The Dallas Stars have developed a defensive-oriented identity the last couple of years.
In the 2018-2019 season, the Stars ranked 2nd in the league in goals against per game average (2.44 GAA), 5th in penalty killing efficiency (82.8% of penalties killed), and 2nd in shorthanded goals against (2). This past season, the Stars once again had some sparkling defensive statistics as a team: 2.52 goals against per game average (ranked 2nd in the league), 79.7% of penalties killed (ranked 17th in the league), and four shorthanded goals against (ranked 4th in the league).
A key part of the Stars’ penalty kill success of late has been the reliability of the forwards tasked with taking on the bulk of those hard minutes.