LeBrun: The Dallas Stars are built to score. So what’s going on?

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EDMONTON — The thing about Mikko Rantanen is, no one is harder on him than himself.

He holds himself to lofty standards. He expects to produce offensively to help his team win games. He’s been a proven playoff producer throughout his career.

So to go seven straight games without scoring a goal, and to be held to two assists in the Western Conference final so far, it’s irritating as heck to him.

“Yeah, you know, I try to help and haven’t been able to do it as much this series as would be needed to win games,” Rantanen said after the Dallas Stars lost 4-1 on Tuesday night in Game 4 to trail the series with the Edmonton Oilers 3-1. “So, I will try to reset myself tomorrow and try to find some keys to get a bounce or two and try to help us win a game.”

It’s no surprise that Rantanen owned it. He’s not one to look for excuses or point fingers. He’s looking in the mirror and not seeing the superstar version of Mikko Rantanen that needs to be there right now.

He’s far from the only Stars forward struggling right now. It’s a team-wide issue to be sure, but Rantanen is the superstar, the guy who is supposed to lead the way offensively. He’s not, and the Stars are in a significant hole.

What’s going on with a Stars team that has arguably the most forward depth in the entire NHL?

Wyatt Johnston seems to have lost his confidence, which often happens with young players, but it’s happening at a crucial time. But he’s not alone. Up and down this deep forward group, there are few goals to be found right now.

Why?

The Stars were tops in the playoffs after two rounds in a lot of the rush-chances analytics, and created a lot of their offense that way against Colorado and Winnipeg. But the Oilers have done a great job not allowing them to get a lot of odd-man rush chances. The other thing? For a team like the Stars, who normally are adept at net-front and high-slot tips of points shots, the Oilers have really done a good job boxing out and blocking shots.

The Stars had good intentions Tuesday night. They pounded the Oilers with 39 shot attempts in the opening period and, according to Natural Stat Trick, had a 20-8 advantage in five-on-five scoring chances, including 6-2 in high-danger chances. But they left the ice after 20 minutes down 1-0.

Talk about deflating.

“A little bit of the same story, right? Just can’t get that lead,” said Stars head coach Pete DeBoer. “Yeah, I loved our first period. Other than I thought we missed the net too much. I think 15 missed shots. We’ve got to make it a little bit tougher and make sure we’re hitting nets in those situations. But really, to play a period like that and not get out even or up, you’re actually down a goal, is a tough spot.”

Added Rantanen: “The start of the game tonight reminded me of the second period in Game 3. We were on them, creating chances almost every shift, and they still get the first goal. That’s the frustrating part. But this is not the time of the year to get frustrated. You have to reset and go back at it.’’

The Stars had 16 missed shots among those 39 shot attempts in the first period. Is Stuart Skinner getting in their head? Are they trying to be too cute?

“I mean, how many of those hit the net?” Tyler Seguin said when asked about the first-period shot attempts. “I feel like we missed the net a lot. I felt like I missed the net quite a bit. There’s things to do better. Obviously, getting shots is great. Hit the net a bit more, get guys in front of their goalie a bit more. Bear down a bit more.”

Added Rantanen: “It’s important to hit the net, try to get a rebound even or something like that. Maybe we’re trying to shoot too hard, trying too much offensively. We got to relax a little bit.”

Again, let’s not understate what’s happening here. The Stars were the third-highest scoring team in the NHL this year. Then they added Rantanen. They have good players on every line. They’re built to score.

Yes, scoring is harder in the playoffs, for sure. But to be limited to two goals in the last three games, against a goalie who was supposed to be the weak link on the Oilers’ roster — something isn’t adding up.

It’s strange, really.

“I wouldn’t say strange. It’s the playoffs. Everyone tightens up defensively,” said winger Jason Robertson, who scored the Stars’ lone goal on the power play in the second period. “Scoring chances are coming at a premium. But I mean, we’re getting a lot of shot attempts, a lot of shots that create rebound and whatnot. Just going to continue doing that and I’m sure they’ll go in.”

The Stars are a veteran team. It takes a lot to rattle them. Is their offensive confidence shaken now?

“You just keep working,” Seguin said. “This time of year, it’s about willing things in. It’s all about that effect. Did we deserve to get rewarded one of these games or a couple more goals? Probably. But it doesn’t matter what you deserve right now. Just go back home and keep grinding away and hopefully things change here.”

Getting a lead would help. The Oilers have scored first in all four games this series. It was a point of emphasis for the Stars before Game 4, to finally grab a lead. It wasn’t for a lack of trying in the first period. But they chased the game again, with the Oilers taking 1-0 and 2-1 leads before putting away the game with two empty-net goals.

“Just having a hard time getting the first goal, which would be important in the playoffs, if you can play with the lead,” Rantanen said. “We haven’t done it a lot in these playoffs. We haven’t scored the first goal many times. I think guys were working hard in the first period. We were better than them five-on-five and obviously they get a (power-play) goal. We pushed really hard tonight but two power-play goals for them and only one for us. That was the game.”

Normally, a team chasing the game has that third-period push, and they get more aggressive as they try to manufacture offense.

Shots on goal for the Stars in Game 3 in the third period? Four.

Shots on goal for the Stars in Game 4 in the third period? Four.

“They locked it down pretty good,” Seguin said. “There wasn’t much going on out there. For us forwards, we’ve got to do a better job of puck placements and keeping it away from Skinner. He made some good plays as a goalie back there.’’

Then there’s special teams. The Stars are losing that battle, too. The Oilers have five power-play goals in the series, including two on Tuesday night.

“We’ve got to get a kill tonight,” lamented DeBoer postgame.

Look at it this way. The Oilers and Avalanche are very similar teams as far as their high-octane offenses. Colorado struggled on the power play in the first round against Dallas, and the Avs felt that was a huge factor in losing that series to the Stars. The Oilers’ dangerous power play, on the other hand, is finding a way to produce. And it’s been a major factor in this series.

So, where do the Stars go from here? They’re 7-2 at home in these playoffs. They need to take care of business on Thursday night in Game 5. But then they’ll still need to steal one at Rogers Place in Game 6 Saturday night to have a chance to pull off the magical comeback.

“It’s time to reset again,” Rantanen said. “It’s not over until somebody wins four games. Now we go to home ice. You don’t think about what the series is. It’s about just win one game. And try to come back to Alberta.”

(Photo: Perry Nelson / Imagn Images)

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