Over recent seasons, the Dallas Stars had become predictable. Their high-powered attack could break any game open, but a porous defensive structure and replacement-level goaltending often outweighed the club's offensive potency.

So, with that in mind, management made it their mission over the offseason to undergo major changes. Ken Hitchcock replaced Lindy Ruff behind the bench, while goaltender Ben Bishop was brought in to solidify the crease. Add in the free-agent acquisitions of Alexander Radulov and Martin Hanzal, and the Stars' supporting cast around the Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin-based nucleus had undergone a complete overhaul.

Any team to endure such drastic change is destined to meet an adjustment period, and while the Stars haven't made too much noise in the standings early on in the 2017-18 season, Dallas is fresh off a 5-0 thrashing of the Islanders on Friday night, and is 6-4 in their last 10 games. It appears the Stars are getting more comfortable with their new system, and looking at the improvements they've made in their defensive zone early on - a complete 180 - this Dallas team looks ready to erase prior narratives.

Here's a look at some of Dallas' numbers in 2016-17:

And this season:

(All stats at 5-on-5, Courtesy: Corsica)

Looking at this, it's clear Hitchcock, who has always promoted a strong defense, has implemented a system that has the Stars allowing much fewer shot attempts, ultimately leading to fewer expected goals against and subsequently affording the offense added opportunities to control the puck more frequently, which, of course, is all a good thing.

One month into the new regime, Dallas' big guns are predictably still firing at impressive clips. Through 16 contests, both Benn and Seguin have averaged a point per game, while defenseman John Klingberg and newcomer Radulov, have 15 and 14 respectively.

Apart from two fruitless playoff runs, the Stars' potential as a team in the Benn-Seguin era had largely been wasted by an inability to properly fix their biggest flaw, but after finally making significant, and necessary changes across the organization, Dallas looks poised to write a new chapter as a complete unit, one that's ready to compete.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Washington Capitals netminder Braden Holtby became the second fastest goaltender in NHL history to record 200 wins with a 4-1 defeat over the Pittsburgh Penguins Friday, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Holtby achieved the milestone in just 319 games played, trailing only Montreal Canadiens legend Ken Dryden, who reached the mark in just 309 games.

Holtby has led the league in wins each of the past two years, and is now 9-3-0 with a .924 save percentage and a 2.48 goals-against average this season.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

If the Maple Leafs come through with a victory on Saturday in Boston, they'll have gone 3-0 without Auston Matthews in the lineup.

Anyone who watched the Leafs during the previous seven games - in which their only two wins came against a depleted Ducks squad and a shootout win over an expansion team - would have told you that losing their most dynamic and consistent player for the next three games would have been catastrophic.

While many Leafs have stepped up the past two games in Matthews' absence (and will need to do so again on Saturday), perhaps nobody has proved to be more valuable than veteran Patrick Marleau.

When the Leafs handed Marleau a three-year, $18.75-million contract in the offseason, they signed him to play the wing, just as he had done throughout the back nine of his career. However, with their No. 1 center out, Marleau has shifted back to his natural position, and there's good chance the Leafs wouldn't be 2-0 without Matthews if it weren't for his willingness to do so.

Not only does Marleau have goals in consecutive games, including the overtime winner Friday vs. the Bruins, but he has showed he is still capable of playing a strong 200-foot game, despite being 38 years old.

This is more impressive when you consider the short list of centers age 35 or over in the NHL:

As you can see, most of these players are still in the league as a third- or fourth-line center for their defensive and penalty-killing ability. Marleau now has seven goals and 12 points in 18 games, and remains one of Toronto's most reliable defensive forwards thanks to his skating ability, strength on the puck, and all-around intelligence.

Would Marleau rather just play the wing for all 82 games this season? Probably, but at this point in his career, all he cares about is winning, and he's clearly willing to do whatever it takes to help the team achieve that.

Leafs head coach Mike Babcock had other options as to who would shift to center without Matthews in the lineup. William Nylander and Mitch Marner are both natural centers, and former first-round pick Frederik Gauthier has been called up from the AHL.

Yet, Babcock called upon Marleau (a player he coached at the 2010 Olympics) to play center, and with a championship likely the only thing on his mind, Marleau has answered the bell.

A $6.25 million cap hit for a player approaching 40 may seem like a lot, but so far Marleau has been worth every penny.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Sidney Crosby has been here before, but any time the best player in the world is held off the score sheet for this long, it's cause for concern.

The Pittsburgh Penguins captain was unable to score in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals, marking the 10th consecutive contest in which he's failed to find the back of the net.

Crosby managed only two shots on goal in the defeat and played only 18:58, his lowest ice time since he was limited to 18:01 in a 7-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 21.

The reigning Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner earned that distinction by potting 44 goals in 75 games last season, but he's scored only five times in his first 18 contests this fall.

Crosby has chipped in a few assists during his 10-game scoring slump, but he's averaging fewer than two shots on goal over the last seven, and was managing fewer than three shot attempts per game at even strength coming into Friday's game.

The Penguins have struggled to score as a team lately, lighting the lamp a mere 10 times in the last five games, and they've won only four of their last 10 contests during Crosby's skid.

It won't get any easier for him or his club Saturday, when they'll meet the Nashville Predators for a Stanley Cup Final rematch on the road in the second half of a back-to-back.

Crosby's longest goal drought came in 2011-12, when he went 12 games without scoring.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

In backstopping a 4-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night, Florida Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo made history, moving into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time wins list with 455.

Luongo tied Curtis Joseph for fourth on the list in October, but an injury delayed his inevitable climb up the ranks.

The 38-year-old accomplished the feat in his 973rd contest, and now only trails Ed Belfour (484), Patrick Roy (551), and Martin Brodeur (691).

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

There’s no right way to end a professional hockey career.

This is true even for those whose path ultimately leads to the Hockey Hall of Fame, after achieving the highest levels of success.

Two of this year’s inductees were presented with the rare, perhaps romanticized opportunity to leave the game as a Stanley Cup champion after their respective teams prevailed in a winner-take-all Game 7.

But as one made an immediate decision to hang up the skates, the timing wasn't quite right for the other.

Sendoff was Bruin

Since 2001, three players who appeared in over 1,000 regular-season games opted to step away from the NHL upon winning a Game 7 in the Cup Final (according to Katie Strang, then of ESPN): Ray Bourque with the Colorado Avalanche (2001), Ken Daneyko with the New Jersey Devils (2003), and Mark Recchi with the Boston Bruins (2011).

It’s the latter who’s one of four former NHL forwards being honored as a 2017 inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and who confirmed his retirement in an interview with NBC's Pierre McGuire during the on-ice aftermath of an emotional victory over the Canucks in Vancouver.

Recchi knew the time was right, and would have made the same call had the Bruins lost.

"I pretty much had my mind set," Recchi told theScore. "I called (former Bruin) Shawn Thornton the night before and told him it was going to be my last game the next day, so I pretty much had my mind made up.

"It was a long run, I played 110 games I think that year - something like that. I was 43. It would have taken a lot to get to where I needed to be in September. I think mentally I was at a point where I wouldn't have been able to do it."

The Cup win was the third of Recchi's career, having previously won with Pittsburgh (1991) and Carolina (2006).

Victory lap delayed

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Another 2017 inductee had a chance to go out on the same note and add his name to the list above, but ultimately decided to keep playing.

Dave Andreychuk didn’t have to wait as long as Bourque for his first taste from the Cup, but came pretty close. The former Tampa Bay captain reached 1,597 regular-season games before finally winning with the Lightning in 2004 - while the legendary defenseman appeared in 1,612 before getting his.

At age 40, no one would have questioned Andreychuk for calling it quits in that moment, but instead, he chose to give it another go with the Lightning, even after - or perhaps especially because - the season following the Cup win was wiped away due to a lockout.

"(It was) unfortunate for us in '05, really," he said. "We were hurt the most of any team (by the lockout), or any city. We didn't get our victory lap. We were all signed and ready to come back to battle, to get to another Stanley Cup. We didn't go to the White House. There's a lot of things that hurt us. The momentum that we created in Tampa, with all the young kids - they had never seen a two-month playoff drive before. That all kind of went away in '05."

His return lasted 42 games, during which he added six goals to the 634 previously amassed. It ended after being placed on waivers by then general manager Jay Feaster, who according to the CBC, said, "After giving ourselves half a season to evaluate and analyze, it became clear to us that David's game was not suited to the new NHL."

Andreychuk does not regret giving it another go. The regret, he says, would have come in not trying.

"Coming back in '06, there were rule changes. Basically for me, there was a conversation with both Jay Feaster and (head coach) John Tortorella, about 'we'll revisit this in a few months and see how things are going,'" he said.

"I'm glad I came back, because I now know that I was ready to retire, and I was told by my dad to do it - 'Make sure you're sure, and you're not going to sit around Christmas time and say I wish I would have tried.' I know I tried, and I was satisfied."

Recchi and Andreychuk will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame in a ceremony on Nov. 13 in Toronto, along with fellow players Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya, Danielle Goyette, and builders Clare Drake and Jeremy Jacobs.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New Jersey Devils are the latest team to prove that you can shut down Edmonton Oilers stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl all night long and still get burned in the end.

That’s how special the reigning Hart Trophy winner and his talented linemate are - as they showed in the five-second span that ended Thursday’s game.

With 21.3 seconds remaining in overtime, McDavid curled back to his blue line and took a pass from Kris Russell. As the defenseman went back to the bench for a change, McDavid streaked up the right side of the rink, using one big stride to blow the doors off Devils forward Brian Gibbons. After getting past Gibbons’ waving attempt at a check, McDavid skated in on Cory Schneider, and was all alone by the time he reached the faceoff dot.

With a chance to put a move on and try to score the game-winning goal, McDavid instead slammed on the brakes at the edge of the circle. Devils defenseman John Moore, racing back desperately to break up the play, totally lost contact with the trailing Draisaitl, so McDavid stickhandled once and tapped the puck across the slot. Draisaitl popped a one-timer past Schneider, and that was that - 3-2 Oilers:

(Video courtesy: @EdmontonOilers Twitter)

The connection between McDavid and Draisaitl only grows the more they play together, the more that one knows what to expect from the other. That is the jump between having two players whose skills match up well and having two players who can regularly impact games.

"We’re two players that have played together for a long time," McDavid said. "We’re both smart players, and expect each other to kind of look for the extra pass. I definitely think he was expecting it, just like I was expecting it the other night. I did (think to shoot), but then I saw him coming, and I thought, 'Why not?'"

That’s a question McDavid would ask in his mind in the fraction of a second before sending his pass to the perfect spot for his linemate to bury the winner. In order to be ready to convert it, Draisaitl has to know what might be going through McDavid’s mind as he streaks up the ice - and thanks to their experience together, he does.

"He’s so good at finding people, and you just have to bear down and be ready for the puck," Draisaitl said. "Maybe back in Germany (some players would attempt McDavid-like passes), but not at his speed and not at this level, certainly. He’s, I think, the best player at doing that, at the speed he does it at. He’s a special guy."

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

The McDavid and Draisaitl Show dazzled fans and opposing teams alike last season, when McDavid won the scoring title with 100 points and Draisaitl added 85. Now in their second season as one of the NHL's most dangerous tandems, even teammates are astonished at their on-ice artistry.

"Not many guys (can make that play)," Oilers winger Milan Lucic said. "I think of the five minutes (of 3-on-3 overtime), the two of them might have played three and a half of it, so you knew eventually the two of them were going to create something like that. You see it in practice. You see it in games. And they did it once again here."

There has to be good on-ice chemistry with teammates for McDavid to be as good as he can be, because McDavid makes plays that few, if any, players in the league even think to make. The goal in New Jersey was one such moment: how many NHL players go for the goal in that situation? Because McDavid knows Draisaitl will be there to get the pass, can handle it, and can score, he’s willing to make a pass that few would attempt.

"They’ve been together now for almost three years in a 3-on-3 situation, and that’s a very potent pair on the ice at that time because they see the ice so well," Oilers head coach Todd McLellan said.

"They complement each other’s skill set with size and passing and speed and vision. The night before was even more of a spectacular play on the overtime goal (against the Islanders on Tuesday). The camaraderie between the two is evident 3-on-3, but it also exists 5-on-5."

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Nicklas Backstrom is the center of attention in Washington these days, but for reasons wholly unfamiliar.

The Capitals center finds himself in the midst of a seven-game point drought, the longest such streak up to this point in his career.

Since Backstrom entered the NHL in 2007, only five players have recorded more than his 740 points: teammate Alex Ovechkin (855), Sidney Crosby (818), Patrick Kane (766), Evgeni Malkin (765), and Joe Thornton (740).

Backstrom is averaging 0.99 points per game through the beginning of his 11th season, so to go seven appearances without so much as a secondary assist is quite something.

Still, Capitals head coach Barry Trotz, who's seen his team post a record of 4-3-0 without any tangible offensive contributions from his top center, remains firmly in Backstrom's corner.

"(Backstrom) has done a really good job," Trotz said, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. "I know there's a lot been said about not scoring or whatever. To me, it's about winning, and he's had all of the tough matchups. He's still creating good offense, but he hasn't got the numbers.

"I don't think I have to tell you what I think of Nicklas Backstrom. He's one of the best two-way centermen in the National Hockey League and he should be a Selke (Trophy) candidate every year."

Backstrom will look to get back on the score sheet Friday against Pittsburgh.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.