Dallas Stars Scenarios To Take Western Conference
By Josh Clark
Sunday night was not an ideal one for Dallas Stars fans. But the fight rages on, and the Stars can still come out on top of the Western Conference. Here’s how.
The city of Dallas is known for a lot of different things. One of the prime things that it proudly boasts that very few other cities can match is the fact that it supports a professional sports team in each of the four major sporting leagues.
This is helpful for Dallas fans in the fact that when one of their teams errs or begins to slump, they can shift quickly to talking about another sport. That being said, who is ready for Opening Day in Arlington? We here at Blackout Dallas sincerely hope that the Texas Rangers are in store for a successful season, and that that season is kickstarted with a win today at home.
As the Rangers get set to throw the first pitch on a long 162 game slate, the Dallas Stars are quickly approaching the finish line on their 2015-2016 regular season schedule. They wrapped up game 80 last night against the Anaheim Ducks, and the result helped move Stars fans to talking about the Rangers’ upcoming season really quick.
That’s because the Dallas Stars just could not get it going on Sunday night in Anaheim. The Stars were wrapping up the second game of a back to back California road swing, and it did not end in their favor. The Stars lost the game 3-1.
Surprisingly enough, the Stars’ defense and goaltending were not the ones at fault. Rather, the power play and offense in general can take the blame. The power play unit gave up two shorthanded goals, meaning the Stars have now allowed 14 on the season. Meanwhile, the Stars offense was absent from play, only scoring one goal with 1:28 left in the game on a 6-on-5 advantage.
It just was not the Stars’ night. That is perfectly okay, even though it may not seem like it right now. The Stars gave their all on Saturday afternoon in what turned out to be an exhilarating 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings, so it is pretty obvious why they were skating sluggish last night.
What the majority of Dallas Stars fans have their eyes focused on right now is not only the Central Division, but also the Western Conference crown. Even though it may seem like this one loss is crucial and detrimental to their chances, the Stars still have plenty of scenarios in play where they can walk away with both.
Here are the current relevant standings in the two divisions of the Western Conference.
Central Division
Dallas Stars 80 GP 105 points 46 ROW
St. Louis Blues 79 GP 103 points 42 ROW
Chicago Blackhawks 79 GP 99 points 45 ROW
Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks 78 GP 98 points 41 ROW
Los Angeles Kings 78 GP 97 points 44 ROW
The Dallas Stars continue to hold onto a narrow two-point lead in both the division and, subsequently, the conference as a whole. But here is the cool part: there are multiple ways the Stars can walk away with both titles.
First off, and possibly the most simple strategy of all, is to win. If the Stars win both of their final games, they will clench and no team will be able to take it away from them.
Honestly, there is only one team threatening to take away their chance at these two awards, and that is the St. Louis Blues. Both the Ducks and Kings can only add a maximum total of eight points to their current total by the end of the year. If the Ducks win out, they will end at 106. The Kings would stop at 105. The Stars are already at 105, so one point tallied in the next two games will officially eliminate both Pacific teams.
The only way the Blackhawks can come back and take it all is if they win out in their final three games of the year and both the Stars and Blues go pointless through the rest of the year. So their chances are slim as well.
But the Blues still have a shot. St. Louis can only reach a maximum of 45 ROW’s (regulation/overtime wins) this season, meaning the Stars already own the tiebreaker if the two clubs finish with the same number of points. So it will all come down to who has more points. The Blues have a difficult path to manage, playing the Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, and Washington Capitals to close out the year.
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The Dallas Stars will duke it out with the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday and then conclude their season with the Nashville Predators on Saturday. If the Stars win both, they clench. If the Stars win one and the Blues win one or two of their last three, Dallas takes the titles.
The cards are still obviously in Dallas’ favor, and that should be reassuring to all Stars fans. What a difference a year has truly made. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are right around the corner, and the Stars will more than likely stride into the affair as Central Division champions. But titles mean nothing once the postseason begins. That’s when the fun truly starts.
Next: Dallas Stars Fall On Second Night Of A Back To Back
So enjoy these three days off, Stars fans. Take in some baseball to fill the sports void. Or even take a gander at the Dallas Mavericks as they continue their quest for a playoff spot. But tune back in and be ready for fireworks on Thursday night.