Dallas Stars Close Out Storybook Season vs. Predators
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars have finally reached the end of the regular season road. They close out the 2015-2016 year tonight against the Predators.
So it’s all come down to this. It seems like just yesterday the Dallas Stars were beginning a new excursion titled the 2015-2016 regular season with a new band of misfits, searching for long-deserved relevance and a shot at the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Well, game 82 will be played tonight against the Nashville Predators. Following that, the Stars will move on to what promises to be an exciting playoff run for the best team in the Western Conference. Tonight’s game will be broadcasted on Fox Sports Southwest Plus (FSSW+), and you can also hear it on 1310AM/96.7FM The Ticket. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. from American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX.
Records and Scores
The Dallas Stars are officially closing the book on an adventurous and exciting regular season campaign. Their record of 49-23-9 with 107 points is good enough for first place in not only the Central Division, but also the Western Conference.
Their most recent game comes as an exciting 4-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. They are 4-1-0 in their last five contests, and playing some of their best hockey with the playoffs right around the corner.
The Nashville Predators are playoff bound as well. Their record of 41-26-14 with 96 points is good enough for fourth place in the Central Division. They currently hold possession of the first wild card spot, and that is where they will remain for the first round of the playoffs. The Predators most recent game comes as a 3-2 overtime win over the Arizona Coyotes. Nashville is 2-2-1 in its last five games.
Storylines
More room at the top?
The Dallas Stars are firing on all cylinders down the final stretch of the year, and doing it all shorthanded. This team continues to prove its playoff-readiness night in and night out. But for some reason, the Stars final seeding has still not been determined, even with it being the final game of the year.
The St. Louis Blues are keeping pace with the Stars and are currently tied in the standings for first, though Dallas owns the tiebreaker. If the Stars can secure a victory against Nashville tonight, they win the division and conference regardless of what happens. But we’ll just have to wait until tonight before making any assumptions on who the Stars will play in the first round.
Always going out with a bang
The Dallas Stars seem to always have a special connection to their final home game of the regular season. Back in 2014, the Stars played game 81 at home and ended up clenching a playoff spot in a 3-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues, thus breaking a five-year drought.
Last season, Jamie Benn entered the final game of the season with his eyes set on one prize: the Art Ross Trophy. The Stars had already been eliminated from playoff contention, but Benn had a shot at becoming the first player in Dallas Stars history to win the award. After a stunning and historic four-point night, Benn won the Art Ross against the Nashville Predators in front of a sold-out crowd.
Tonight, the Stars have another opportunity to do something spectacular in their final home game of the year. As mentioned above, a win would crown them Central Division champions and add another banner to the rafters that have not seen any action since the Dallas Mavericks raised their championship banner back in 2011.
What a year
Let’s not forget that after tonight, the Dallas Stars are officially departing from a magical and unbelievable season. It will remain in our memories forever, but after tonight it is gone for good and the postseason will start up. There will be a more in-depth post about this wonderful year in the near future, but just sit back for a moment and realize all that has happened since October 8, 2015. Go ahead, we’ll wait.
Injury report
The Dallas Stars will be minus some troops for the final game of the season. C Jason Spezza (sick), RW Patrick Eaves (mid-body), and D Jason Demers (shoulder) practiced Friday and are available for Saturday night. Head coach Lindy Ruff will make a decision today on whether they play tonight.
C Tyler Seguin (achilles), C Mattias Janmark (upper body), and RW Brett Ritchie (lower body) are all out.
The Nashville Predators will be minus the services of LW Gabriel Bourque (lower body) and LW Miikka Salomaki (undisclosed).
Projected lines
Dallas Stars
Jamie Benn – Cody Eakin – Patrick Sharp
Valeri Nichushkin – Jason Spezza – Colton Sceviour
Antoine Roussel – Radek Faksa – Ales Hemsky
Curtis McKenzie – Vernon Fiddler – Patrick Eaves
Alex Goligoski – John Klingberg
Kris Russell – Jason Demers
Antti Niemi
More stars: Stars Rookies Making Big Strides In First Appearances
Nashville Predators
Calle Jarnkrok – Ryan Johansen – James Neal
Filip Forsberg – Mike Ribeiro – Craig Smith
Colin Wilson – Mike Fisher – Viktor Arvidsson
Cody Bass – Paul Gaustad – Austin Watson
Barret Jackman – Petter Granberg
Next: Stars Have One Last Punch To Deliver In Division
Prediction
You know exactly what I’m going to say. The Dallas Stars love to shine bright in their final home games of the regular season. Give me the Stars taking this one by a final score of 4-1 (sounds familiar) and clenching their first Central Division title ever.