Dallas Stars Will Have Playoff Readiness Tested Tonight Against Wild
By Josh Clark
The Dallas Stars will turn back the clock tonight for their first ever Retro Night when they square off with the Minnesota Wild. But that’s only a small part of what makes this game the most significant one of the year.
Tonight, the Dallas Stars will put on a blast from the past as they host Retro Night for their game against the Minnesota Wild. The Stars will wear their throwback 1993 uniforms in warmups, the prices of food will reflect those of the early 1990’s, the in-arena playlist will consist of 90’s music, and Bill Oellermann will be back on the PA microphone.
Yet, this celebration will be nowhere near the most important or even thrilling story of the night. Instead, the results of tonight’s game will hold all of the attention.
That’s because the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild are currently locked in a fierce battle in the Western Conference wild card race. With that being said, tonight’s game could make a big impression on the standings.
At the moment, the Western Conference playoff race is a complete logjam. While the Stars are within striking distance of the top three in the Central Division, it is what’s below them that they should be worried about. Dallas sits in the first wild card spot at the moment, but has four teams within four points just below them.
Dallas Stars
The team directly below them and only trailing by one point with a game in hand? The Minnesota Wild.
“This is a four-line team that we are playing,” said Stars head coach Ken Hitchcock. Four veteran lines that really know how to play the game. They have one of the best fourth lines in the league with two experienced players who are really competitive. They are going to play that line deep into the game and we’re going to have to match it. We’re not going to win with three lines.”
It’s no secret that the Wild are having an impressive year as well. They spent the first 39 games of the season without one of their leading scorers in Zach Parise and still managed to stay afloat in a jam-packed Western Conference. They also defeated one of the hottest teams in the NHL last night in the Vegas Golden Knights by a score of 5-2.
Overall, the Wild are a balanced and aggressive team with offensive firepower that coincides well with their defensive efficiency.
“They don’t spend any time in their own zone,” said Hitchcock. “Their first pass and their decisions under pressure are as good as anyone in the National Hockey League. They get out quick and are able to join the rush. They’re one of the best teams at getting out of trouble and when you do that, you open up space to create offense. They never put themselves in a position where they get hemmed in.”
The Dallas Stars learned that the hard way on December 27 in their first meeting of the season with Minnesota. The Wild bested the Stars 4-2 just after the Christmas break and, as a result, gained more ground in the playoff race.
Minnesota Wild
“That was a weird game right after the Christmas break,” said Stars forward Mattias Janmark. “It wasn’t a very good game for us, but it’s going to be a huge battle tonight and huge points on the line too. We have to play them a couple more times this year, so we know what’s at stake. We just have to find our game again because we’ve lost it the last couple of games.”
While the Wild vaulted themselves into the playoff picture with a win last night, Dallas struggled to keep themselves alive in the top wild card spot with a win on Thursday night. After losing two straight games to Toronto and Los Angeles, the Stars were dangerously close to dropping out of the playoff picture. But they defeated the Coyotes 4-1 on Thursday and stabilized their position as a result.
“We had good parts in the game against Arizona, but we had bad parts too,” Janmark said. “We have to get back to the good. Against this team, we can’t afford to have bad performances or they’re going to beat us.”
The Wild have displayed a decent balance that is helping them chug along this season, and that could cause some problems for the Stars if they aren’t ready to match it.
They will, however, have some help. Antoine Roussel will be back in the lineup tonight after missing the past two games with a sinus infection.
“I think he’s a big factor,” Hitchcock said. “He allows us to spread out our minutes more and is very good at killing penalties. He gets the other team’s attention by his work ethic and determination. Him helping us is going to be good, but there is going to be some flexibility on the left side. We’ll see how the matchup works.”
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Roussel has five goals and 14 points in 44 games this season with the Stars. He’s generating excellent chemistry on a line with Radek Faksa and Tyler Pitlick, and the three have become one of the Stars’ most consistent lines this season.
In addition to that, Kari Lehtonen will man the crease for the second straight game after Ben Bishop took a puck to the face while sitting on the bench on Thursday night. He should be good for Monday’s game against New York, but Lehtonen will square off with the Wild tonight. Lehtonen led the Stars to a 4-1 victory against the Coyotes and has won his past three starts.
“To me, this is job well done and now he gets another chance to do a job again,” said Hitchcock. “He’s been very consistent and has been really professional. He’s had a tremendous attitude all year and it’s showing up in his good play. He’s been a consistent performer for us every night.”
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There’s a lot to like about tonight’s game, but all the focus will be on how it affects the standings. The Stars could potentially be one point back of third place in the division and have breathing room in the WC race or could fall out of the playoff picture altogether depending on how tonight’s game goes.
Tonight’s game will greatly test the Stars’ playoff readiness. They are going up against a team with just as much to fight for as they do, are relying on their backup goalie to get the job done, and must dig deep against one of their bigger rivals. If they can get past this challenge, maybe they really are prepared for a postseason run.
“Well we know it’s going to be a sprint to the finish,” said Stars defenseman Greg Pateryn. “Every team around us has that mentality and mindset so every game is going to be a battle. But it’s going to be fun.”
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Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. from the American Airlines Center. We’ll see you in 1993.