Dallas Stars’ Playoff Resurgence Coming At Right Time
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars will enter enemy territory tonight for game three of the Western Conference quarterfinals against the Minnesota Wild. Here’s why they could be in trouble.
A new week of Stanley Cup Playoffs hockey is officially here, and so far there has been plenty of action to talk about.
First off, the Eastern Conference seems to be a toss up. Besides the Washington Capitals holding a 2-0 lead over the Philadelphia Flyers, every other series is split either 1-1 or 2-1. This is a bit different in the West, where three teams hold 2-0 leads in their specific matchup. These three clubs are the San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators, and Dallas Stars.
Dallas had an amazing run this past season, finishing the year on top of the Central Division and Western Conference for a one-seed playoff berth in the first round.
The Dallas Stars specifically have made it look easy up to this point. For a team that has only qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice since 2008, they own a commanding 2-0 lead over the Minnesota Wild and are two wins away from advancing to the next round.
But these two wins will have to come in an apparently difficult situation if the Stars are looking to finish early. The difference between the first two victories and games three and four is that these next two contests will be away from home for Dallas.
The Stars hit the skies yesterday and traveled to Minnesota to prepare for the next two games of this series, and things could be getting tough for them.
The Xcel Energy Center was rather kind to the Dallas Stars this season. In three games, the Stars finished a perfect 3-0-0. They found a way to best the Wild in each competition, and even found a way to come back from large deficits a few times.
But, as we have reiterated over and over again, this is not the regular season and none of those records or statistics have any weight. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a whole new line of work.
That could prove to be a problem for Dallas. In the last four playoff series that the Stars have participated in, they are an awry 5-7 when playing on the road. The Minnesota Wild, on the other hand, are an impressive 7-4 at home in the same span.
This is an entirely new Dallas Stars team, though. So why compare them to the past? While that is a valid question, it’s also noteworthy that this is a new team with a few players that have never endured a hostile playoff environment.
Going into this series, 16 of the 19 Dallas Stars’ starters had already participated in at least one playoff series. But out of those 19, only 10 have ever won a playoff game on the road.
The Xcel Energy Center will more than likely be loud and proud tonight, with the Minnesota Wild desperately fighting for a win.
“They did their job at home. They did what they want to do. Now we have to do what we want to do at home,” Wild forward Jarret Stoll said. “We have to use our fans, the atmosphere to our advantage, and obviously, be better offensively, create more.”
The Minnesota Wild are in a similar situation that the Dallas Stars were in back in 2014: going home in an 0-2 hole. If you don’t remember exactly what the Stars did, let’s just say the series was tied at 2-2 by the time the teams shifted back to Anaheim for game five.
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“There’s lots of work to be done. I think we’re happy to win the two home games. That’s the advantage of having home-ice advantage,” Stars forward Jason Spezza told Stars Inside Edge. “But we got to expect their best game. They’re going to have a little extra energy from their crowd. It’s a tough building to go into, and we have to prepare ourselves, knowing this is going to be the most important game up to this point.”
With all of the rivalry surrounding the franchise to begin with, expect a lot of Wild fans ready to let their grudges be heard as well. It’s a sensitive subject, and the Dallas Stars are about to receive the blunt end of the argument.
Next: Stars On Track To Sweep Wild With Ease
Either way, make sure to tune in to CNBC or FSSW at 7:30 tonight to catch coverage of Game 3 in this Western Conference Quarterfinals series. The game, though for different reasons, is a must-win for both clubs. Both need to make it count tonight. We’ll see who wants it more.