3 Stars: Shooting percentage, fast starts, & firing on all cylinders (for how long?)

The Dallas Stars continued to roll despite another sketchy comeback effort in a 4-3 win against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre on Tuesday.

Again, find a way with very few chances

The Stars had three shots on the first shift of the game. Fast forward 10 minutes… They still had three shots. After 20 minutes, they had six.

But guess what? They led 1-0, and it came from the initial three-shot barrage on the first shift.

Dallas got the puck in the zone, kept the puck in the zone, and put it in the back of the net. It was one of the quickest starts of the season, as Esa Lindell beat Eric Comrie with a perfect shot from the top of the left circle.

And a lot of credit goes to Sam Steel, who made the perfect door with a drive-by screen to take the eyes away from Comrie. Comrie would probably like to put these rebounds elsewhere.

I know you’ve heard this before, but it just keeps happening. The Stars don’t create a ton, either being outplayed or playing low-event hockey, yet they find a way to score. And they entered the second period with a lead in a tough building because of it.

Quick strikes & Nils Lundkvist is still getting back

Remember when Dallas had a great start to the first period? You better, I just wrote about it. Get it together, folks. Pay attention.

Well, now that you remember their quick start, let’s talk about another one.

It took a whopping 2:31 for Dallas to extend its lead from 1-0 to 3-0.

The first goal was a beauty from Roope Hintz, as Mikko Rantanen made another elite pass, quickly tapping the puck back to Hintz in the slot after Wyatt Johnston’s shot or pass attempt slid across the crease.

Again, Comrie probably would’ve liked to be in a better, less scrambly position and really should’ve blocked the cross-crease pass.

Speaking of Rantanen, I think he is doing okay without Nathan MacKinnon…

He improved this number with two more assists, by the way. He now has the most points in his first 50 games of any player in franchise history.

And just like the first period, Dallas didn’t do much after that, finishing the period with only eight shots. But, of course, I have to mention that Alex Petrovic scored his second goal of the season. Two goals from defensive defensemen. Love it.

Later in the period, Nils Lundkvist made a mistake that really showed just how long he has been out of the lineup. The biggest thing to get back when you return from an injury is the pace of play. The game is fast down there, and players can get on you in a hurry, a lot faster than you will see at practice.

With plenty of time and options on the breakout, Lundkvist takes a high risk to try and get a pass up the middle of the ice from behind his own net. Mark Scheifele gets a stick on it, and the Jets turn it into a mini 2-on-1, which Lundkvist doesn’t play particularly well either, and make it 2-1 just like that.

Before that play, Casey DeSmith looked unbeatable, and it seemed the Stars would ease their way to a lopsided win. But I should’ve known that doesn’t happen in Winnipeg.

They held on, but what else is new?

The game, like most of these matchups in Manitoba, got way dicier than it needed to.

Lundkvist’s turnover kicked off the comeback, then the Jets scored just after their power play expired when Miro Heiskanen’s broken stick fouled up a chance to clear the puck — Stars have now killed off 31 straight power plays — and despite Dallas restoring their two-goal lead, the Jets came within inches of tying the game a couple of times.

But as the heading says, what else is new?

The Stars have not played anywhere near their best hockey lately. Yet, they are 8-0-2 in their last 10, have points in 23 of their past 25 games and nine straight (13 on the road), and are giving us less to talk about in the best way.

Do they have things to work on? Yes. Is this ridiculous league-leading shooting percentage, special teams, and goaltending run sustainable through 82+ games? Probably not. Do we care right now while this team is dealing with a laundry list of injuries and still trying to figure out who they are?

Nope.

The power play converted again. Jason Robertson scored again. DeSmith was again good in the pipes, extending his personal point streak to 10. Heiskanen played 30 minutes and was great again. Hintz is playing consistently at his highest level. Again, again, again. They are winning a heck of a lot of hockey games, whether or not it is a long-term strategy.

In my professional opinion…