Dallas Stars Marching To Playoffs Needs Similar Effects

The Dallas Stars are in the midst of their “march” to the playoffs. If it’s anything like last March, they are in for a pleasant ride.

Playoffs. They are the highlight of any professional sports season, regardless of the sport. And, as all dedicated NHL fans love to consistently bring up, the statistics have been proven.

The thing is, it’s not only the poll. If you go to the Google homepage and search “which playoffs are the most exciting?” you will find a myriad of articles backing the NHL playoffs as the prime source of entertainment.

Well, the fun and games is right around the corner. And the Dallas Stars will be participating this year. It seems like just yesterday they were fighting in the trenches and eventually coming up just short of a postseason spot in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

But these are different times, people. Different and brighter times, indeed. The Stars are now one of the top contenders in the Western Conference and could very well be owners of home-ice advantage in this year’s playoff race.

How easy it will be for them to obtain remains to be seen. The Stars are currently in a tight race with the Chicago Blackhawks for the top spot in the Central Division, with both teams having played 66 games and holding 85 points overall. Both clubs play today at 4:00 p.m., with the Stars taking on the Ottawa Senators and the Hawks facing off with the Detroit Red Wings.

While the race still has a little meat left on it, the question on everyone’s mind regards the Stars and their chances at success through the rest of the regular season.

What the Dallas Stars truly need is to use a simple “copy-and-paste” method, translating last year’s results in March to this year. If you are not an infancy-level Stars fan (first year), then you can remember how the Stars fared last March. With their backs against the wall, they hunkered down and put their nose to the grindstone, giving all they had trying to reach a wild card spot. They fell just short and were eventually eliminated in early April after a long fight.

Even with the disappointing finish, the astounding March cannot go unnoticed. After a season filled with primarily disappointing blown leads and losses, the Stars put together a wonderful 10-5-0 record in March 2015 that included three and four game win streaks. Dallas danced somewhere between the range of four and ten points back of a wild card spot all month, but eventually slipped for the last time with just a handful of games to go.

Looking at the Stars schedule, the “copy and paste” thing may be easier said than done. So far this month, Dallas is 1-1-0 with a 5-3 loss to Nashville and a 4-2 win over New Jersey. Out of the 12 remaining games this month, nine are against teams with a legitimate claim or chance at a playoff spot. Just some of these opponents include the Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, and two against the Chicago Blackhawks.

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It’s definitely not an easy road, but the Dallas Stars proved last year that they know how to turn it up when it’s crunch time. Although they are already basically in the postseason, there is still plenty at stake.

Not to mention that the Stars will be severely undermanned, at least for the next few games. In this afternoon’s affair with the Ottawa Senators, the Stars will be missing D John Klingberg (day to day), D Jordie Benn (1-2 weeks), and F Patrick Sharp (5-7 days). That’s a lot of firepower to be missing from your arsenal.

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In other words, the Stars are in a critical spot and are missing a few of their toughest soldiers. This situation will truly test not only their ability to produce in desperate situations, but also their playoff readiness overall. Get your DVR’s set. Game three of March Madness: Dallas Stars edition gets rolling around 4:00 p.m.