HOME INVASION

Six straight home losses?!!!

Seriously?

Damn, where are the Edmonton Oilers and the Nashville Predators when you need them.

The problem right now?

Hell that’s easy - Right now they couldn’t score at the Bunny Ranch with a fist full of fifties. Seven measly goals is all they have generated over the last six games at AAC - and the powerplay has been as flaccid as…well, it’s been flat, let’s leave it at that.

And just why aren’t they scoring?

It looks like a confluence of things to me.

To overlook the injured would be complete denial. How much impact do you think Morrow, Zubov, Richards and Lehtinen would have had during the 9 powerplays that failed versus the Habs?

Exactly.

To blame the lack of production on a new guy who hasn’t even had a practice with his current team and an old guy who was playing his 3rd game in 3 ½ days (6th in 8 ½ days) would seem a little harsh too – although, with the current state of things I guess Morrison needs to find a cheat-sheet and Mike Modano needs to be 10 years younger, immediately.

So, yes injuries, and yes lack of production, but the major reason for the home slide can be summed up in one name - Brad Richards.

First of all, the talented center broke his wrist in Columbus just prior to this skid at AAC and the pain from that has been felt on the scoreboard at home, and on the powerplay in general. All season Richards has been the Stars most productive player on home-ice ( 10-21=31pts in 27 games vs only 16 points in 28 road tilts). He and Ribeiro going bang bang and then Modano coming out of the 3-hole with a strong checking focus made them a tough team to match, especially with the Stars holding last change powers, and with Turco and the Stars defensive game firmed up. Not anymore.

Secondly, if you roll the tape back to this time last year you’ll be reminded of who was given up in exchange for Richards. (checking center Jeff Halpern, skilled powerplay and shootout specialist Jussi Jokinen, and goaltender Mike Smith). So in essence they are playing minus Richards, Halpern, Jokinen, Smith (with Turco just having played his 36th in the last 37), Morrow, Zubov, Lehtinen, and Petersen. That’s six forwards (Throw in Brunnstrom, who only played the first period vs the Habs before leaving with an “upper body” injury, and that Avery guy and it becomes 8 forwards), a 30 minute defenseman, and a goalie with the ability to win games – All together it’s half a team and a bounty of talent.

Dismissing the void, ragging on the replacements and ignoring the schedule seems unrealistic.

Going forward they play just three games in the next 8 days, two of them at home. Modano and Morrison should be able to shake off the bus tire injuries during that span and hopefully the team can re-find it’s winning ways in the big brick hangar in downtown Dallas. If they don’t, this team will do something that no other squad in franchise history has ever done – lose 7 in a row on home ice - and if that happens there will be lots of blame to go around.