Dallas Stars Already Experiencing Perfect Playoff Scenarios
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars still have two games left in their regular season campaign. But with the current scenarios already in place, it’s clear that they are already enduring playoff-like situations.
The Dallas Stars website announced this morning that playoff tickets are officially on sale to the open public. Though the opponent, date, and time are still to be determined, the Stars faithful can lock their seats up for one of the potentially four home games.
If you are a true and dedicated Stars fans at least in the general DFW area, it’s assumed that you have already visited the site and maybe even claimed your tickets.
It’s an exciting time in Dallas for hockey. The Dallas Stars are finally back in the saddle and riding their way into a postseason run, and the faithful Stars fans who have kept the faith are finally receiving their reward.
So why isn’t everything perfect right now? The Stars are riddled with injuries, still fighting for seeding, and have two difficult opponents to close out the year against.
The fact of the matter is, nothing is nor ever will be perfect for the Dallas Stars. The same goes for every other team as well. Every club has their deficiencies. It’s what makes hockey fun. If one team always had whatever they needed and were never unbalanced in any way, they would simply dominate year after year. So it’s a good thing that there is none of that.
But the Stars current problems are a blessing in disguise. In theory, these problems are being dealt with by Dallas before the postseason in order that the Stars may experience some playoff-like tribulations to learn from.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are nowhere near a walk in the park, and only certain teams can handle the ferocity. In the end, only one team comes out ultimately happy. That team ends up being the one that sacrificed the most and faced the highest number of trials.
Right now, the Dallas Stars are getting an early taste of what the playoffs can be like. As a result, they are learning what it’s like to play with less than ideal circumstances.
The Stars are rolling through the final stretch of their season, and it’s no doubt been a tough ride for the best team in the Western Conference. The Stars have played the past few weeks ultimately plagued by injuries to key players. Names like Tyler Seguin, Jason Demers, Kris Russell, John Klingberg, and Mattias Janmark have all been benched for substantial periods of time.
Dallas has been forced to adjust in these troubled times, and has done a good job as of late. Their new line pairings have been effective and the prospects called up from the minors have efficiently filled the voids.
Another difficult task set in front of this current group of Dallas Stars is the battle for seeding. The Stars currently sit in first place in the Central Division and Western Conference. But things are tight, considering the St. Louis Blues are dead knotted with them at 105 points through 80 games. Both teams have two more contests, and the records will be influential in determining who plays who in the first round.
This means that the Dallas Stars need to win out. Winning out in the final two games would automatically give the Stars not only the Central title, but also first place in the West. Similarly in the playoffs, the Stars may be put in a situation where they have to win out. In a win-or-go-home scenario, Dallas would have to put their noses to the grindstone and finish strong to avoid an early summer.
More stars: Dallas Stars Are Playoff Bound; Are They Playoff Ready?
The Stars do not have anything easy ahead of them, though. They play a Colorado Avalanche team they have only beat once this season on Thursday, followed by a game with the always-challenging Nashville Predators.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are an enticing and versatile time throughout the typical NHL season. The fact that the Stars are a team on the inside once again is nothing short of impressive. But anything can happen, as everyone has seen this year. The Stars are learning from their current deficiencies, hoping that they will make an impact on their playoff run.
Next: Stars Injuries Are Piling Up
It’s almost go time.