It’s been a rough first half of the 2014-2015 season for the Dallas Stars and their fans, but there is hope. The Stars have turned a terrible start to the season into a decent run back to the playoff bubble. Despite all their early struggles, the Stars are only five points back of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 41 games to go.

An 8-1-1 run vaulted them back into the hunt and even recent losses have provided a few points. The good news is the team has improved vastly over the beginning of the season and the hope is that they continue to progress and play to level they are capable of in the second half. Below are the five biggest disappointments of the first half of Dallas’ season in no particular order.

1. The Power Play

This is mostly in regards to the top unit. It is amazing how such a talented top unit can seem so powerless with the man advantage. They have everything they need. Tyler Seguin is the go-to priority target to send the puck to. Jamie Benn plays on the opposite wing and can be a finisher or playmaker. Jason Spezza is a perimeter puck-mover, who happens to also have a laser shot. Brett Ritchie and Antoine Roussel can effectively provide a net front presence for screens, deflections and rebounds. Alex Goligoski, Trevor Daley, John Klingberg and Jason Demers can all fill the role of puck-moving point man with fluid skating and a decent shot from the blue line. Everything is there. So why do the Stars sit 23^rd in the league with 15.3% efficiency on the power play?

The Dallas Stars power play, lead by Tyler Seguin, has been a big disappointment this season. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)

There may not necessarily be one answer. They have suffered from too many “one and done” shots recently. Early in the season, they were being too cute with the puck. Then they went though a phase where they seemed to refuse to shoot. Then they heated up, but have since fallen back into a slump going 0-for-14 in their past four games.

It’s a combination of things that plague the power play. Opponents have been easily clearing the puck up the boards since four of the stars can sometimes be found beneath the faceoff dots. Forcing ill-advised plays, not taking the split-second opportunity to shoot, over-passing and an inability to find high-percentage shooting lanes have contributed to their struggles.

The Dallas power play has struggled over the four-game losing streak, but it wasn’t long ago the Stars scored a power play goal in four straight games and went 6-for-28 for over 21% during their 8-1-1 run. Something isn’t right. A unit with that much skill and all the tools in place should be much more efficient. They have even struggled with 5-on-3’s, the latest of which was a 33-second opportunity against the Colorado Avalanche Saturday.

2. Goaltending

Lehtonen has no been atrocious. Lehtonen hasn’t necessarily been that bad. On most nights, he just isn’t the Lehtonen we are used to seeing. He struggled heavily early on this season, but he has definitely picked up his play over the last month. Defensive breakdowns and turnovers will end up hurting every goalie, not just Lehtonen, but he has given up many more uncharacteristic “soft” goals this season. He has allowed goals on bad angle shots that no goalie should surrender. He has seen more direct blasts from distance find their way to the back of the net, and more shots seem to simply go straight through him this season.

Dallas’ goaltending has been a disappointment so far this season. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)

With his back-ups playing even worse, Dallas’ fate in pinned to Lehtonen. His .906 save percentage and 2.91 GAA are the worst Lehtonen has posted since coming to Dallas in 2010. He is on pace to play 70 games again, something the Stars hoped to avoid with the signing of Anders Lindback in the summer. Lindback has failed to bring an end to the revolving door of sub par back-ups in recent years. His 4.26 GAA and .856 save percentage are atrocious and Jussi Rynnas didn’t fare any better in his two games.

This all may sound bad, but really Lehtonen has done much better recently. His play carried the Stars to their recent 8-1-1 run. He returned to his usual superhero form making incredible saves and allowing the Stars to win or at least stay in games they were otherwise have no business in. The good news is that Lehtonen has gotten better as the season wore on, so hopefully he continues that trend in the second half of the season.

3. Defense

It was easy for everyone to point to the defense as the team’s primary area of concern before the season, but the problems continue halfway through the season is troubling. Even with the addition of two right-handed defensemen, the defense continues to struggle with coverage and turnovers. Dallas’ defense is young and raw, so mistakes are expected, but they continue to happen at too high of a rate. The Stars are the third-worst team in the league this season in goals against and goals against per game.

The good news is the defense has greatly improved since the first two months of the season. Turnovers were being handed out like candy at Halloween and on some plays the Stars looked like they just stepped off a high-speed merry-go-round as they searched for the man they were supposed to cover. Forwards were gliding or reaching for opponents far more often than they were hustling and eliminating them.

At least most of those problems are over. The Stars have limited their mistakes and the forwards have been helping out a lot more which has led to better results in December and January. The Stars just have to keep improving now in the second half of the season.

4. The Newcomers

This is in reference to those brought in through trades or signings, not call-ups. Spezza, Ales Hemsky, Travis Moen and Jason Demers fall into this category. Spezza was the star addition of the offseason for Dallas. They paid a big price to get him, so while 29 points in 41 games may not be bad, it is below expectations for the veteran center. He did produce on the “supernova” line with Seguin and Benn, but the Stars should get more from their second-line center. His passing is great, but he has passed on too many good scoring opportunities. The Stars could use more than his one power play so far this season.

The trade for Demers was a shock, especially considering the Stars sent Brenden Dillon the other way, but it is understandable why the Stars wanted the 26-year-old defenseman. He is only a little older than Dillon, has more speed and offensive upside and can help the power play. Most importantly, he was a right-handed shot. He’s put up two goals and eight points in 21 games with the Stars. His -4 rating and career-high 35 penalty minutes are a big troubling, though.

Hemsky is by far the most disappointing of the newcomers. Six goals and 15 points in 38 games is not what the Stars expected when they signed him to a three-year, $12 million contract in the summer. He has been a healthy scratch three times already, and he has the second-worst plus/minus rating on the team with a -9. Only two of his points came on the power play. Hemsky has not connected with Spezza as the two did for a brief time in Ottawa, and constantly makes questionable decisions with the puck in the offensive zone. He has picked it up of late with five points in his last seven games, so hopefully that trend continues.

Now THAT Ales Hemsky is worth every dime. Like to see a whole lot more of him the rest of the way .#Danglicious

— Bruce LeVine (@BruceLeVinePuck) January 7, 2015

Not much was expected of Moen, really. He was considered to be a fourth-liner that could provide some added grit, character and physicality. That’s what he has done, so can’t really say has been too disappointing, but I think it might have better having Morin play instead. It will be interesting to see what happens when Eaves returns.

5. The Standings

This was supposed to be the year the Stars took the next step after making it to the playoffs for the first time in five years last season. Before the season, they seemed to be a popular choice to not only make the playoffs, but also be a dangerous playoff threat with a renewed 1-2 punch at center to match their Western Conference rivals.

Instead, the Stars find themselves 11^th in the Western Conference. Though they are only five points out of a playoff spot now, a lot more was expected of the Stars than a battle on the playoff bubble. Dallas’ inability to close out games was a big factor in their early struggles this season. They seem to have finally got over that issue. One of the biggest issues now is holding on to leads in general. Recently, lost leads against the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks led to missed critical points against division foes.

There is still plenty of time left in the season, but the Stars cannot continue to afford losing streaks. An improved roster, a year of added experience for the youngsters, playoff experience and a commitment to the same coach and playing style should see the Stars higher than they are in the standings.