Every NHL team faces different challenges embedded in their regular season schedule. For the Dallas Stars, their challenge is a long six-game road trip coming up. With the regular season dwindling, now is the time for the Stars to pave their way to the postseason.
The Dallas Stars have their weaknesses just like every other NHL team. Some teams show these weaknesses outright while others do a good job at concealing them.
The Stars are somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. While they have some obvious problems at the moment like depth scoring and offensive production, they have other issues that they dig in and fight through.
One of those is their record when playing away from the American Airlines Center. Dallas is known for their home play this season, posting a record of 24-10-3 when at the AAC. But when they hit the road, problems seem to develop.
So far in the 2017-18 season, the Dallas Stars are 14-14-3 when away from Big D. While it’s not a bad mark, it’s not an ideal one, either.
Dallas Stars
This road record has contributed to the Stars’ 38-24-6 mark this season. It’s one of the reasons that they are still in the middle of the playoff race and are trying to claw their way into the postseason. Though they sit in the first wild card spot at the moment, a playoff spot is far from guaranteed.
And with 14 games to go in the season, it’s going to be a sprint to the finish in the Western Conference. Dallas has 82 points and a narrow deficit separating them from the one team above them and the four teams below them. That leaves a lot to be determined over the final month of the regular season.
Dallas will have to fight their way in, and they’re going to have to do it against the road.
Of the Stars’ 14 remaining games, 10 of them are away from the AAC. And while that includes a three-game road trip to close the season, the big chunk is coming over the next 10 days.
The Stars left Dallas on Saturday morning and won’t return until March 20. They have a six-game road trip to break down and delve through between now and then.
The playoff push is on and this road trip could play an influential role in determining where the Stars go. It’s not going to be a walk in the park, either.
The Stars will square off with a decent mixture of opponents during the trip, ranging from teams at the bottom of the pile to teams at the top of their respective divisions.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Dallas will be in Pittsburgh on Sunday night to kick off their road trip against the Penguins. After pulling off a 4-3 shootout victory over the Pens on Feb. 9, the Stars are shooting for the sweep. But a lot has gone on over the past month, and both teams are playing significantly different hockey than they were.
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Pittsburgh is in second place in a stacked Metropolitan Division right now with 82 points. They are just one point out of first and could continue their push to the Metropolitan Division crown with a win tonight. With that being said, the Stars will have to resurrect their hot streak from last month if they expect to keep up with the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions.
Montreal Canadiens
Dallas will travel to Montreal following their game against the Penguins to close out their season series against Montreal. The Stars defeated the Habs back in November and are aiming for yet another sweep.
And while the Canadiens are a mere shell of what they have been in past seasons, it cannot downplay their ability to surprise. They have talent on the roster that can be effective when it all clicks.
Whatever the case may be, Dallas needs to keep a stern eye. After all, the last thing they need is another “Ottawa situation.”
Toronto Maple Leafs
Immediately following Montreal, the Dallas Stars will head to Toronto to take on the Leafs on Wednesday night. Dallas is 0-1-0 against Toronto this season and will be in search of their first win against the Leafs.
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Assuming Ben Bishop is still injured at this point, the Stars may have to make an interesting decision with their goaltending. Kari Lehtonen and Mike McKenna could very well split this back-to-back setup. Could McKenna take on the Leafs or Habs in his first career game with Dallas?
The Maple Leafs are safe in a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division right now, but are still looking to gain steam as they head into the playoffs to take on a strong Tampa Bay or Boston team.
Ottawa Senators
Two days after Toronto, the Stars will continue their Canadian road swing with a game against the Senators.
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After losing their first meeting of the season in overtime this past Monday due to an unenthused and dry effort, the Stars will need a rebound game against one of the league’s bottom teams.
Winnipeg Jets
The final two games of the road trip will carry a significant amount of weight with them.
On Sunday evening, the Dallas Stars will be in Winnipeg to face off with the Jets. It will be the fourth and final meeting of the regular season between the Stars and their Central Division rival. Dallas is 0-3-0 against Winnipeg this season and has yet to prove that they can even run with the Jets in a game. Sunday is their last chance to measure up to potential playoff competition and try to stay on pace with the big dogs.
Washington Capitals
The Dallas Stars will end their 10-day trip in D.C. with a matchup against the Washington Capitals. The Caps beat the Stars in the first meeting of the season by an overtime score of 4-3.
Dallas typically has success at Capital One Arena and needs to keep the trend going to close out the road trip with a bang.
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All in all, this road trip is shaping up to hold an extensive amount of weight in terms of the Stars’ playoff hopes. The race is tight and there are still plenty of teams in the running. With that being said, these next six games could make or break the team’s postseason run.
Let’s see how it goes down against the Penguins tonight.