Dallas Stars Will Face Most Desperate Side Of Wild
By Josh Clark
The Minnesota Wild enter Dallas for game five tonight with their heads in the guillotine. As a result, they will be playing a desperate game. Are the Stars up for the challenge?
The 2016 United States presidential race has been one of the most entertaining and just downright crazy elections in the nation’s history. Never before has America seen the likes of the five remaining candidates in any given race.
But what is it that makes this certain election so different and therefore intriguing to watch? Perhaps it is the fact that the Republican frontrunner is a freelancing businessman with no political experience on his record that says and does as he pleases? Or maybe that the Democratic frontrunner is being investigated by the FBI and could be brought up on criminal charges before the election?
These are just two of the numerous factors feeding into the increased focus on this election by the American public. Consequently, the U.S. is seeing some of its highest turnouts at the polls ever.
This race for the candidacy has been a thrilling ride since the very beginning. While each day has hoisted its fair share of bickering and fighting between the candidates since the first debate, one of the most intriguing parts of the race occurred in early March. During an intense schedule that featured weekly debates, Marco Rubio and Donald Trump were locked in an intense battle.
Rubio’s home state of Florida had their primary scheduled for March 15, and it was clear that he would have some trouble bringing in the votes against rival Donald Trump. So Rubio began focusing his campaign solely on the state of Florida, hoping he could swing enough momentum against poll leader Trump.
Rubio also began doing everything he could to try and take Trump out at the knees and gain ground, such as attacking him in personal ads and during debates. If he could not win his home state, he would surely be forced to drop out of the race. In the end, Trump won by a decent margin and Rubio conceded momentarily after.
What does all of this political nonsense have to do with the Dallas Stars you might ask? Well, it just so happens that the Minnesota Wild are a lot like Rubio in the fact that they are sitting on the brink of extinction. Marco’s desperation had him on the edge of his seat, throwing everything including the kitchen sink in an effort to halt Trump’s progress.
The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild will convene for the fifth time tonight in this Western Conference quarterfinals series. Four games of intense battling and striving have been played, with the Stars coming out victorious in three of the affairs.
That being said, tonight is going to be an important game for both the Stars and the Wild. Minnesota is officially on red alert the rest of the way out, meaning they will be playing their most desperate brand of hockey and giving the Stars all they can handle. The Wild will be doing everything they possibly can from now on to fend the Stars off, just as Rubio did to Trump.
Desperation always seems to bring out the worst side in people, and expect it to be no different for the Wild tonight.
Minnesota is reentering enemy territory, where they were largely unsuccessful before. The Dallas Stars had no trouble defeating the Wild on home ice in games one and two, winning 4-0 and 2-1, respectively. After gaining the confident and commanding 2-0 lead, the Stars traveled to St. Paul and faced off with a Minnesota team on their heels in front of their home crowd.
The Wild countered beautifully in game three, erasing a 2-0 lead for the Stars and winning 5-3 to gain some momentum on home ice and in the series.
But game four was a different story, and quite possibly the most entertaining of the bunch. The Stars and Wild traded punches for 60 minutes, but the Stars had the last laugh in a 3-2 victory and left the Xcel Energy Center in silent shock, with only unescapable nerves remaining to settle in to the hearts of Wild fans.
So into desperation mode the Minnesota Wild plunge, not afraid to hold anything back at this point in the series. Are the Dallas Stars up for the challenge? Will they be able to answer the Wild’s most furious attack yet and officially exile Minnesota into the offseason?
It’s difficult to say at this point. For one thing, the Stars have home ice and an impenetrable and rowdy fan base coming out to support tonight. Dallas has proven that they can do significant damage when in the confines of the American Airlines Center. But this is a Wild team they have yet to see this season.
Minnesota is on their last leg, meaning they will not be afraid to go down swinging. They will ramp up the intensity on the physicality, put plenty of well-crafted offensive attacks together, shut down their own zone and crease, and give every ounce of effort they have left in the tank. There is no more restrictions for them. Nothing matters after this game if they come up unsuccessful, so they may as well give it all they got.
The Dallas Stars have not been in this position since the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, meaning that this is a new scenario for them. But that does not mean they will not be able to complete the feat.
More stars: Stars Put On First Class Comeback In Game Four
“They are going to be throwing everything at us. It’s going to be their best effort. We have to be ready for that,” Stars’ defenseman Jason Demers told Stars Inside Edge. “At the same time, we’ve got to use our crowd and jump all over them. We are in a good position; we just have to finish them off now.”
The noose has been tightened as far as it can go while still allowing the Wild to breathe. But that breath is beginning to become scarce, and the Stars need to clamp down on it for good tonight. An extra trip back to Minnesota is not in the recipe for a successful playoff run. It’s time for them to exert their dominance on home ice and prove that they are a force to be reckoned with.
Next: Stars Consistent Changing Of Lineup Has Yet To Have Negative Effects
The Dallas Stars will face off against the desperate Minnesota Wild tonight on their home ice with an 8:30 puck drop. Expect to see a completely new side of the Wild, meaning that the Stars will need to adjust to the new environment and attack quickly. If they truly are the Cup-bound team that people are making them out to be, they will need to find a way to get the job done tonight. Are they up for the challenge?