s almost got 30 points in 20 games, I I I think it’s safe to say Rantin’s going to hit the entry point. I I I have to have a feeling Robo is too. It just seems like they are about to go scorched earth. This team is one of the best in hockey when these two are going. It really doesn’t matter whatever whatever else is going on for for Dallas as long as the goalending is okay. If if Robo and Rantin and are flying the way they are, this this team is absolutely a a contender and absolutely one of the best uh in the NHL. it it’s just impossible to stop it feels like because even when you talk about ranting a robo then you have to worry about Johnston and and Miro has has been kicking butt and taking names there’s just so many different options and yes the stars maybe aren’t as deep offensively as they were a year ago but they have better firepower you could argue u because Rantonin is in town and is is just on a mission right now. Um when with Robo rolling like he is, look out. Um we’re spoiled and it’s a lot of fun. Colorado’s number one, by the way. Not not not much of a surprise. Uh again, they’re 121 and five. Uh I I don’t know what is going on in the water out there. Um in the Rocky Mountains. Uh they’re they’re fantastic. Um although the Stars seem to have their numbers, so it may not matter at the end of the day, but the fact that Dallas is even sniffing around them right now is is a great sign. It’s probably motivating for them and they can just nip the heels of Colorado. It’s not the biggest deal in the world that Dallas wins the West, wins the Central, right? We’ve learned it really doesn’t get you anything. Uh it it gets you playing like a top three team um in the first round like the a couple years ago when they played Vegas. Um not always the case, but it really doesn’t get you anything. You just got to get in um and go from there. So if they could just be kind of nipping on the heels of Colorado all year long, uh that’s fine. Inevitably, there’s going to be a slump uh for for Colorado. There’s always a slump. Although we probably said that about Winnipeg last year and they just continued to win constantly. They would just rip off eightgame win streaks like it was nothing. That was that was uh that was something. But Stars come in number two on this week’s athletic NHL power rankings. So we’ll see the Stars can continue the win streak tonight. Second longest in the NHL, just behind those Colorado Avalanche. Can they make it six on the bounce tonight uh against the Islanders? Looking forward to that one. It’s on Victory Plus. We’ll uh be in touch tomorrow when we break it all down. It’s going to be a bit of a weird week. I’ll be on a bus all of Wednesday. I’ll have an episode out for Wednesday, though, breaking down tonight’s game. Uh but I’ll be on the road, so it’ll be a bit funky. Should be okay and should be normal upload times and whatnot, but just wanted to to throw that out there. Please hit the subscribe button, drop a like. Thank you for making Locked on Stars a part of your day. now on the number one sports podcast network. We’ll see you tomorrow, Stars fans. So long.

Dallas Stars surge up the NHL power rankings, riding a five-game win streak powered by Jason Robertson’s elite scoring and Mikko Rantanen’s dynamic playmaking. Can Glen Gulutzan’s squad maintain their momentum despite mounting injuries and a tough matchup against the New York Islanders? The Stars’ special teams, especially their red-hot power play and improving penalty kill, have sparked newfound confidence as the team discovers its defensive backbone and offensive flow. Joey Erickson breaks down coaching insights from Glenn Gulutzan, spotlighting how the Stars are balancing creative offense with stout defense. Key discussions focus on lineup consistency, the emergence of Justin Ratskovian’s energy line, and the challenges presented by Islanders rookie Matthew Schaefer. Plus, a deep dive into updated NHL power rankings—did Dallas do enough to catch the league-leading Colorado Avalanche or will injuries force critical roster moves?
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0:00 – Stars Trending Upward
Introduction with Joey Erickson, discussion of the Dallas Stars’ recent progress, injury updates, win streak, and setting the tone for “Drink the Goal Aid” segment.

2:33 – Special Teams & System Improvements
Glenn Gulutzan breaks down improvements in power play, penalty kill, and 5-on-5 play, followed by Joey Erickson analyzing team identity, defensive foundations, and player production.

13:31 – Islanders Preview & Power Rankings
Previews the Dallas Stars’ matchup with the New York Islanders, key opponent analysis, updated team stats, roster changes, and closes with reaction to The Athletic’s new NHL Power Rankings.

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