Dallas Stars Can Play Spoiler Yet Again Against Nashville

The season is drawing to an end, and the Dallas Stars have nothing left to play towards. On the bright side, they still have a chance to put the Nashville Predators in a frightening spot.

When a team is mathematically eliminated from the playoff picture in any sport, it can be difficult to figure out what the next step is. After all, they have spent their entire season working towards a playoff spot.

For a lot of teams, there really is nothing left to work for. All you can really do is play for pride and bragging rights and give your fans a show.

That’s about where the Dallas Stars are at this point in the season. Through 80 games played, they are 33-36-11 with 77 points. They were eliminated from the Western Conference playoff race over a week ago, and it was for good measure. This season has been a disaster.

Through injuries, inconsistencies, and an overall lack of firepower that they possessed in 2015-16, the Dallas Stars have fallen off of the NHL map. While the future still looks bright (assuming the Stars make the right moves in the offseason), this season is better off being left in the past.

Dallas Stars /

Dallas Stars

The Stars had seen the elimination coming for a while as the point gap slowly increased over the months of February and March, but it did not officially happen until last Monday. Following their expulsion from the playoff race, their primary goal seemed to be playing with confidence, which is something they have struggled to do this year, in the last seven games of the season.

So far, they have done a pretty good job at it. Though they are 2-3-0 over the span, the have not let themselves go flat. They have approached each game with intensity and grit, and have been rewarded for it.

Rookies like Julius Honka, Jason Dickinson, and Gemel Smith are getting valuable playing time and getting a head start on their NHL careers which seem closer than one might think.

And now they are six periods away from the end of the 2016-17 season. Tonight they will welcome the Nashville Predators to town for the final time in their five-game series. On Saturday, they will close the season out at home against the NHL-worst Colorado Avalanche.

So why watch tonight’s game against the Predators who have already claimed a playoff spot? Well, the Dallas Stars have a chance to do something big tonight that could potentially handcuff the Predators going into the postseason. Don’t you just love to cheer for the spoiler?

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If the Dallas Stars can rally together yet again tonight and best the Predators to claim the season series, Nashville’s playoff seeding could be set in stone. If the Calgary Flames beat the Los Angeles Kings tonight and the Predators lose to Dallas in regulation, the Predators will for sure enter the playoffs in the second wild card spot.

And the second wild card spot will face off with the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. This year, Nashville is 1-4-0 against Chicago. Their lone win over the Hawks came back on opening night. In the five-game series, the Blackhawks have outscored the Preds 20-13.

Chicago currently leads the Western Conference with a record of 50-23-8 and 108 points. They have caught fire recently and are firing on all cylinders. Their high-flying style of play could prove to be a serious problem for the Predators to catch up to.

Next: Learning From This Season's Mistakes Will Help Stars

Whether you want the Predators to play underdog and knock the Hawks out first round or you severely loathe Nashville and want them knocked out quickly and efficiently, tonight’s game in Dallas could determine a lot.

As it turns out, the Dallas Stars still do have something to play for. They have spoiling to do.

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