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The Dallas Stars Bottom Lines Are Keeping Playoff Hopes Alive

By Josh Clark

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The Dallas Stars finished off a 5-game road trip with an impressive 4-2 victory over the Washington Capitals Friday night on the second half of a back-to-back. This led the Stars to a 4-1-0 record for the trip. With the last home game coming as a win against the Islanders, that makes them 5-1-0 in their last six games, one of their best streaks all season. And it is coming just in the nick of time.

Their rookie-filled defense has been nothing short of spectacular amidst the absences of Trevor Daley and John Klingberg, the blue line’s two leading scorers. Since the loss of Daley at the very beginning of the Stars-Isles game, the Stars defense has allowed just 25.5 shots per game and an average of 2.66 goals per game, some of their best numbers of the season. To add onto that, since Klingberg was sidelined at the end of the Flyers game, the defense has one-upped itself and now only gives up 19 shots per game and an average of 2.50 goals per game. The blue line is also contributing in scoring, claiming two of the Stars last seven goals over the past two games.

Next: Dallas Stars Are Capitalizing When People Least Expect It

But the main reason the Dallas Stars have been winning their games recently comes from their always-sizzling offense. When the Stars offense comes to mind, most people think Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and Jason Spezza.

But those have not been the names being mentioned over the past few wins. Instead, the Stars are gaining the majority of the offensive help they need from their bottom two lines which look like this:

Curtis McKenzie – Shawn Horcoff – Brett Ritchie

Patrick Eaves – Vernon Fiddler – Colton Sceviour

These two lines have been causing havoc over the past few games, especially the third line. McKenzie and Ritchie are still fresh from the Texas Stars. McKenzie has only played 28 games with the Dallas Stars this season, while Ritchie has only played 23. They have been recalled and reassigned a few different times, but have not let it affect them.

Over the last six games, these have not been the exact lines the Stars have used, but very similar. These lines are the exact ones the Stars have used over the last two games. With Ryan Garbutt being scratched for two consecutive games now, it has given way to these lines forming.

The statistics for these players over the past six games is purely phenomenal. The Dallas Stars have scored 22 goals in the six game span. Here is a look at the contributions from the bottom six:

[table id=17 /]

That translates to 14 of the 22 goals coming from the bottom six. Add in three goals from the blue line, and you’ve got 17. That means that the top six superstars have only combined for five goals over the 5-1-0 streak. Three of those have come from Tyler Seguin and the other two are credited to Cody Eakin.

So over the winning streak, the offensive threat has mainly come from the guys that average 12-13 minutes on the ice each game. How’s that for depth?

The Dallas Stars may have finally found a line combination that works, both on offense and defense. These line combinations are giving them some serious depth that other teams cannot completely contain. If you are up for a little “Transformation Saturday” (I don’t care if it’s not a thing), let’s look at the transformation of the lines:

Dallas Stars projected lines as of early October 2014:

Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Valeri Nichushkin

Erik Cole – Jason Spezza – Ales Hemsky

Antoine Roussel – Cody Eakin – Ryan Garbutt

Shawn Horcoff – Vernon Fiddler – Colton Sceviour

Dallas Stars lines as of March 13th, 2015:

Jamie Benn – Cody Eakin – Tyler Seguin

Antoine Roussel – Jason Spezza – Ales Hemsky

Curtis McKenzie – Shawn Horcoff – Brett Ritchie

Patrick Eaves – Vernon Fiddler – Colton Sceviour

Just a bit of a difference, right? But the Dallas Stars may have finally figured out a formula that works.

“We just have to stay focused on what we can control. If we can keep winning games we can control a little bit of our destiny. Obviously, we need a little bit of luck on our side, too.” -Vernon Fiddler

The Dallas Stars sit with thirteen games remaining in their season. They are five points out of a playoff spot with a game out of hand…. They will need some other teams to take a loss here and there while they continue a win streak. It is not impossible, but they will need one heck of a streak if they want to capitalize.

The Stars have six more games on the road. They have thrived on the road this season, boasting a record of 19-14-2.

They have seven more games at home, and that is where it could be a problem. The Stars are 13-13-8 at home this year, including a record of 1-2-2 in their last five appearances at the AAC. They will have their first crack at home on Sunday night against Central Division foe the St. Louis Blues. They are 2-0-1 against the Blues this season, but 0-0-1 at home. This is a big game, and could prove fatal if the Stars drop a loss. We’ll just hope for the best. Keep the faith.

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