Stars head coach Manny Lagos was clearly frustrated following Minnesota's 1-1 draw with Edmonton on Saturday night, but he brought out his philosophical side to speak with reporters.
"When you play as well as I think we have, and not finish, that's a part of the game," he said. "There's a mental side of this game, that confidence really comes into play."
His frustration was evident, though, and I'd suspect his players will be hearing about it, as Lagos spoke several times of a need to be "honest" with his team. "We're going to be honest that it's a group effort and we're not quite getting it done," he said. "We have to be honest about not winning games at home that we maybe should have won."
"It's disappointing, because I think we've played better than our results as of late."
The Stars have now failed to win in seven consecutive games - a streak that includes three draws and four losses. The team put together a similar winless run in August and September of last season, a slide that nearly knocked the eventual champions out of the playoffs. Lagos, however, didn't - or chose not to - see the parallel. "I think it's a little bit different cycle than last year, a little bit different mentality. I think this year our streak has better soccer in it."
"When something bad happens, heads are going to go down... We have to find a way to be mentally stronger and to have some guys be a little more excited about finishing. We have to show our fans, our team, and our club that we're better than this, in terms of offensive production."
Things don't get any easier next week; the Stars host league-leading San Antonio at home.