To even the most casual observer, it was obvious that the secret to the Detroit Red Wing’s climb to and capture of Lord Stanley’s Cup last year was not a very big secret. And when one analyzes the successful work done by the Stars to get them into the Western Conference Finals where they met and fell to those same Red Wings, it would appear that little needed to be done to improve things for an even better shot to make it into the NHL Finals this time around.

It would appear from the acquisition of Sean Avery by the Dallas Stars in the off-season that the lesson learned by the top brass from last year’s play-offs was "we need more grit". But while the Stars may have felt out-muscled in the contentious play of the later rounds, it would appear two games into the new calendar that they have missed the mark dramatically on figuring out how to improve on what was statistically an impressive previous outing.

You can listen to almost any athlete in almost any sport speak to an interviewer with the same clichés and invariably you will hear mention of the fact that a player or team relies on keeping in place "the fundamentals". The lip service that is paid to this idea seems to be lost on our Stars as they appear to have tweaked themselves out of sorts between campaigns.

The off-season brought up new and promising talent led by James Neal, NHL Prospects Tournament stand-out and Dallas’ newest left-winger. Neal tallied his first NHL goal in his debut in the team’s opener Friday night at the American Airlines Center against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Other young guns such as defensive up-and-comers Mark Fistric and Nicklas Grossman as well as grizzled, one-season and now playoff-run veteran and stand-out, Matt Niskanen (21 years old), are proving that this team is deep and has a bright future with these guys getting invaluable experience in the deepest of trenches.

As I alluded to in the extended opening to this writing, the front office must have decided after scratching their collective heads, that the thing they needed to take this group to the next level was more scrappiness and toughness. Forget the fact that they already have the guy whose picture appears in the hockey dictionary next to the entry for the word "heart" in Brendan Morrow. Forget also the fact that he is supported by one of the league’s more out-spoken contenders in Steve Ott. But this team is also sporting the afore-mentioned cache of battle-proven but young blue-liners that have shown they can, as they decreed at the start of the last post-season, "lock it down".

Yes, even with all those pieces in place, new co-general manager, Brett Hull, has brought on board reportedly the league’s ‘most hated’, Sean Avery, to add some toughness and talent to an already glittering second line. Why? Perhaps because he owes him one, perhaps because they were roommates or perhaps simply because Avery, while being notorious, is also highly skilled and equally admired.

Hopefully Avery will display some of this talent soon because he really needs the balance having already racked up 27 penalty minutes through two games! That’s almost half a game. And did I mention they’ve only played two?!

But the real downside that can be observed is the missing fundamental I keep referring to. It’s the most basic rule that one has to follow and can be easily summed up: if you want win, you have to score; if you want to score, you have to have the puck.

The most glaring stat that would set apart last year’s champion Red Wings, if it were only recorded and published by the NHL, would be puck control. In the NFL it is recorded as "time of possession". Watching any of last year’s play one could tell this was Detroit’s modus operandi from the ceremonial drop of the first puck. You would assume it would be the case for all teams, but obviously some teams remember the basics better than others.

This year the Stars seem to be adept at the opposite. Through two games it would appear that the coaching staff has instructed the players to attempt to win without the puck. Those of you scoring at home must have a score sheet that looks something like this:

Dallas dumps the puck.

Dallas chases the puck.

The opponent gets to the puck first.

The opponent moves the puck out of their zone.

Ad nauseam.

Perhaps the most fundamental basic to playing most sports has been lost on the coaching staff in the trivia of tweaking this powerhouse team. It’s obviously been lost on the players who seem to be searching for reasons for the losses in explanations such as this from the captain, Brendan Morrow, after Saturday’s loss to Nashville, "It's not a lack of effort. I think we are too anxious to make plays." A sure-fire cure for anxiety is focus on something simple – like puck control.

If you need any more proof, check the stats. When the Stars managed to exhibit their own abilities in puck control and possession last go ‘round the result was a caliber of creativity from, most notably, Mike Ribeiro that inspired many a teammate, coach and fan. With his quick wits and command of space and time with the biscuit, Ribeiro accomplished a career high in points and a league-high in shooting percentage.

While it has its place of critical importance in this game, I don’t recall banging into people being as directly responsible for putting points on the board as having and controlling the puck.

Is there a lesson to be learned here?

"If something works, do more of that."