1000 games played in the NHL is a wonderful accomplishment. It’s not every day that a team gets to celebrate this with a player, but Dallas has this high honor on Tuesday. Jason Spezza may not have played all 1000 games with Dallas, but the Stars organization will make this day special for him. Spezza stated that he owes everything to his parents for helping him to navigate the ever-so-difficult path of becoming a professional hockey player. The Stars acquired Spezza in a massive trade with Ottawa back in 2014, and he has paid dividends for Dallas. Yes, Spezza had his worst statistical career last season, but so far he has been a true number two center. Back in 2015-2016 Spezza was crucial in Dallas winning the Western Conference and making it to the second round. Now Dallas will need Spezza to help them navigate through this tough road trip successfully.

Heading into the season, the Canadiens were not expected to be 6-2-2. Stars fans may have expected Dallas to hold that record, but certainly not Montreal. Instead, the Stars now sit at 5-5-0 and are one of the few teams remaining that have not gone into overtime. Teams are expected to lose a lot of games. When combining overtime and regulation losses, most playoff teams will probably get around 35-40 losses with 10-15 being OT losses. But that has been the problem with Dallas. They don’t lose in overtime. On the road, it’s even worse. They seem to just lose control in the third and just stop fighting. An OT loss is a hundred times better than a regulation loss. Just think, Dallas could have made the playoffs last season with just four more OT losses.

The Stars can be highly entertaining, yet sometimes watching paint dry is more exciting. As the Stars continue their long and tedious road trip, they must find something that clicks for them. Whether it be breaking up Seguin and Benn, or mixing up the defensive pairs, there has to be a solution that Monty can come up with. This Stars team has the potential to really make a splash this season. But right now they are making a fool of themselves. The offensive capability of this team was put on full display against the Ducks but disappeared in Motown. Hopefully, Dallas finds some luck in Montreal and the big boys can lead the charge once again.

It’s a shame to see that this team’s best and most consistent offensive player is a defenceman. That player of course is John Klingberg. Klinger has shown over the past three seasons that he can and will put up points. Averaging over a point per game, Klingberg has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in the first ten games this season. Overall, Klingberg has the most points by a Dallas Star player on the road with three. The Stars should look for him to control the offensive pace and get Benn and Seguin in the point column once again.