Dallas Stars Locked In, But Could Still Use Victory vs. Coyotes
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars officially clinched a place in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Tuesday night. They will look to continue riding their hot streak against the Arizona Coyotes tonight.
Two nights back, the Dallas Stars traveled to the United Center and ravaged the Chicago Blackhawks for a 6-2 win. This victory officially clinched a playoff spot for the Stars in the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs. But now that the first step is over, the second step of seeding comes into play. The Stars have another opportunity to gain some ground in the standings tonight when they take on the Arizona Coyotes.
The game will be broadcasted on Fox Sports Southwest (FSSW), and you can also hear it on 1310AM/96.7FM The Ticket. Puck drop is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, AZ.
Records and Scores
The Dallas Stars have clearly found their skating legs over the last few games, and just in the nick of time with the playoffs just around the corner. The Stars currently sit in first place in the Central Division and Western Conference with a record of 44-21-9 with 97 points.
Their most recent game comes as a dominating 6-2 victory over the Blackhawks that locked them up a playoff spot. They are 3-1-1 in their last five games.
The Arizona Coyotes, on the other hand, look like they will be falling just short this year. Their record of 32-34-7 with 71 points is good enough to put them in fourth place in both the Pacific Division and wild card race. They are ten points back of the final playoff spot, and it just simply is not logical to say they are still in the running. They have a lot of young talent and a bright future, but this year is just not the year.
Their most recent contest comes as a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. They are 3-2-0 in their last five games.
Storylines
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are Dallas-bound
Tuesday night was probably the best night of the entire 2015-2016 regular season campaign for most Stars fans. Not only did the Stars strut into Chicago and embarrass the Hawks in front of their home crowd, but their efforts finally pushed them over the mark and dealt them a playoff spot.
This may not be the most noteworthy storyline to follow, but it will most assuredly make you feel good and remind you that the Stars are playing past game 82 this year. And who knows how long they will be going this year?
Tyler Seguin can take as long as he needs to heal
Last Thursday night, the Dallas Stars were on their way to an impressive victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning at home. With just moments remaining in an eventual 4-3 win, Tyler Seguin took a turn for the worst. Seguin took a skate to the back of his leg, near his heel, from an opposing player in a collision. The skate cut into his achilles and the injury required surgery. He is now sidelined for the next 3-4 weeks.
So code red, right? Wrong, surprisingly enough. Since Seguin took to the bench, the Stars are 2-0-0 against two potential playoff competitors (New York Islanders and Chicago Blackhawks). Dallas has outscored these two opponents by a combined score of 9-2. Kari Lehtonen shut out the Islanders on Saturday, which signified the first time the Stars had held the Islanders to less than two goals in over three years.
Oddly enough, it seems as though the Stars offense is just fine without their superstar sniper. There is no set answer on if it will last, but so far Dallas is doing wonders against top-tier teams in this time of injury crisis. If they can do it without Seguin, what can they manage to do once Seguin returns and the postseason starts?
Arizona in that awkward spot in the standings
The Arizona Coyotes did more than most expected of them this year. In the early season power rankings, the Coyotes were near the bottom of the chart, primarily in the bottom five. But at this point in the season, that is clearly not the case.
The young guns on offense, defense, and in net have helped carry the Coyotes back to being a somewhat threatening team. The only problem is, they are in about the same spot as the Stars were last year: in the middle of the standings. In their current state, they will not be qualifying for the postseason this year. But they are also too far from the bottom of the standings that they will not be able to pick up a high draft pick.
Sadly, a few teams have to fill those voids every year. It’s inevitable. But the Coyotes are in for something very special down the road. Watch out.
Injury report
The Dallas Stars will be missing F Tyler Seguin (achilles) and D Jason Demers (arm). D Kris Russell (lower body) and F Mattias Janmark (upper body) are both questionable.
The Arizona Coyotes will be missing G Anders Lindback (achilles) and F Joe Vitale (concussion) are out. D Jarred Tinordi is serving a suspension.
Projected lines
Dallas Stars
Jamie Benn – Cody Eakin – Patrick Sharp
Valeri Nichushkin – Jason Spezza – Patrick Eaves
Antoine Roussel – Radek Faksa – Ales Hemsky
Colton Sceviour – Vernon Fiddler – Brett Ritchie
Alex Goligoski – John Klingberg
Kari Lehtonen
More stars: Stars Clench Long-Awaited Playoff Spot
Arizona Coyotes
Alex Tanguay – Antoine Vermette – Anthony Duclair
Jiri Sekac – Martin Hanzal – Max Domi
Tobias Rieder – Brad Richardson – Shane Doan
Jordan Martinook – Boyd Gordon – Kyle Chipchura
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Connor Murphy
Klas Dahlbeck – Zbynek Michalek
Kevin Connauton – Michael Stone
Prediction
What can I say? The Dallas Stars are clearly motivated after clenching a playoff spot and cannot let their foot off the gas for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, the Coyotes are out of luck and waiting for the clock to strike midnight.
Next: Kari Lehtonen: Dallas' Current Starter In Net
Even though the Stars took an ugly 6-3 loss back in mid-February to Arizona, I like Dallas winning this one 4-2.