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The Dallas Stars Updated Playoff Standings; Time For A Miracle

By Josh Clark

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The Dallas Stars have officially entered the danger zone. Their season is in total jeopardy and it may already be extinct.

The Dallas Stars enter Monday morning in dead last among the teams still realistically competing for the wild card spots. Is it impossible for them to make the postseason for the second straight season? No. But it may as well be at this point.

Here is a look at the standings as of Monday morning:

1. Minnesota Wild 65 GP 79 PTS

2. Winnipeg Jets 66 GP 78 PTS

3. Los Angeles Kings 65 GP 75 PTS

4. San Jose Sharks 66 GP 72 PTS

5. Colorado Avalanche 66 GP 71 PTS

6. Dallas Stars 66 GP 68 PTS

On the side, the Pacific Division is tighter than ever. Here are the current Pacific standings:

1. Anaheim Ducks 67 GP 91 PTS

2. Vancouver Canucks 65 GP 78 PTS

3. Calgary Flames 65 GP 76 PTS

So four Pacific Division teams sit within six points of each other. With that, only two can sit atop the Pacific Division at the end of the year. With the Central Division entangled within the wild card standings, the chances are bleak and slim at best that all four of these Pacific Division teams will qualify for the postseason. So, it is not clear on which teams will make it and which will not. We will have to wait it out a few more weeks before they are separated enough.

In the Dallas Stars situation, they will need to pull off a memorable miracle to make this happen. Even though they are not mathematically eliminated, they may as well be. It is sad how one loss sent them so far down. With the Stars losing and every other team in contention winning Saturday and Sunday (barring the Wild, who were beaten by the Avalanche. How that happened is crazy, but we’ll save that discussion for a later date). The Stars have 32 possible points left to gain. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, let’s say the Stars win 10 of their final 16 contests. That puts them at 88 points, three less than they had at the end of last year when they qualified.

The Dallas Stars are not in a good situation, and the losses of Trevor Daley and John Klingberg are heavy shots to an already shaky defense. If the defense the Stars saw in the third period against Tampa Bay is the defense the Stars have for the upcoming week, the season is definitely over. But if these Stars have proven anything this year, it is that they will always strike heavy when we expect them least. With four games in the upcoming week against three Eastern Conference teams, it is the perfect time to gain ground. But to gain ground at this point, other teams will need to slip up.

The Avalanche will take on the Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, and Calgary Flames this week.

The Sharks will encounter the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, and Chicago Blackhawks this week.

The Kings take on the Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, and Nashville Predators this week.

The Jets face off with the St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers, and Tampa Bay Lightning this week.

The Minnesota Wild will battle the New Jersey Devils, Anaheim Ducks, and St. Louis Blues this week.

The Calgary Flames will take on the Anaheim Ducks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Colorado Avalanche this week.

Lastly, the Vancouver Canucks will encounter the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and Toronto Maple Leafs this week.

If you did not already notice, there are a good number of competition between the teams listed, as well as a few games against already-clenched playoff teams.

The Dallas Stars on the other hand have a difficult schedule of their own. They battle the Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, and St. Louis Blues this week. All these teams, besides the Hurricanes, are well into the playoff hunt, and the Stars will certainly have their hands full.

Wins have not come easy for Dallas, while on the other hand they seem to be coming for the other teams in the race. But there is nothing they can do about that. The Stars must focus in and get this week nailed down. Stop by stop, win by win. They have officially run out of time to stall. It is do or die in the upcoming week, and it is all up to how much they want it.

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