For much of this season, shortage has been the source of misery for the Stars. If it looks like the Stars are taking too many penalties, it’s not because they actually commit an excessive number of infractions – a strange thing to say on a night when they got six penalties – but because these penalties too often translate into goals for the opposition.

Prior to Saturday, the Stars were in the NHL’s top 10 for lowest penalties at 55. However, they were also the sixth worst in the NHL on shorthanded penalty. They were also among 14 teams that had not scored a shorthanded goal. In other words, there were no glimmers of hope in the Stars’ shorthanded game.

With the league’s second-best power play in town on Saturday night, the most important thing for the Stars to do to beat the Blues was to stay out of the box. Understandably, Dallas committed six penalties and won 4-1 not despite the penalties but because of them – or, more specifically, because they were so successful in covering them.

“We’re trying to be a lot more aggressive,” said head coach Rick Bowness. “A lot more. I thought we were too passive at the start of the year, and we’re going to change that. We’re trying to be a lot more aggressive. (It’s) more downward pressure and more forward rotation. Rather than let them pass the puck, we have to get up and really try to cut the ice in half and keep it there. (Before) they could pass it half board, middle, here and there, you just ask for trouble.

Instead of the penalty kill dooming the Stars, the power play opportunities doom the Blues.