The regular season isn’t getting any longer, and that’s a problem for the Dallas Stars. They are currently a few points out of the playoff picture and will need nothing short of a miracle to get in. But let’s go ahead and map out that miracle just for fun.
No team ever wants to be in this position, especially the Dallas Stars.
With the end of each NHL regular season, every team typically faces one of four different scenarios. They are either locked into a playoff spot and gearing up for the Stanley Cup race, already eliminated by mathematics and left out to prepare for the next year, sitting somewhat comfortably in a playoff spot but still in danger, or sitting on the outside and needing some help.
The Stars are in that fourth position. It’s not the ideal one to be in with only five games to go in the season, but at least it’s not the second one, right?
This year, the Dallas Stars went from what looked like a team destined for a long playoff run to a team in desperate need of assistance to get into the race in a matter of six weeks. The recession didn’t take long and certainly brought a lot of grief with it, including an eight-game losing streak.
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That losing streak helped remove Dallas from their comfortable third place spot in the Central Division to outside the playoff picture entirely. And while the Stars lost, the teams around them (specifically below them) kept on winning. You can put two and two together and see the dilemma here.
The Dallas Stars now sit with a five-point gap between their spot of tenth place in the West and the final wild card spot. With only five games to go, it’s not an altogether ideal spot to be in. They are the final team still mathematically in contention and need a lot of help to even have a shot at making the dance.
But crazier things have happened, right? No? Well, whether you abandoned playoff hopes five games ago or still firmly believe that the Stars will be one of the eight teams going to the postseason, we’re here to provide some helpful information.
Here is all that must happen in order for the Dallas Stars to somehow work their way out of this jam and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs;
First off, it’s pretty obvious that Dallas has to win out. If they had won two or even three of those eight games that they lost in a row, they would be in a playoff spot right now and have some leeway. But that isn’t the case.
With the five games remaining, Dallas needs to pick up all ten points and finish the year with 96. So one loss just about does them in, including one tonight in Minnesota.
But if they can find a way to scavenge this final stretch and somehow pull off a miraculous six game win streak, they just might have a shot. But they will definitely need some help from the teams around them.
At the moment, here is the wild card standings in the Western Conference.
1. St. Louis Blues 76 GP 91 PTS
T-2 WC/3rd Pacific. Anaheim Ducks 77 GP 91 PTS
T-2 WC/3rd Pacific. Los Angeles Kings 77 GP 91 PTS
3. Colorado Avalanche 77 GP 90 PTS
4. Dallas Stars 77 GP 86 PTS
That’s a long gap to swing in a short time, but it can be done if a few things fall into place.
The biggest problem affecting Dallas right now is that they are three games’ worth of points out of a playoff spot. Getting a point against the Bruins on Friday may end up being the final straw that broke their playoff backs.
But here’s what needs to go down. The Dallas Stars need at least two teams above them to slip up, with one being a Pacific Division team and one being a Central Division team (unless St. Louis and Colorado are the ones that fall).
St. Louis Blues – can gain a maximum of four points through their final six games. Records could be 2-4-0, 1-3-2, 0-2-4, or worse.
Anaheim Ducks – can gain a maximum of five points through their final five games so long as Dallas wins their games in regulation or overtime (ROW). Records could be 2-2-1, 1-1-3, 0-0-5, or worse.
Los Angeles Kings – can gain a maximum of four points through their final five games. Records could be 2-3-0, 1-2-2, 0-1-4, or worse.
Colorado Avalanche – can gain a maximum of five points through their final five games. Records could be 2-2-1, 1-1-3, 0-0-5, or worse.
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It doesn’t seem like the most likely scenario for any of these teams. All four are currently playing at a consistent level and are keeping themselves in the fight, unlike Dallas. Now do you see how important winning out the three-game homestand could have been?
But Anaheim lost on Tuesday and Colorado lost last night, so we might as well plan ahead for the best-case scenario while we still have the chance.
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Let’s see how it all goes down starting tonight around the hockey world. Do the Dallas Stars have a shot? There’s a good chance that it won’t pan out in the Stars’ favor considering how much they have working against them. But if Jamie Benn can win the Art Ross Trophy with 8.5 seconds left in game 82, anything can happen, right?