What Needs To Happen For The Dallas Stars On 3 Day Break
Sunday night may turn out to be the final thorn in the Dallas Stars’ side. After outplaying a slow and wearied St. Louis Blues who were on the second night of a back-to-back, one slip up found a way to bury them in a 3-0 hole that eventually turned into a loss.
Another loss, another two points wasted. Another game played, one less to use to their advantage to sweep themselves further into the eventful postseason race. It was a rather devastating loss, and could find a way to be even more devastating as the week rolls on.
Here is a look at the current wild card standings as of the morning of Monday, March 16th:
1. Minnesota Wild 69 GP 83 PTS
2. Winnipeg Jets 69 GP 80 PTS
3. Los Angeles Kings 68 GP 79 PTS
4. San Jose Sharks 69 GP 76 PTS
5. Colorado Avalanche 69 GP 75 PTS
6. Dallas Stars 70 GP 74 PTS
Not the ideal situation to be stuck in with the season dwindling, that’s for sure. But the Stars will now enter a three day break, giving the other teams in the race the chance to catch up in games played, while also possibly crushing the Stars chances. This is a critical watching stretch for the Stars, and sadly that is all they can do at this point: watch. Here is the Dallas Stars’ current scenario:
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Dallas:
Last five: 3-2-0
The Stars will have to wait until Thursday night for their next chance at grabbing points, when they face off against one of the East’s best, the Pittsburgh Penguins. They currently have one game out of hand, so a lot of different scenarios could fall into play over the next few days in regards to the standings. By Thursday, all of the teams in the race will have caught up with the Stars so there will be a clearer picture by Friday morning on if playoff hopes are extinguished or not.
Here is a look at the other team’s outlooks for the next three days.
Minnesota:
Last five: 3-2-0
The Wild will only face off once before Thursday in a duel with the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night. The Predators are coming off of a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, while the Wild will be fresh off of a 3-1 win against the St. Louis Blues. The Wild also play on Thursday night, along with the Stars, when they face off against the Washington Capitals.
Winnipeg:
Last five: 2-3-0
The Jets will play the San Jose Sharks Tuesday night, with both teams battling for a wild card spot in the Western Conference. The Sharks are coming off of a 6-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, while the Jets will be fresh off of a 2-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Jets will also play Thursday night against the St. Louis Blues. We can only hope they play like they did against the Stars Sunday night.
Los Angeles:
Last five: 3-1-1
The Kings will play the Arizona Coyotes on Monday night. Two days later, they will play another divisional rival, the Pacific-best Anaheim Ducks. So by Wednesday night, the Stars and Kings will be level in games played (but certainly not points). But Thursday the Stars will pick up game 71 while the Kings remain at 70. The Kings will not catch up with the Stars until they play an extra game in April.
San Jose:
Last five: 3-2-0
The Sharks will only face off once before Thursday in a matchup with the Winnipeg Jets, mentioned earlier. Both teams are fighting for points, and the only thing the Stars can hope for in a game like this is that whoever the victor is, they win in regulation. Thursday night the Stars and Sharks will pick up game 71, with the Sharks facing off against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have not helped the Stars in any way over the past few weeks and may be lucky to get one more win before the end of the season.
Colorado:
Last five: 4-1-0
The Avalanche are hot and have yet to be cooled off when Semyon Varlamov is between the pipes as of late. The Avalanche are only one point ahead of the Stars, but could increase that when they spend their game in hand against the Arizona Coyotes Thursday night. The Avalanche are underway on a four day break after beating the Calgary Flames Saturday night. While the Avs will technically still have a game in hand after Thursday night, they will quickly spend it on a back-to-back Friday night against the Anaheim Ducks.
“The run started already. We have a couple of wins. But the next few days are an opportunity to get some rest. We have had a lot of games and a lot of travel, so three days with no games will get the body recharged. But we know that the next two weeks coming out of this break are huge. Well, the next game coming out of this break is huge and every game after that is the biggest game of the year. That’s kind of how we have to look at it.” -Colton Sceviour
The Dallas Stars playoff hopes basically rely solely on how the other teams work this week, as well as how the Stars fare against two of the league’s best teams (Pittsburgh and Chicago)… at home. The Stars are now 13-14-8 in Dallas this season and seem to have something wrong with a home crowd cheering them on.
If the Stars were to pull off a miracle and win each one of their final twelve games, it would put them at 98 points, seven more than they had when they qualified last season. Oddly enough, even with that miracle in play, they still may not make it to the postseason.
The Dallas Stars have not gained much help from other teams in this situation over the past few days. Will it finally happen? Or will Thursday night bring forth the depressing “it’s over” article? We’ll just have to do what the Stars are forced to do: watch, hope, and pray.
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