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5 NHL teams that could use a restart to their season

By Mary Clarke

NEWARK, NJ- OCTOBER 10: James Neal #18 of the Edmonton Oilers celebrates his second period goal during the game against the New Jersey Devils on October 10, 2019 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ- OCTOBER 10: James Neal #18 of the Edmonton Oilers celebrates his second period goal during the game against the New Jersey Devils on October 10, 2019 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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The 2019-20 NHL season is in full swing after a week of play. For some of the teams in the league, however, it could be going better.

Starting a new season off on the right foot is usually the goal for sports teams after a long offseason. Getting in front and banking wins early is an easy way to get momentum rolling so a team has wiggle room when the schedule gets tough in the final weeks of a playoff race.

The state of the NHL a week into the 2019-20 season is still coming into view. Five teams remain undefeated, but the standings fluctuate so often with so few games played that it’s hard to get a feel for who is starting to separate themselves from the pack, minus a few outliers like the Carolina Hurricanes.

Though the heart of the NHL order is still shaping up, there is a clear demarcation line between the teams that have promise, and those that are faltering. The season is early, sure, but it’s easy to see that a handful of NHL teams would love to hit the restart button on this season and get another chance at starting the year off better than they have.

As the first full week of NHL action comes to a close, here are the top five NHL teams that could use a mulligan on the start of the season.

DALLAS, TX – OCTOBER 10: Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin (91) sits on the bench during a timeout during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Calgary Flames on October 10, 2019 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – OCTOBER 10: Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin (91) sits on the bench during a timeout during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Calgary Flames on October 10, 2019 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

5. Dallas Stars (1-3-1)

So far through five games of the 2019-20 NHL season, the retooled Dallas Stars have yet to look as formidable as the projections believed them to be to start the season. The Stars opened the season losing their first three games of the season, before finally getting their first win in overtime against Washington in a game that almost slipped away from them at the end.

Leading the team on offense so far is not Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn or Alexander Radulov, but instead 22-year-old winger Roope Hintz in his second NHL season. Roope leads the team in points (5) and overall goals (4) and while the young forward’s break out story is a nice one, the team’s veteran core has yet to make their presences known. Even though the Stars’ best game was their 3-2 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames on Thursday, they couldn’t hold onto a 2-0 lead in the third period in a game they should have won.

Overall, the Stars have the offensive firepower to make back the points lost this early in the season later down the line. However, the team is on the cusp of a four-game road trip out east to visit Columbus, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia, a group of teams that have mixed results so far this season but can still be deadly on any given evening.

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