Dallas Stars End Season With Impressive Win, Give Hope For Future
By Josh Clark
And just like that, it’s all over. The Dallas Stars downed the Los Angeles Kings last night and are now headed for the offseason. But, as they always seem to do, they found a way to leave some undefined hope lingering for next year.
After 185 days in the trenches, it’s all over. The Dallas Stars are heading for the 2018 offseason after closing out regular season action last night. It wasn’t entirely in vain, though, as Dallas pulled off a commanding 4-2 win over the Kings on the road.
The Stars entered LA on Saturday night with a pretty beaten spirit. They had been eliminated from the playoff race six days prior and had lost to the Anaheim Ducks the night before. Meanwhile, their opponent was playoff bound and looking to close out their home slate with a win.
And yet, Dallas found a way to not only knock them down, but pulverize them (specifically in the first period). Devin Shore got things going a few moments into the first frame and Jamie Benn followed it up with a natural hat trick to close out the period. After the first 20, the Stars were up 4-0 and keeping the Staples Center dead quiet.
They basically shifted into neutral in the final two periods, but it all worked out as they held on for the 4-2 victory.
Dallas Stars
Just like that, the 2017-18 regular season is a thing of the past. It seems to have disappeared almost as quickly as it started up. The Dallas Stars officially closed out their season with a record of 42-32-8 and 92 points. They missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs by three points (so two extra wins would have done it) and are sitting out early for the eighth time in ten years.
And now the countdown to 2018-19 can officially start up. But there’s a lot of action that has to happen between now and then. Decisions have to be made, both easy and difficult.
Will Kari Lehtonen get a new contract with Dallas? Are Antoine Roussel, Jason Spezza, or Dan Hamhuis coming back next year? Will Ken Hitchcock still be manning the bench in October? And how will the draft and free agency frenzy pan out? There’s a lot to keep up with and it promises to be another adventurous and action-packed summer.
But let’s not think about that right now. Let’s wait at least until after exit interviews to start digging into offseason discussions. Right now, let’s just focus on last night’s game and what it means for the Dallas Stars.
The Stars once again found a way to cap off a disappointing season with a ray of light and hope. In 2014-15, Jamie Benn won the Art Ross Trophy in game 82 before the team embarked on a long offseason. Last year, they defeated the Colorado Avalanche in a shootout to pick up one last thrilling win on home ice.
And this year, they beat a playoff team behind a stellar first period performance and a solid team effort all around. It was something that we’ve seen very little of over the last six weeks, but it was definitely present last night.
More from Editorials
- Dallas Stars hockey is about to be the main attraction in Dallas this year
- Age Before Beauty: The impact of Benn’s new role on his Dallas legacy
- Dallas Stars hockey is the light at the end of the tunnel
- Dallas Stars coverage is lacking and it’s very concerning to be honest
- Sit back, relax and watch Jim Nill and the Dallas Stars draft scouts cook
It’s also what everyone needs. Not just the players and coaches, but the management, staff, and fans as well. It’s that little cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more. And though it will take five months before you see more, you consider it worth the wait. To go into the offseason with a loss would not have given off the same vibe to anyone.
The fact that they won and beat a team in a much better position than them is encouraging. It helps remind us that this season did have some bright spots, even if they were mixed in with the recent meltdown. That’s what these games are all about.
And who knows what next season will bring? It could be a replica of this season. Even worse, it could be a mirror image of last season. Or it could yield amazing results like the 2015-16 season.
All you can do at this point is start dreaming about what October 2018 will hold for the Dallas Stars.
But last night’s win helped prove that the Stars are not stuck in the rearview mirror. They aren’t in a fatal position and aren’t preparing to a significant overhaul. This team knows that they still have talent and a spark and can bring it to their play.
So yes, this season ended in a bit of a bittersweet way. But, as it always seems to be, the light is still on for the future. And there’s a good chance that you will keep tuning in because of it.
All it will take is a little more tweaking. But that’s what the offseason is for.
But until that gets underway, there’s time to look back and consider this season a success for some reasons and failure for others. It’s a disappointing end, but it seems to be another step in the right direction. And at least they ended it on a hopeful note.
Next: Yet Again, The Central Division Plays Part In Stars' Undoing
So thanks for the memories, 2017-18 Dallas Stars. And thanks for continuing to aggressively chase that light at the end of the tunnel. One of these days, they are going to catch it. And when they do, these kinds of hopeful wins will mean all the more.