Dallas Stars Can Make Playoff Road Tougher For Struggling Blues
By Josh Clark
After picking up an important point against Tampa Bay on Thursday, the Dallas Stars are back in action. They will take on the St. Louis Blues in an afternoon matchup on Saturday at the AAC. A win could not only bump their playoff hopes up, but also push the Blues down in the race.
4-1-0. That’s the Dallas Stars’ record in afternoon games this season. And while four wins in five games is impressive, there’s always room for improvement. At 1:00 p.m. today, the Stars will have a shot at going for a fifth afternoon win.
But today’s game means a lot more for the Stars than just improving their mark in midday games. They also have a shot at significantly mixing up the playoff race and even creating space in the Central Division race.
The St. Louis Blues are in Dallas today as the Stars play their fourth straight home game of a five-game homestand. It is the fifth and final time that the Stars and Blues will meet in the 2017-18 regular season, and the stakes couldn’t be much higher.
One of the key elements in this matchup is that Dallas and St. Louis are Central Division rivals. Every game against a Central opponent carries an extra weight considering success within the division is critical.
Dallas Stars
But it’s significant for another reason as well. Outside of the Central Division race, there is also a wild card race in the Western Conference. There are multiple teams in the race for two spots, including the Stars, Ducks, Avalanche, Blues, and Flames. And while there are five teams in the running, only five points separate first from last in the race. That’s how tight things are.
The Stars (36-23-5) currently sit at the front of the wild card race with sole control of the first wild card spot. If the season ended today, Dallas and Anaheim would claim the wild card spots and enter the postseason.
But the Blues aren’t as lucky. With a record of 35-26-4, St. Louis sits in fourth place in this race and sixth place in the Central Division. This is a bit worrisome for a team that bounced around the top three in the division for almost four months.
The reason? St. Louis has lost seven of their past eight games. The Blues put together a horrific end to February and quickly found themselves standing on the outside. They now own 74 points and are two points out of the final wild card spot. They also sit three points out of the Stars’ spot, though Dallas holds a game in hand.
So they are still most definitely in the race. And that’s where today’s game comes into play.
The Dallas Stars could really make things difficult for St. Louis with a win today. If the Blues drop this afternoon’s game, it would leave a lot to be determined on Sunday and Monday. The Ducks, Avalanche, and Flames all play on that day and could shake the picture up even more while the Blues are forced to sit back and watch.
But if the Blues win, they would be one point back of Dallas and back in the wild card picture.
It’s up to the Stars to make sure that doesn’t happen. Dallas could not only help their own cause out in the race for third place in the Central with a win, but could also make things more difficult on St. Louis.
The Central Division still has six teams involved in the playoff race with around one month to go in the season. With that being said, it won’t be long before the next domino falls. And as crazy as it may seem, the Stars could still be that domino. But if they can knock off the Blues today, it can help boost them up in the rankings while pinning St. Louis even further back.
It’s games like these where the Stars have to be on their best. A game against a divisional rival that is nipping at their heels in the playoff race means a lot. It means even more if they can pull off the win.
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Will Dallas pull off the win and put another nail in the coffin of the Blues’ playoff hopes? Or will they drop a second afternoon game in a row and continue their struggle to a Stanley Cup Playoff berth?
We’ll see when the puck drops at 1 p.m.