"It was October the last time the Stars walked off the American Airlines Center ice without a point, so a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Phoenix Coyotes on Sunday seems understandable. Coyotes goalie Jason LaBarbera was on his game in stopping 30 shots and recording the fifth shutout of his career. Phoenix was motivated, as it had gone 1-3-1 in the previous five games of a season-long six-game road trip. And the Stars were probably due, having tied the second-longest home point streak in franchise history (13 games). The problem with all of that logic is it doesn't really help the Stars in trying to stay on a wave that has carried them to the top of the Pacific Division standings. Dallas has lost its last two home games (one in a shootout) and has looked only so-so in doing it. Combine that with the two-day break for Christmas, and this team looks like it has lost the momentum it gained in rolling up an 11-2-2 run. Dallas still is far ahead of where it expected to be, with a 21-11-4 record (46 points), but teams move up and down quickly in the Western Conference. Phoenix is a good example of that. The Coyotes are 16-11-7 (39 points) and still just trying to get into the top eight in the West. "The two days off, I think, is exactly what our team needed right now," Stars coach Marc Crawford said before the game. "We've played a lot of hockey with 12 games in 22 days, and now we come back with a lot of games, five in eight days. So we're right back into it, and we need to be aware of what we need to be." The Stars don't have much time to breathe. They practice Monday, play at Nashville on Tuesday, then come back to play Western Conference-leading Detroit on Wednesday. It's a grind, but the Stars have to find a way to get back on top of their game. " Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...rs/stories/122710dnspostarslede.54029282.html
