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Dallas Stars Upcoming Road Trip Could Make Or Break Season

By Josh Clark |
Nov 28, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (27) is congratulated by left wing Jaden Schwartz (17) defenseman Colton Parayko (55) and center Patrik Berglund (21) after scoring against Dallas Stars goalie Antti Niemi (31) during the second period at Scottrade Center. The Blues won 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (27) is congratulated by left wing Jaden Schwartz (17) defenseman Colton Parayko (55) and center Patrik Berglund (21) after scoring against Dallas Stars goalie Antti Niemi (31) during the second period at Scottrade Center. The Blues won 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

It’s time for a little road trip. After spending the tail end of 2016 in Big D, the Dallas Stars now face a long and hearty journey away from home. It is imperative that they take it by the reins.

One of the brighter parts of college life is when the holidays roll around, giving you the opportunity to take a break from school and recharge after a long semester.

With this break typically comes free laundry, home-cooked meals, plenty of lazy time, and a comfier bed than the regulation one that a university issues out. In other words, home is great. Though it doesn’t bring all of the fun that is usually had at college with it, there’s just something sacred and special about it.

The Dallas Stars can attest to this fact. Not so much about the meals (unless you ask Radek Faksa about Thanksgiving dinner) and lazy time, but more about the concept of being on home ice. At least that’s what their record said following this most recent homestand.

Starting on December 13, the Dallas Stars embarked upon a rigorous home slate that head coach Lindy Ruff said “the season would rest on.”

If that turns out to be true, the Stars may find themselves in good shape. Or, at least in good enough shape to punch their ticket to the postseason. Dallas played eight of nine games within the confines of the AAC from December 13 – January 4 and finished with a record of 4-2-2. They picked up points in six of eight games.

While their performance wasn’t enough to propel them into a playoff spot, they are knocking on the door with a handful of other teams.

But Stars fans aren’t focused on that right now. Their focus is still stuck on the Stars’ home finale this past Wednesday night against the Montreal Canadiens. After three consecutive days of rest, the Stars welcomed a Canadiens team that was on the second leg of a back-to-back.

The Stars outshot the Canadiens 42-33, created a mass of chances, and thoroughly outplayed Montreal for a majority of the game. But two poorly mistimed penalties on the Stars gave the Canadiens a third period lead and Esa Lindell‘s late goal is the only reason Dallas got a point. The Stars entered overtime against a tired Canadiens team and found a way to lose in the first 19 seconds.

That’s frustrating for any team to go through, especially a team that fell to 2-8 in overtime on the year with the loss.

“I think we beat ourselves,” Ruff said following the game. “It’s another point we gave away. They [Montreal] didn’t earn it. We gave it away.”

So one final overtime loss in the bag that really took away from the momentum that was gained during an impressive homestand.

But now the Dallas Stars will do something that they have only done once since December 11th: travel.

Of the Stars’ next eight games, six of them will be on the road. The next three games will be away from Dallas against Western Conference opponents (St. Louis, Los Angeles, Anaheim), followed by two home games against Detroit and Minnesota. After that, they will head up north for a three-game stretch against Buffalo and both New York teams.

So much for the most recent homestand determining the Stars’ successes this season. Dallas was able to carve out a decent showing at home, but the fact that all the other teams around them kept winning as well means that the Stars gained little ground. This road trip is going to be the ultimate deciding factor as they continue to get later and later into the season.

That may not settle well with Stars’ fans considering Dallas is 5-9-4 on the road this year. They are 2-3-0 in their last five away games.

The Stars sadly aren’t in a position in this season where they can play an average brand of hockey during a certain stretch and live to tell about it in the standings. Consistent performances will be needed over the remainder of the season if they have dreams of playing past April 8. Only 43 games remain in their schedule and each one is critical.

12 points are on the table over the next two weeks on the road. With the number of teams Dallas is competing with for limited spots in the standings, losses could prove to be fatal. 8-10 points would boost Dallas into a really good spot. But 4-6 points would almost surely spoil their chances at the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Next: What All Has Happened Since Jamie Benn Was Last Hurt?

This tour over the next few weeks will help paint a clear picture of the rest of the Stars’ season. It will say a lot about Dallas and the team that they are if they can turn their misfortunes way from home around.

Now will be the time to see what the Dallas Stars are truly made of, and it all starts on Saturday night in a crucial divisional matchup against the St. Louis Blues. It’s time to dig in.

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