Dallas Stars: Lessons To Learn From 2017-18 Stanley Cup Predictions

Predictions made for a certain season before it begins are always a long shot. On top of that, they very rarely turn out to be accurate, such as the 2017-18 NHL predictions. But that doesn’t mean the Dallas Stars can’t learn from them.

Making predictions can be fun.

As a sports fan, a lot of your life likely revolves around trying to predict certain aspects of the game. Whether it is picking one team or another to win a game or gauging your team’s actions on the free agent market, it all involves predicting.

One of the more exciting parts about predicting in sports is the ones made in the preseason about the season ahead. Here at Blackout Dallas, we make our regular season predictions a few days before the season opener. It’s a chance to look at the team in question, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and make an educated guess as to where they will end up.

The best part about predictions is that they are completely harmless (assuming you don’t wager anything). It’s fun to have a shot at looking like a genius when you call something correctly. And if you’re completely wrong, it’s okay.

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And most of the time, you’ll end up completely wrong. After all, just look at this year’s Stanley Cup Final matchup. It’s composed of two teams (Washington and Vegas) that shouldn’t be competing for it (according to preseason predictions).

In an article put out by NHL.com at the beginning of the regular season, they had 17 of their writers and contributors predict the season. These predictions included guessing the eight playoff teams from each conference, the Stanley Cup champion, and the Conn Smythe winner.

Of those 17 writers, not a single one picked Vegas or Washington to win the Cup. On top of that, no writer picked either team to even make it to the Cup Final. And, though you probably aren’t surprised at this point, not one of them picked Vegas to qualify for the postseason. It just goes to show that no prediction is safe (or correct).

Instead, six of them picked the Pittsburgh Penguins to hoist the Stanley Cup for the third straight year. Five went with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and one a piece chose Toronto, Nashville, Edmonton, and Anaheim as their champions.

Oh, and two chose the Dallas Stars to go the distance and win it all. That’s right.

Two writers chose a Stars team that put together a horrific 2016-17 season to pull off a complete rebound and outlast the league. In addition, 14 of the 17 writers penned Dallas in a playoff spot. 10 of them chose the Stars to finish in the top three in the Central Division, with three of those predictions having them winning the division.

It’s clear at this point that those predictions were very far-fetched. For the first 60 games, they looked good. But things went downhill fast, as you probably remember.

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The Stars turned in a humbling 4-8-4 record in the month of March and removed themselves from the playoff race with their terrible play. And as a result, everyone who bet on Dallas in any fashion took a hit. They fell well short of expectations yet again and turned promise into disaster.

But this is where the Dallas Stars can learn a valuable lesson or two.

First off, it’s another prime example that nothing is certain. The Stars looked like a terrific team on paper last summer. They made the biggest splashes of any team in the offseason and seemed to fill all of their weak spots. But things didn’t go over so well with the new coaching staff and Dallas lost their offensive edge, especially in terms of depth.

This is a reminder that offseason success can bring lofty expectations. The team knows these expectations. And when they don’t meet them, things look even worse off and more confusing. This gives the Stars a chance to look back and realize that no prediction is safe until the season gets underway and reaches its eventual end. So don’t go resting in the hype.

And on top of that, take a look at the teams in the Stanley Cup Final right now. The Golden Knights are riding the best Cinderella story in the history of professional sports right now. Though they are one loss away from falling short of their ultimate goal, it doesn’t downplay all of the records they have hammered on their way here.

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Then you have the Capitals who are one win away from their first Cup in franchise history. After years of not seeming able to get past the second round or the Pittsburgh Penguins, uncertainty encircled the franchise. There were reports last summer about the team taking a major change of direction after another semifinals exit. And yet, here they are.

The thing that these two have in common is that practically no one expected them to be where they are. The Capitals powered through the back-to-back champions in round two and survived a seven-game set with the hottest team in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Vegas did Vegas things, sweeping Los Angeles in round one and easily stepping over a Winnipeg team that had just knocked out the President’s Trophy winners (Nashville) in round two.

The lesson that Dallas can take is that predictions are predictions. Neither of these teams were expected to do as much as they currently are. That’s impressive and just goes to show that anything can happen. Can the Stars put together a quick bounce back from more disappointment as early as next season? Sure. Just look at what the Stanley Cup finalists have done. Predictions be darned.

The Dallas Stars can take a lot of lessons away from both the Caps and Knights this season. But they can also serve as motivation.

Next: A Walk Down Memory Lane: Top 25 Stars Games Of 2017-18

Predictions and expectations are fun, but they cannot set the standard. It’s up to the Stars to find a way around them starting next season.

Where might Dallas be projected to go by then?