Dallas Stars Have One More Punch To Deliver In Division
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars continue to win, but seem to be gaining no ground. The good news is if the Stars win one more game, they will finally receive what they have been fighting for.
It’s almost over, and what a crazy time it has been.
The 2015-2016 NHL regular season is on its way out the door, with only 17 games remaining over the next three days. After that, 14 teams will pack their bags and head home for a summer vacation, while 16 teams will stick around for an opportunity at extra credit.
This season’s fight for playoff positioning has been an intense one to say the least. With just three more nights of hockey left to be played, not one first round matchup has been determined. There are still too many moving pieces in each division and conference.
The Dallas Stars will be one of the lucky contenders this year in the playoff race, but their opponent is still up in the air. This is largely due to the recent play of the St. Louis Blues.
The Stars have been playing some of their best hockey as of late, which has contributed to their current ranking of first place in the Central Division and Western Conference.
But things have not gotten any easier in clenching the first place seed for good. The Dallas Stars have 107 points on the year, but so do the St. Louis Blues. Both teams have played 81 games also. The only thing separating the two is the number of ROW’s (regulation/overtime wins), where the Stars hold the 47-44 advantage. This is, luckily enough, the first tiebreaker in determining seeding at the end of the year.
The Stars only have one game left in their regular season. They will face off against the Nashville Predators tomorrow night for the fifth and final time this season, looking to finish the year with 109 points. The Blues, on the other hand, will play their final game tomorrow night against the Washington Capitals at home.
The scenarios favor the Stars to win the division, meaning that they still control their own destiny. All Dallas has to do is simply beat the Predators in any fashion, and the Central and West titles are theirs. The Blues not only have to beat the NHL’s best team, but they also have to hope the Stars lose in some fashion.
Saturday night’s games will be crucial in not only determining whether the Dallas Stars get to add a new banner to the rafters, but also who each team plays in the first round. Whoever comes out on top will win the division and conference and will play the final wild card team, the Minnesota Wild. The team that finishes in second will take on the playoff-hardened Chicago Blackhawks.
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So a lot is riding on these games. The Stars have achieved great success over both of these potential first round opponents this year, but the Stanley Cup Playoffs are a whole new arena, and no regular season results matter.
The Stars have been good over the past two seasons when their final home game of the year has special implications. Two years back, Dallas clenched their first playoff berth after a five year drought against the St. Louis Blues in their final home game of the year. Last season, Jamie Benn put on a four-point performance that helped him win the Art Ross Trophy in game 82 at home.
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Dallas Stars fans everywhere will be keeping a close eye on both games tomorrow night, knowing that one slip-up by either team will ultimately be fatal. The Stars have continually thrown punches at St. Louis and kept their assaults just enough at bay over the last few weeks. All they have to do now is deliver the knockout.