Dallas Stars: What Teams Around Them Are Doing This Week

After dropping a 6-0 bombshell at home on Sunday, the Dallas Stars now embark on a four-day break. While they sit and watch, the rest of the Western Conference will catch up. What will the teams around Dallas face during this week?

The Dallas Stars probably could not have ended their stretch of recent success on a worse note.

On Sunday afternoon, the Vancouver Canucks visited Dallas and dropped a bomb on the Stars. They were stronger, faster, and smarter and outdid Dallas in every facet of the game. As a result, they won in a 6-0 routing. But it wasn’t the Canucks’ success that was necessarily the most shocking; it was the Stars’ failures.

Coming into the game, the Dallas Stars had won five games in a row. They had beaten plenty of odds during the stretch and tied their season high in wins in a row. Their offense was on fire, their defense was on lockdown, and both goaltenders were playing lights out in the crease.

And then it disappeared, almost as if overnight. All of the momentum went down the drain and Dallas dropped to a team that had lost four straight games of their own. The Stars couldn’t find a way to rally together and looked utterly confused for a majority of the game. They had lost their spark entirely and could not find a way to make the game even remotely close.

Dallas Stars

Sometimes, that happens. And while it’s logical even for good teams to slip every once in a while, the timing was not ideal. That’s because the Stars closed out a long streak of success with a goose egg.

And now they are going on another break. After taking two extensive breaks (including a six-day and four-day break) in the month of January, the Stars are set to take another one. They won’t play again until Friday night when they host the St. Louis Blues. That’s four days away from the ice.

But as the Dallas Stars sit back and stew on their loss, the rest of the league will keep playing. Could that be a problem? Well, potentially.

At the moment, the Stars sit with a record of 33-20-4. That totals out to 70 points and gives Dallas sole control of the first wild card spot in the Western Conference. While that is an impressive mark, there’s plenty of hockey left to be played. On top of that, there are plenty of teams still in the running for very few playoff spots.

On top of that, the Stars have played a total of 57 games. That’s the second most of any team in the West, trailing only the St. Louis Blues. The other teams have to catch up at some point, and now seems to be that time.

So while the Stars sit out and focus on bouncing back in a big way on Friday, how will the teams around them fare? Is there a chance that Dallas could be bumped from their spot in the standings?

Let’s take a look at what the teams both above and below the Stars will be doing this week around the league.

Teams Above The Stars

While the Dallas Stars are in the first wild card spot right now, they are still within striking distance of the top three teams in the Central Division.

At the moment, the Stars are in fourth place in the Central with 70 points. The Nashville Predators are in first place in the division with 75 points. And while Dallas has a few games out of hand, they are still well within reach of the first, second, and third spots.

The top three teams currently in the Central Division are the Predators, Winnipeg Jets, and St. Louis Blues. The Stars couldn’t cash in on an opportunity to jump the Blues in yesterday’s game against Vancouver, so now they will have to wait and see how the rest of the division fares this week.

So what are the three teams above the Stars up to this week? Is there a chance that Dallas could actually gain ground on their divisional foes? Let’s take a look.

Nashville Predators

Games: 2 (2/13, 2/15)

Opponents: St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames

After falling just short of the franchise’s first ever Stanley Cup in the 2017 playoffs, the Predators seem back and hungrier than ever for another shot at eternal glory.

Nashville currently boasts a record of 33-12-9 with 75 points. That’s good enough for first place in the Central Division and puts them one point behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the Western Conference lead.

The Preds are playing consistent hockey as of late, picking up points in each of their last six games. This week, they have two more chances at nabbing a total of four points and strengthening their lead on the division. These games come at a good time, too, considering the Predators have only played 54 games this season, the lowest of any team in the West.

Nashville Predators

Nashville will play the Blues and Flames before Friday night as they kick off a four-game homestand.

While this could give the Predators a dominant nine-point advantage on Dallas by the time they get to their next game, it also works in the Stars’ favor.

The Dallas Stars are currently chasing the Blues in the standings and are being chased by the Flames. So it’s kind of a partial win however things may go. In terms of the St. Louis game, either the Stars will have another game in hand in the race for third place, or be closer to first place overall. And in terms of the Calgary game, Dallas will either have a more comfortable gap between them and the Flames (who keep bouncing between third in the Pacific Division and just outside the wild card race) or simply be closer to first place yet again.

So pick your poison, Nashville.

Winnipeg Jets

Games: 2 (2/13, 2/16)

Opponents: Washington Capitals, Colorado Avalanche

The Winnipeg Jets really came out of nowhere this season.

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After finishing with another mediocre record last season and having only been to the playoffs in one of the past ten seasons for the franchise, something needed to be done. Instead, the Jets made practically no significant offseason moves and entered the season with a relatively similar lineup that they had boasted for a while now.

Naturally, they now sit in second place in the division by just two points with a record of 32-15-9. Winnipeg is clicking on all cylinders this season and has managed to stay in the top three for a majority of the year.

This week, their grit will be tested once again. The Jets will play the Capitals, who currently lead the Metropolitan Division, and Avalanche before the Stars get their game finished up on Friday. The Jets have played 56 games this year, so they will catch up with Dallas this week. Will that come with a similar five-point lead or bump to seven or even perhaps nine by Friday night?

St. Louis Blues

Games: 2 (2/13, 2/16)

Opponents: Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars

Otherwise known as the team that the Stars can never seem to catch, the Blues are making headway through 58 games this year. They boast a record of 34-21-3 and own 71 points, a measly one more than the Stars.

If the Dallas Stars are going to dethrone the Blues and throw them to the wild card race, they will first need a Nashville win on Tuesday. Then comes the tough part: mustering up the courage and skill to beat them out of the break on Friday.

While the top three could go any number of ways this week and either help or hurt the Dallas Stars, it’s the teams below them that they should keep a close eye on.