Dallas Stars Facing Division-Heavy Schedule To Close Month Out
By Josh Clark
As Thanksgiving draws near and the month of November slowly approaches a close, the Dallas Stars find themselves staring down a schedule loaded with Central Division opponents.
No one said it was going to be easy.
As the Dallas Stars prepare to take the ice for the second game of a four-game home stand tonight, they have a lot of positive wind pushing them along. One of the main motivators for Dallas is the sudden shrinkage of the injured reserve list.
In an interview yesterday, Stars’ coach Lindy Ruff suggested that Cody Eakin will probably be available to start tonight and that Patrick Sharp could be ready by Saturday night’s home game.
Eakin has yet to skate in a game this season. He was injured during training camp and hit the long-term IR where he has been for the past seven weeks. It might take him some time to readjust, but the Stars will definitely benefit from his presence down the middle. Sharp, on the other hand, has been out with a concussion since the fourth game of the season. He will give Dallas another veteran sniper on the wings.
Another positive occurrence is that the Dallas Stars have not lost a game in regulation in over a week (can we call this progress?). Their most recent loss was in overtime against the New Jersey Devils. That game marked their second straight loss in OT and officially made them 0/5 on the year past 60 minutes.
The offense is starting to score more and figure out ways to become more effective, the defense is locking down the zone on a more consistent basis, and the goaltending is red-hot 85 percent of the time.
So there are some positive signs of encouragement throughout the Stars’ play. You may have to dig for them a little, but they are definitely there.
The Stars will need all the motivation they can get from now until the end of the month, considering the schedule that Dallas is set up to square off against. A mass of Central Division teams lie ahead for the Stars, and each game is highly crucial, whether you want to admit it or not.
Here’s a quick look at what the Stars will have to focus on over the next few games.
Tonight: Dallas vs. Colorado
Tonight, Dallas welcomes the Colorado Avalanche to town for their second meeting of the season. The first meeting involved a high scoring affair in the Mile High city, with the Avs claiming a 6-5 victory. Colorado currently sits dead last in the Central Division with a record of 7-8-0 for 14 points.
Monday, November 21: Dallas vs. Minnesota
The Stars and Wild have already met up once this season as well. Though Dallas played a solid and sturdy game, the Wild walked away with a dominant 4-0 win. Minnesota is currently fourth in the Central Division with a record of 8-6-1 and the same amount of points as the Stars (17).
Wednesday, November 23: Dallas vs. Nashville
Just before Thanksgiving hits, the Dallas Stars will travel to Nashville to duel with the Predators in their second meeting of the year. In the first, the Stars came out victorious with a 2-1 win. Nashville is struggling just as badly as Dallas is right now in regards to fulfilling preseason expectations. They sit sixth in the division with 15 points.
Monday, November 28: Dallas vs. St. Louis
The Stars will close out their November Central Division play with a trip to St. Louis. The Stars and Blues have met up once this season already, with Dallas cruising to a brutal 6-2 win. With a record of 8-6-3 with 19 points, the Blues sit second in the division, though Dallas is trailing not far behind.
Next: Reviewing An Interesting First Month For Stars
The Dallas Stars have eight possible points up for grabs over the next two weeks against Central Division opponents. Everyone knows that divisional points mean the most out of any other points in a given season. If the Stars can pick them up, they could be sitting in second in the division by the time November comes to a close.
They are 3-5-1 in interdivisional play this year, which is not altogether bad considering their circumstances. But now their problems are starting to disappear, meaning it’s time to produce. So get cracking, Stars.