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Dallas Stars Hit Midpoint Of Season With Fitting Performance

By Josh Clark

Jan 9, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Dallas Stars celebrate an open net goal by left wing Patrick Sharp (10) during the third period against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center. The Dallas Stars won 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Dallas Stars celebrate an open net goal by left wing Patrick Sharp (10) during the third period against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center. The Dallas Stars won 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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So the first 41 games are finally in the past for the Dallas Stars, and it’s been an entertaining ride to say the least. That just makes the second half that much more exciting.

Do you ever have something happen to you in the middle of a given day and say, “This WOULD happen to me and ONLY me.” That’s probably along the lines of what the Dallas Stars were saying after last night’s win.

Through an exhilarating and heart-stopping third period, the Stars managed to hold on in Los Angeles and knock off the Kings on home ice to pick up a critical two points in the playoff hunt and their first of the 2017 year.

Five combined goals were scored in a span of 5:28 throughout the final period as both the Stars and Kings jockeyed for the lead. Yet Dallas never trailed throughout the entire game. Besides the tie at 4-4, the Stars led for the entirety of the game.

And it was a game that brought forth a lot of positivity. First off, that was the Stars’ third time scoring six goals in a game this season. Jiri Hudler also scored his first goal as a Dallas Star and Patrick Sharp scored for the first time since November 23rd.

It also bumped Dallas up to a record of 17-16-8 with 42 points in 41 games played and broke the Kings’ lead in half. LA currently holds the final wild card spot with 44 points in 41 games played. The Stars finished their season series against the Kings with a record of 2-0-1.

Overall, it was a fitting way for the Dallas Stars to end a crazy first half of the season.

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41 games down, 41 games to go. 17-6-8. 42 points. Halfway gone and one half to go. So far, it’s been a pretty entertaining ride. Sometimes it’s been whimsical and other times it’s been painful. But it’s always been interesting.

Where are the Stars supposed to go from here?

Well, Anaheim of course. The Stars are back in action quickly with game 42 tonight against the Ducks as they wrap up yet another season series on a back-to-back.

The first half of this year was probably not what most were expecting. I mean when Patrick Eaves (11 goals, 17 points last season) is second on the team in goals with 14, you know something has to be up.

The Stars seemed to underperform on offense (2.66 GPG), defense (3.05 GAPG), and in net for most of the first half. Yet they currently sit only two points out of a playoff spot.

That’s because the Dallas Stars have grit this year. They aren’t afraid to face adversity and even take a punch or two before throwing one. Those extra punches and bloody noses build character, right?

But as that famous “jumbotron quote” from Rocky Balboa says, “It ain’t about how hard you can hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. It’s how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”

If that’s how winning is done, the Stars might be on to something here as the second half starts up.

In the first half, they had some impressive games. They put together some impressive stretches, and all three areas of their game seemed to slowly but surely improve as the season rolled on. The offense started scoring a bit more consistently, the defense had a terrific month of December, and the goaltending duo of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi gives the team a fighting chance most nights.

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Sure they fall sometimes (24 times to be exact). But that just gives them motivation to charge on in the next battle. A disheartening loss really deflated the Stars’ momentum on Saturday night against the St. Louis Blues. But they didn’t hang their heads about it. They flew to California and put up six goals on the playoff-seeded Kings who had won three of their last four contests.

The Stars still have half a season left. For all you non-math majors out there, 50 percent of the season is over and done with now. But that means that there is still 50 percent left to be played. And anything can happen in that 50 percent.

It’s not entirely encouraging to see Dallas sitting outside the playoffs here at the halfway mark, considering teams on the outside at the halfway mark are usually still there at the end of the year. But maybe this first half of the season was just a test run. Maybe the Dallas Stars have something stashed up for the second round that’s going to throw everyone for a loop.

“Everyone is frustrated with where the season is at right now at the halfway mark,” said Bob Sturm on the post game show after last night’s victory. “There’s a lot of fight to them and a lot of resolve and effort. If you have that, you have the makings of a rally.”

Now it’s time for a good ole fashioned rally. The Dallas Stars need to turn this ship around, and there’s no time to kick their problems further down the road. It’s time to meet them head on and deal with them as they have been doing the past few weeks.

Next: Stars Refuse To Bow Down, Bury Kings In 6-4 Win

And it’s okay if they get hit a few times. Just as long as they keep moving forward. After all, that’s how winning is done, right? Round two kicks off tonight.

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