Through the first four games of the season, the Stars were one of the best shows in hockey. They were skating. They were shooting. They were scoring. Their power play was nearly unstoppable, and their top line carried them through even-strength play. They were winning, and doing it in an entertaining way.
Since then, and leaking into the Stars' eventual 3-1 loss to Minnesota on Friday night, the spark dimmed. Even-strength goals were nonexistent and chances evaporated in a winless two-game road trip through Ottawa and New Jersey. Friday night's culprit was Devan Dubnyk, who made saves on the first 31 shots he faced.