Dallas Stars’ Postseason Predicted By Blackout Dallas
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars are playoff bound, and could be in it for the long haul.
What the Stars biggest strength is going into playoffs
Without a doubt, the Dallas Stars’ biggest advantage is depth. That’s obviously a great asset offensively, but it’s a major plus overall as well. Considering how easily teams can become fatigued in playoff situations and the pressure that can put on the typical “star players” to perform, the Stars have a huge leg up knowing that they can depend on the entire team, as a team.
What the Stars biggest weakness is going into playoffs
I could give you two words here- “mental game”- and I think you would all know what I meant. But for clarity’s sake, here’s why: the Stars underperform against teams that perform under them and over-perform against teams that perform above them.
The Wild have, in the past, typically been one of those teams that the Stars do the exact opposite of rise to the challenge against. However, the Stars were able to deal differently with them specifically a majority of this season. The Stars will just need to remain mentally fresh and not overthink the process.
Who will be the Stars best player in the playoffs?
This is a tough one. While it’s not that much of an earth-shaking answer, I’m tempted to say Jamie Benn. He worked incredibly hard to try and push the Stars into playoffs last year, and had a difficult road returning this season from his summer hip surgeries. So I think it’s pretty likely that the captain will take full advantage of the opportunity presented to the Stars and throw all his weight into not letting it go to waste.
To add some concrete proof to that, Benn finished this season as the Stars’ top scorer, and continues to prove that he can produce with a wide variety of linemates, and not just his compadre, Seguin.
Who will be the Stars worst player in the playoffs?
This one may get a little touchy. I love him just as much as the next guy (perhaps more, depending on who the next guy is), but John Klingberg has been in a funk that seemed to creep up on his toward the tail end of this season.
Whether it’s burnout or something else, the circumstances of playoffs could push him one of two directions: either the pressure will worsen his play, or he will rise to the challenge. While I sincerely hope it’s the latter, I think the addition of strong, physically-minded defensemen has perhaps thrown off Klinger’s offensively-minded game just a touch.
Which goaltender should start the games? Or should they switch off? What goaltending scenario should they should use?
Gut reaction: start Kari Lehtonen and keep starting him until he gives Ruff a reason not to. Last season Kari’s been left in the dust, and this season Kari has more than earned playoff play. Niemi fell off a bit toward the end of the season, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to employ a method that the Stars seemed to be already using at the end of the season: start Kari and switch for Niemi if he gets tired.
The Stars move past the first round if…
The Stars will level up IF they can keep their heads in the game. Any low point they’ve experienced throughout the season, injury-induced ones aside, has been brought about by loss of mental strength.
In January, the Stars were exhausted, and it showed in scatterbrained play. If the Stars maintain thoughtfulness, patience, and farsightedness, they’ll mop the floor –err, the ice- with Minnesota, no problem.
The Stars lose in the first round if…
If goaltending and defense get stagefright. Despite great performances this season, we’ve seen how quickly it all can fall apart if the Stars lose confidence and neglect the intimidation factor in their own zone. Now that the Stars have some big bodies that aren’t afraid to levy hits on their blue line, this is less of a concern. But on a bigger stage like the playoff stage, there’s a chance that old demons could come back out to play.
How will the Stars fare in the first round series?
Provided the Stars keep their wits about them, they will win against the Wild and have steam left to spare. The Stars went 4-1 in their season series against the Wild, so I think it would be fair to allow them maybe five games to seal the deal.
How far will the Stars go in the playoffs this year?
Realism or optimism? Dreams or reality? Well, I want to say they’re going to go to the final round and take it all. But I also know that sometimes, good things happen in smaller increments. The Stars really turned it around from last season and showed that they can play with the big boys at the very top of the league tables.
Will that be enough to take them all the way through playoffs? The team is good, no question, and they have advantages that could certainly take them far. But for caution, I want to say the Stars will make it through a second or perhaps third round. So depending on how cheery or realistic your outlook is today, take your pick.
What would define a successful playoff run for this current Stars team?
If we divorce this Stars team from the one they were last season, it seems like success could only be fully attained with the Cup hoisted in their hands. The Stars were hell-bent on bringing playoff hockey back to Dallas for the fans, so in some ways, they’ve already succeeded in meeting that goal.
But this season’s team has shown that they’re hungrier than that. Any stop short of winning in the final round would feel like a failure for this team, considering how hard they’ve worked to go from rags to riches.
Playoff prediction:
Stars over Wild in 6, Blues over Blackhawks in 7, Ducks over Predators in 7, Kings over Sharks in 6, Capitals over Flyers in 6, Penguins over Rangers in 5, Panthers over Islanders in 7, Lightning over Red Wings in 7
Stars over Blues in 7, Ducks over Kings in 6, Capitals over Penguins in 5, Lightning over Panthers in 6
Stars over Ducks in 7, Capitals over Lightning in 6
Who will be in the Stanley Cup Finals? Who ends up taking the trophy?
Have you decided whether you want to be a realist or optimist yet? I haven’t really, either. So, on one hand, I want to lean toward the Dallas Stars and the Washington Capitals. With the Caps’ run this year, it’s hard to imagine them not making it deep into playoffs, unless they burn out.
And, even from an objective standpoint, it’s hard to imagine the Stars not making it that far, what with their dominating performance against their own conference this season. And if it’s the Stars and Caps, well, history says the Stars will have it. But I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see?
Next: Josh Clark: The Stars Have A Chance To Shine Bright