Stars' Montgomery 'very disappointed' in lack of scoring from top players

Jim Montgomery made it clear he's not happy with the performance of his best players so far this season.

"Very disappointed," the Dallas Stars head coach told reporters when asked about the scoring of his top players following an overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.

When asked if he is seeing signs of progress, Montgomery replied, "No, are you?"

Tyler Seguin has collected only three goals and 11 points in 2019-20, while Jamie Benn has managed just one goal and six points. Alexander Radulov has netted five goals to go along with five assists, and marquee free-agent signing Joe Pavelski has recorded just three goals and eight points. All four forwards have suited up for all 18 games.

Montgomery singled out Seguin and Benn when asked how important it is for his top players to step up amid injuries to star defenseman John Klingberg and forward Roope Hintz, who leads the club with nine goals this season.

"It's really important," the bench boss said. "You need your No. 1 center and need your No. 1 left winger to step up and do more."

Montgomery explained that the team has tried to reduce its top players' ice time and conduct 1-on-1 video sessions, but he added that the onus is on them to turn things around.

"They've got to decide that they want to be a difference maker," the head coach said. "I mean, look who scored for the Jets."

Patrik Laine opened the scoring for Winnipeg on Sunday and Mark Scheifele potted the overtime winner.

"We got really good, big goals by (Mattias) Janmark and (Radek) Faksa, and that's our third and fourth line," Montgomery said.

The Stars fell to 8-8-2 with Sunday's loss. Dallas ranks third-last in the NHL with 2.39 goals per game.

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