Dallas Stars Have Chance To Capitalize In Central Division This Week
As opportunities continue to present themselves to the Dallas Stars, it will be up to the team to capitalize. Their next opportunity to get ahead comes over the next few days as they face all but one Central Division team.
The Dallas Stars are not doing too well in Central Division play this season and that’s a fact. There’s no other way around it.
With a divisional record of 2-6-0 on the year, it’s safe to say that the Central has been one of the Stars’ most prominent downfalls this season. The Stars are currently 14-10-1 on the year and are currently in the thick of the Western Conference standings race.
They sit in the first wild card spot at the moment, and that is primarily due to their recent hot streak. The Stars are on a three-game win streak and have won five of their past six games. It’s arguably their hottest streak of the entire year and the team seems to be clicking on all cylinders.
The Dallas offense is getting production from all four lines, the defense is using confident and competent pairings to shut down most potential chances, and the goaltending of Ben Bishop is helping the team stay in each game and affording them a chance to win.
Dallas Stars
And now the Stars have a chance to craft even more positivity out of this recent stretch. That’s because over the next week, Dallas will only square off against Central Division teams.
Dallas capped off November play this past Thursday with a thrilling 4-3 overtime win against the Chicago Blackhawks. It was their second divisional win of the season and showed that the Stars can take control of games when they focus and play with structure.
The game was the first of a five-game stretch against opponents from the Central.
The Dallas Stars will play the Blackhawks tonight at the American Airlines Center. Immediately following tonight’s game, they will board a plane and head to Colorado for their fourth meeting of the season against the Avalanche. Two days after that, they will be back home to face the Nashville Predators. And finally, they will close out their Central streak against the St. Louis Blues, who currently lead the division.
It’s a five-game span that could really help or hurt the Stars, depending on how they take it. They started it out on a positive note this past Thursday, but must keep the energy alive and burning.
In order to win in the NHL, divisional success is crucial. Dallas has learned that lesson all too well over the past few years. In 2014-15, they struggled in divisional play and missed the playoffs as a result. Fast forward to 2015-16 and they entered the playoffs as the no. 1 seed after winning the division title. And last year, it was another depressing year in Central Division play as the Stars crumbled and turned in one of the worst seasons in franchise history.
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Blackhawk Up
There’s are a few lessons that can be taken from these performances and applied to this season’s effort against the division. The Dallas Stars did not start out on the hottest note, but they have a new opportunity to get back on track.
Best case scenario: if Dallas wins all four of the remaining games and puts the Stars on a seven game win streak, things will REALLY be looking up. Not only will Dallas be 6-6-0 in divisional play, but they will have posted wins against all but one of the teams ahead of them in the rankings. That could be instrumental in pushing Dallas into the top three or even two in the division.
But will that happen? It’s a lot to ask of a team whose largest win streak this season is four games and came back in mid-October. Is it doable? Yes. Will it happen? The odds aren’t entirely favorable, but hockey is an unpredictable game and anything really is possible.
If the Stars can pick up at least six of the next eight points in these Central matchups, they should be in good shape going forward. But that’s going to take a lot of effort. The next four opponents are all above .500 and within points of each other in the standings. Dallas is right in the middle of it all, but could easily be bumped out if they struggle with this upcoming stretch.
That’s what makes streaks like this so important. Considering it is a Central- heavy part of the schedule, the Dallas Stars could go one of two ways. If they succeed, they will be in excellent standing going forward. If they struggle, they will find themselves near the bottom of the pile and have to claw their way back up. There is no in-between.
Next: What We Learned About The Stars In November 2017
These Central Division games are becoming more and more important as the season goes on. With the start of December finally here, let’s see if the Stars have any holiday magic stashed up their sleeve.