Dallas Stars Hit Home Stretch After All Star Break
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars are currently kicking back and taking it easy during a seven-day break while the All Star Game runs its course. But once they return to action, how do you think they will finish the year out?
A picture surfaced yesterday on Twitter that included a few Dallas Stars players in it. Warning: you may not be ready for what you see.
Yes, a few Dallas Stars players are actually enjoying themselves right now while away from all of the stress and hustle that comes with professional sports. A few Stars took a trip to Cabo with their plus ones (except poor Colton Sceviour).
This is all due to the seven-day break that the Stars are currently experiencing. After winning a 2-1 contest with the Calgary Flames on Monday night, Dallas officially ended their somewhat ugly January campaign and will not play again until February 2nd.
After the victory, Dallas Stars head coach Lindy Ruff told his team to completely step away from the game for the next three or four days and take a break. Nice to see that they are following suit.
Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin will not get this luxury, though. At least not to as full of an extent as the rest of the team. The dynamic duo will travel with Lindy Ruff to the Music City of Nashville, TN for the 2016 NHL All Star Weekend. With the skills competition on Saturday night and the new 3-on-3 divisional tournament commencing on Sunday afternoon, it promises to be a good weekend.
But after the weekend ends, it’s go time. No more breaks. Pedal to the floor, no stopping or looking back.
After the break, the Dallas Stars will play the final 32 games of their season spanning from February 2nd to April 9th. Within this span lies plenty of crucial games and situations that the Stars will be faced with and have to overcome.
It’s been a bit of a roller coaster year for the Stars this season. After a strong start in October and November and a decent December showing, the month of January hit Dallas like a truck. The Stars were all of a sudden sloppy, inconsistent, and lackadaisical. As a result, they went 3-6-2 through the month. They forfeited both their claim to first place in the Western Conference and the NHL as a whole.
The interesting part is that 16 of the final 32 games are against Central Division opponents. With only 13 points separating the Stars from the final wild card spot held by the Colorado Avalanche, the divisional games will be crucial to the Stars success and playoff chances.
Currently, the Dallas Stars are second place in the Central Division and third place in the NHL with a record of 31-14-5 (67 points). They are only three points behind first in the West and second in the NHL. The Chicago Blackhawks are just above the Stars, but Dallas has three games in hand.
More stars: Do Not Fear, Stars Fans: January Is Over
So these next 32 games will say a lot about the Stars and their ability to deal with adversity. There are opportunities to rise and opportunities to fall.
That being said, where do you think the Stars will finish up this year? With all of the Central Division opponents slowly heating up for the home stretch, will the Stars be able to fend them off? Vote below on where you think the Stars will finish up.
In my opinion, I have the Dallas Stars finishing 49-24-9 with 107 points. What do you think? Apologies to all reading this on the mobile app, which does not support polls yet. But we encourage you to find us on social media or on our website and cast your vote!
The Dallas Stars experienced a bit of a skid in January, meaning that it could very well continue into February. Or, they could break out of the slump and be back to the top in no time.
Next: Stars Keys To Post-Break Success
Anything can happen, and that is what is so intriguing about the NHL. Not to mention that once the playoffs start, seedings could not matter in the slightest either. Everything is up in the air, and every team has a shot at the top.