Dallas Stars Enter Christmas Break On Incredibly Joyous Note
By Josh Clark
With the Christmas break now in effect across the NHL, it’s a good time to be a Dallas Stars fan. They are checking off their lists and seem to be reaching new levels.
It’s a good time to be a Dallas Stars fan. Isn’t it nice to finally be able to say that with confidence?
All 31 NHL teams finished up play over the past few days and entered the league-wide Christmas break. The holiday break spans from Sunday, December 24 – Tuesday, December 26, meaning that no games or practices are scheduled during this time.
The Stars are not scheduled to play next until December 27th when they will travel to Minnesota. It will be their first time to play the Wild this season and will serve as another important divisional test.
But for now, they are taking a break. And boy, did they earn it.
Dallas Stars
It’s been an interesting first part of the 2017-18 regular season, specifically for the Dallas Stars. Among the highlight reel goals and show-stopping saves, there’s been a common theme for Dallas: growing strength.
The Stars started the season on an unexpectedly shocking note by losing to the league’s newest team, the Vegas Golden Knights. The loss put a damper on all of the preseason hype that Dallas had built up using their additions and improvements over the summer. It also pushed the Stars into a corner, making the necessity for success all the more critical.
But as the season has gone on, the Dallas Stars have found ways to reach this success. It hasn’t been easy, though. The Stars endured a lot of tough losses, demoralizing performances, and confusing situations to get here.
Now they sit at a record of 20-14-3 with 43 points. Though it may not seem like it, the Stars are in sole control of the first wild card spot in the West. They also sit four points out of first place in the Central Division.
How on earth did they get here? Well, it took a lot of effort, some blood, and plenty of sweat.
But they’ve especially hit their stride over the last few weeks, and that’s a terrific Christmas present for the franchise.
Blackout Dallas Blast From The Past:‘Twas The Night Before Christmas: Stars Edition 2K15
Over the past 15 games, the Dallas Stars posted an impressive 9-4-2 record. That includes a five-game winning streak and 2 two-game winning streaks. They also have points in four straight games and are 4-1-2 in their last seven.
The most impressive part of this stretch is that Dallas has taken out some of the NHL’s best competition on their way to this record. In the past two weeks, they have bested the Rangers, Islanders, Blackhawks, and Predators. They also picked up a point against the Capitals and Flyers. All of those teams except Philadelphia are currently holding a playoff spot at the holiday break.
The Dallas Stars are beginning to catch fire, and that’s nothing but encouraging for the future. They are gaining chemistry as a unit, playing effective in all three areas, and keeping up with the best teams in the league.
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They are now on a two-game win streak against Central Division clubs and are climbing the standings. Their offense is scoring on all lines, their defense is solidified and playing with structure, and Ben Bishop and Kari Lehtonen are buying the team a chance to win.
At the end of the day, that’s a better Christmas gift than anything Santa could bring.