Dallas Stars: Now Is Perfect Time For A Win Streak

The Western Conference standings are airtight right now. This upcoming road trip for the Dallas Stars could really help sort some things out. It would be really beneficial if the Stars could finish on the winning side of things.

Winning streaks have been hard to come by for the Dallas Stars this season. A team that could win three or four in a row at the drop of a hat last year is now struggling to string two wins together.

Win streaks tie into the one theme that Dallas has struggled to harness this year: consistency. It’s been a primary problem and is the main reason that the Stars are struggling to stay in the playoff picture.

With the season just about halfway over (39 games in, 43 games to go), the Dallas Stars sit at a record of 16-15-8 with 40 points. They have only pieced together two win streaks throughout the year. The first was in early November and lasted two games. The second was just recently when the Stars won three games in a row at the tail end of December.

Two short-lived win streaks usually don’t get a team very far. But the Stars have been good enough to get the wins they need at the right times to keep them in the race.

As a result, Dallas sits in the middle of a jam-packed Western Conference race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But the only problem is, just about every other team in the West is still in the race as well.

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Besides the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche, the standings are tight, specifically in the wild card. After last night’s contests, the Dallas Stars find themselves in 12th of the 14 teams in the West. Do the math.

But on the bright side, Dallas either has games in hand or has at least played the same amount of games as the teams in front of them. Not only that, but the point totals are airtight. The Stars sit one point out of tenth, two points out of ninth, three points out of the second wild card spot, and four points out of the first wild card spot. Not only that, but they sit five points out of third place in the Central Division.

Calgary, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Nashville, Winnipeg, and Dallas are all involved in this race, so there’s not much use in making predictions right now. The Stars have two games in hand on both wild card teams, meaning they could hypothetically claim the first WC seed with two wins. But that’s only if they win.

Their next chance at doing that is in the upcoming three-game road trip that kicks off in St. Louis tonight. And if the Stars ever needed a win streak, now would be the time. And not just because it would boost them into a temporary playoff position. It matters more about who the Stars are facing off against.

Tonight the Stars square off against the Blues. St. Louis holds the third seed in the Central right now with 45 points in 39 games. A win in regulation for Dallas would put them within three points with the same number of games played. This is also the Stars’ final game of the year against St. Louis, meaning it will be the last chance for them to snag two points while assuring that the Blues walk away empty-handed.

Following that, the Stars will visit the Los Angeles Kings in LA on Monday night. It will also be the final meeting between the Stars and Kings, leaving them with the same scenario as mentioned in the last paragraph. The Kings currently sit two points ahead of Dallas through 39 games. So a win would push the Stars ahead.

After that, Dallas will end the trip with the Anaheim Ducks, who they are undefeated against this season.

The truth is, wins against teams not in the same race as Dallas are only half-effective. It’s the games that the Stars play against the teams them that really count for the most.

If the Stars can return to Dallas next week with a three-game win streak, their position in the standings would definitely increase. They could potentially see themselves in third place in the division come Wednesday morning (yes, that sounds as crazy as it actually is).

Next: Stars Upcoming Road Stretch Will Make Or Break Their Season

They must win these games against the teams around them in the standings for assured moving up. It isn’t going to be easy, especially without captain Jamie Benn. But the Stars proved on Wednesday night (even if it was for only 35 minutes or so) that they can play a quality brand of hockey, even without their captain in the lineup.

This is where the Dallas Stars will prove whether they are truly worthy of a playoff spot or not. Are they up for the challenge? Tune in tonight and find out.

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